Bars and Cafes in Innenstadt (Cologne)

Café Spitz

This café-bar-restaurant chain can be found in a number of German cities, and also has other locations in Cologne, although each one has it's own distinctive atmosphere. The Spitz on Ehrenstrasse is a good place to stop while exploring the shops on this trendy street. The drinks are not too expensive and the food is good and affordable. There are a few tables outside, as well. Kitchen: until midnight daily

Füllenbach

Cakes and tarts are the specialty at Füllenbach. They are indeed so nice looking and, first and foremost, delicious, that most of the film and TV world in Cologne order their cakes there. In the large room, there are as many as twenty different sorts of cake to choose from. Breakfast is also offered, from traditional frühstück to American-style, as well as a lunch menu. The location is convenient, too - just across the expansive Ebertplatz from the Metropolis cinema, which shows films in the original, mostly English version.

Café Fromme

If you don't get the chance to head all the way down to Austria, this place can give you a bit of an idea what it is like there, or at least, when it comes to café traditions. Café Fromme has been in business since 1893, and has mastered the Vienna coffee house atmosphere. That suggests a certain pride, plenty of fussiness, and a confectioners-patisserie of the finest order. Chocolates, truffles and cakes that will make the heart of the sweet-toothed individual beat that much faster, can be found here. Fromme is conveniently located in the center of town, near the Opernhaus Köln and the Schauspielhaus. There is also a new, younger sister open in the Neumarktpassage, right next to the Gonski bookshop.

Café Libresso

Cafe Libresso is just right after a tiring shopping excursion through the center of Cologne. Here, you can choose from twenty different sorts of tea to perk you up after dragging your feet around town. Baguette sandwiches and salads are available, as well as coffee and all the other usual drinks. Candlelight, wooden tables, and classical music make for a pleasant atmosphere. The kitchen is open all day.

Schreckenskammer

Anyone trying to describe Schreckenskammer a  friendly Brauhaus behind the Hauptbahnhof is always baffled by its curious name, which means 'horror-chamber'. The Schreckenskammer is, however, really quite harmless, and seems to have nothing to do with medieval torture methods and the like. It has been there since the 15th century and, despite much gory conjecture, nobody is really sure what went on there. You can read the history of the building while enjoying a Kölsch. 'Rheinische' Brauhaus. Snacks are also served here.

Café Eigel

Café Eigel is a much appreciated island of calm amongst the chaos of the Hohe Straße. It caters maninly to tourists, older people and weary shoppers. Quite large and plushly decorated inside, it is a nice place for coffee and cake, and in summer there is seating outside. You can also buy cakes, tortes and tastey pralines to take away. Sitting outside in summer you can often hear street music, which is grudgingly tolerated by the city authorities and can be entertaining. The tables outside face the boutique of Bogner and Joop.

Bronx

With such a name one might expect New York rap music, but not the case here: rock music rules! Most guests linger over drinks and socialize. If they're not talking about the good old days they're listening to their favorite sounds. There are also performances held on the small stage. SEtting a fun, cool scene for drinking and dancing, this club is among the favorite spots for the locals.

Café Jansen

Café Jansen, like many of Cologne's traditional-style coffee houses, is a holdover from days gone by. The décor offers plenty of porcelain and kitschy stuff, so the slighty elderly clientel feel quite at home. Professor Jansen founded café, which is now part of the Fassbinder chain. The prices are a bit on the high side, but the cakes and tarts are no less delicious! The central location makes it an ideal stop for a break on your stroll through town.

Bei Bepi

At Bepi's place you can enjoy typical Italian cooking lunchtime and evening with dishes like bolognese, penne, lasagne and tagliatelle. The menu changes each week so it never gets too boring. At lunchtime you'll find business people, workers from the WDR radio station or even hungry shoppers here and the customers keep coming back to Bepi's, who have had a restaurant in Cologne's city center for 40 years now.

Früh am Dom

Located a stone's throw from the Dom and Hohe Straße, Früh am Dom is a real institution that attracts both tourists and locals alike. The 'Früh' is to Cologne what the Hofbräuhaus is to Munich, except of course, that the beer comes in much smaller glasses! As well as serving up freshly-brewed Kölsch beer, there is a menu which contains a fine selection of local and national specialties. A must for any visitor.

Engelbät

If you like cafés and bars where everything is made of wood, here's a place to go. The Engelbät is a great place for a beer and a chat, if you can find a place to sit. There are regular musical performances, mostly jazz and chanson. A piano sits on a small, raised seating area that doubles as a stage. The speciality at Engelbät is the crêpe, but of a particularly hearty variety. Each sort has a name, like Heidi or Peter, or Heike, and whether sweet, savoury, vegetarian or otherwise there's one to suit any taste. Enjoy!

Bieresel

The Beer-Donkey is a must for all of those whose country of origin had not even been discovered when this bar started providing beer hundreds of years ago - it was opened in 1297 in the same street. Incredible! Here, you can understand why Cologne has a reputation for being friendly - the rheinische spirit is indeed noticeable. Mussels are the specialty, though of course they are only available from September to February. The service is very friendly, which is unusual for a Brauhaus. It is located in the centre of town, on the pleasantly pedestrianised Breite Strasse. Get yourself to the Bier-Esel, and take some memories back home with you. It is closed on Sundays from April 1st - September 1st.