Dusseldorf is a very peaceful and pleasant city to visit in Germany. With a big-city flair and a small-town vacation atmosphere, it leaves nothing to be desired by its bigger sister Cologne, both in terms of gastronomy and beers, which is the reason for the greater rivalry between them.
Düsseldorf's gastronomy and beer culture
In Dusseldorf you will find all those typical German dishes that we love so much, including a variety of sausages and dishes based on cabbage, potatoes and pork. It's ogre food of the best quality and often cheaper than in the rest of Germany, especially if the idea is to share the dish with someone else 😉
As in its neighbor, beer is the city's flagship and part of a great secular tradition, but don't expect to find those litrão mugs that we see so much in Bavaria. This little piece of Germany is known for serving its drinks in 200-250ml glasses: Altbier from Dusseldorf on one side and Kölsch from Cologne on the other.
Tip from the heart: never order a kölsch in Dusseldorf, or an altbier in Cologne, they might get offended. It's a Fla x Flu so interesting to watch as the dispute for the title of best beer country between Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic.
Where to eat and drink well in Dusseldorf?
After a lot of eating and tasting each of the local beers (it was all field research, I swear!), I share some tried-and-true tips for those who want to have fun in this tasty task of eating and drinking well and cheaply in Dusseldorf 😀
Altstadt district (the old town), the birthplace of Altbier
In the small historic center of Dusseldorf, there are some of the most important addresses when it comes to local beer. Four traditional Altbier breweries continue to produce this dark, dense, high-fermentation tantrum using the same recipe and method of preparation as in the past, all there, inside the historic buildings.
Although our guide commented that consumption of the drink has been dropping in recent years because of young people who prefer to drink wine, here are the two best and most traditional places to drink the authentic Altbier 😀
Brauerei im Füchschen is a very famous brewery in the city that has been operating since 1848 following the same family recipe. If the counter is crowded, don't worry, the waiters serve the beer non-stop even on the sidewalk in front of the bar.
- Address: Ratinger Str. 28
- Opening hours: open every day from 9 am to 1 am
- Price range: 250 ml beer costs 2 euros
- Site: fuechschen.de
Another famous address that is always crowded with locals is Uerige, which has been producing Altbier since 1862. The dark beer is served in a 250 ml glass and the waiters keep passing by at all times, leaving another round on the table. To get in the mood, nothing better than sitting in one of the shared spaces on the Altstadt pedestrian street.
- Address: Berger str. 1
- Opening hours: open every day from 10 am to midnight
- Price range: 250 ml beer costs 2,05 euros
- Site: uerige.de/en
For those who are curious, the Füchschen has a lighter flavor, while the Uerige brings a more marked flavor of the roasted malt.
From beer to the strongest liquor we've ever tasted, Dusseldorf also has another alcoholic tradition. Called Killepitsch, the city's typical drink has been produced since 1858 and is made from 98 different herbs and ingredients, resulting in a liqueur with 42% alcohol. It's a drink for the lion, no defect.
The drink was born from a joke between two friends who said that if they didn't die (Killed), they would create a strong drink (pitsch) and from this pun the name Killepitsch was born.
Since 1955 in the historic center and very close to the Uerige brewery, there is the traditional bar of this liquor, the Killepitsch Haus zum Helm. Legend has it that the biggest challenge is taking three shots without seeing the ceiling rotate. Today the liqueur has become an official souvenir of the city 😀
- Address: Holzstrasse 4
- Opening hours: open every day from 11 am to 23 am
- Price range: a small bottle costs less than 2 euros in the shop next to the bar
- Site: killepitsch.de
The historic center of Dusseldorf is not just made of good drinks. In one of its streets, there is a nice mustard shop called Gewürzhaus. Family heritage, the address has been open since 1726 producing different types of mustard (ABB-Senf) and has even been portrayed in a painting by Van Gogh from 1840 oO
You can buy a jar of their mustard right there or bring your own jar to refill it as a refill. I recently opened the little bottle I brought and regretted having bought such a small one, as the mustard is very tasty and well seasoned. I'll accept mustard from Gewürzhaus as a Christmas present, okay?
- Address: Mertensgasse 25
- Opening hours: Wednesday to Friday from 9:30 to 14:15 and from 15:XNUMX to. On Saturdays until XNUMX pm. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
- Price range: 4 euros for a small pot of 100 grams (hand-painted ceramics)
- Site: gewuerzhaus-altstadt.de
Carlsplatz Markt is the kind of place where I love to get lost. Considered the oldest street market in the city, 60 stalls sell every kind of colorful, fresh, regional and world wide product you can imagine.
You can buy several different things and have a nice lunch on the Rheinuferpromenade – the promenade by the Rhine River – or try to compete for a table with the suits who take advantage of lunchtime to enjoy a little bit of the sun 😉
- Address: Carlsplatz, 1
- Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 18 pm, closed on Sundays
- Site: carlsplatz-markt.de
media port
Among the modern buildings and the works of Frank Gehry in the MedienHafen region, there is an exceptional restaurant serving typical dishes from the Rhine Valley. Eigelstein offers a variety of delicacies that we love: lots of pork, salads, sausages, soups and, of course, good old-fashioned beer. I don't even need to say that the dishes serve two people, right?
Despite the fierce dispute between Cologne and Dusseldorf, between Kölsch and Altbier, here they serve the typical Cologne beer in that traditional 200 ml glass. Waiter: Down two, please!
- Address: Hammer Str. 17, 40219
- Opening hours: open every day from 11:30 am to 23:30 pm
- Price range: plate of pork shoulder with salad, bacon and bread: 11,90 euros; already 6 sausages with potato salad: 10,30 euros
- Site: eigelstein-duesseldorf.com
Oberkassel
On the other side of the river is the charming neighborhood of Oberkassel, home to the famous Café Muggel, a restaurant with a half-café, half-bistro feel, but with a very Germanic menu. It tends to be very popular, especially at dinner and brunch on weekends. The beer list is great and has very different labels that are not very well known here in Brazil. Dishes are generous and can be shared.
- Address: Dominikanerstrasse, 4
- Opening hours: open every day from 9 am to 1 am
- Price range: dishes between 7 and 21 euros
- Site: cafe-muggel.de
This part of the trip was supported by Düsseldorf Marketing & Tourismus GmbH and the German Tourism Center.
How absurd that I spent 3 months here without knowing about this mustard store! I went there on Saturday and freaked out! Thanks from <3
I went to the Uerige yesterday to see the Tour de France people pass by and I remembered a lot of you.
The tips are great, some I didn't know and I loved knowing.
I totally agree that Carlplatz is a delight! =)
If I can give my 50 cents… Dusseldorf has a huge Japanese community (it is only smaller than Paris and London in Europe, but if we compare the size of these cities it is even unfair), so it has great restaurants with very good prices. Ideal choice for those who spend a lot of time in Europe and miss a japinha, like me.
In German, in addition to the ones you mentioned, there's Schawn and Himmel und Ahd who are pretty cool too. And a great and super cool hamburger is at the Grindhouse.
