Food is very important to the people of Hesse, the federal state that Frankfurt belongs to. It's no strange coincidence that the city's main causeway is referred to as "Freßgass", Glutton Alley. Here we will provide you with information on the specialties in Frankfurt gourmet and fast food restaurants, cafes, bars and on traditions in these places. For more information, you can visit our Frankfurt Restaurant Guide.

Specialties

Variety is an important characteristic when it comes to food served at the local festivals and celebrations: among the specialties you will find sausages with sauerkraut, grüne Soße, a green sauce made with herbs, and the mythical Handkäs mit Musik (hand cheese with music), a soft, very smelly cheese topped with a lot of onion. The typical Hesse drink is Ebbelwoi, cider served in jugs called Bembel. (One of the most well-known Ebbelwei or Äppler wine producing companies is Possmann).

Restaurants for the gourmet public

Frankfurt has an extremely wide array of options for the gourmet public, ranging from modern eating houses serving exotic dishes to local diners with delicious home made cooking. There are also many places serving specialties from the Balkan region, Greece and Turkey, besides the classic Italian, French and Oriental dishes. Although low in numbers, some restaurants offer Russian cuisine and dishes from other former socialist countries such as Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Sachsenhausen, on the north bank of the Main River, is a cuisine area devoted to typical dishes - such as smoked pork chops or the frankfurter, the original sausage with green sauce served with boiled meat or eggs; this area is a must-see for those who enjoy the good life. Most restaurants are situated in an area known as Alt Sachsenhausen, a network of streets around the Affentor square, where stores selling cider (Apfelwein or Ebbelwoi) also abound.

In the mood for a snack?

The best places to go for a quick bite are the Imbiss, fast food bars where you eat standing at the bar, served with a variety of meatballs, sauces, hamburgers and potatoes; the best also offer soups, cutlets, chops, barbecued chicken and salads.

Many eating places (Gaststätte, Gasthaus, Gasthof, Brauhaus or Wirtschaft) belong to a beer brewery and serve as a meeting place, ideal for a drink and most importantly, inexpensive. They serve home made German cooking and servings tend to be generous. Main dishes are based on pork, generally of prime quality, with a large variety of sauces on the side. On Grosse Bockenheimer Street you will come across the most elegant and sophisticated restaurants.

Cafés and bars

Elegant cafes are extremely popular in Germany and offer an assortment of espressos, cappuccinos and mocha with cream pastries and cakes. The Kneipen or bars can be found all over the city and therefore so can the Kneipenkultur or café culture. Before or after going to the theatre it is common for people to get together in a bar or decide not to go to the theatre after all if they feel comfortable at the bar with friends and great conversation is going on.

Etiquette at a bar or restaurant

When entering an eating place, feel free to choose the table that appeals the most to you. Only in a few restaurants it is customary for the owner or one of the waiters to show you to an available table. Should all be taken you can always ask someone if they mind you sitting at their table. Bread and water are not included with the meal so you will have to order and pay for that especially.

A tip and complimentary remark also form a part of Germany's unwritten rules. Round up the number when it implies a small sum, less than 5 euros. In the case of a larger sum, simply leave a few euros as the tip. The norm would be around 10 percent. Guten Appetit!

While in Frankfurt taking a German Language Course try out the different eateries around town and decide which you like best.