Posted by Dusseldorf is the city of restaurants and pubs in western Germany. There are said to be almost 300 restaurants in the old town alone. The regional cuisine in Dusseldorf and the Rhineland is considered hearty. Below is a brief overview of the best-known typical Dusseldorf dishes, snacks and drinks. All of them can be found in the inns in the old town.
Our tip: Brewery tour through Düsseldorf with free beer (Altbier): More info and online booking
Rhenish Sauerbraten
Image: @ Quade – Fotolia.com
The delicious Rhenish Sauerbraten is probably the most famous dish from Dusseldorf and the surrounding area. Typical ingredients are vinegar, wine and sultanas. In the past, by the way, horsemeat was usually used, but today beef is almost always used. Potato dumplings and red cabbage are typical side dishes. However, it is not uncommon for boiled potatoes or apple sauce to be served with sauerbraten in Düsseldorf. The best thing about Rhenish Sauerbraten is the soft meat, which can be mashed with the tongue.
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Round trip in Dusseldorf on the Rhine by boat The most important river in Germany flows through Dusseldorf. Round trips by boat (duration 1 hour) are popular among tourists. You can see the old town if Dusseldorf, modern quarters and get a great impression of the city. More info and online booking: Click here |
Himmel un Ääd
An interesting dish that is very popular throughout the Rhineland. Like sauerbraten, it is a meat dish with a sweet component. Important ingredients of the main dish (High German “Himmel und Erde”) are black pudding, potatoes and apples. The smoked black pudding used is called Flönz in the Rhineland.
Halve Hahn
The Halve Hahn is not half a chicken, but a roll with cheese and onion. It is probably the best-known snack in Dusseldorf and the Rhineland. The cheese used is usually Gouda or similar. The rather dark roll is made from rye flour (called Röggelchen). It is accompanied by onion (cut into rings), pickled gherkin and some paprika powder. Where the strange name “Halve Hahn” comes from is disputed.
Altbier
What “Kölsch” is to the people of Cologne, “Altbier” is to the people of Düsseldorf. It is by far the best-known drink from Düsseldorf. The top-fermented beer is dark in colour and is the beer of Düsseldorf and the surrounding area. It is usually served in small glasses (0.2 litres) and costs between 1.30 and 1.90 euros in the pubs in Dusseldorf’s old town. Other beers are hardly ever drunk. In the Altstadt there are several very breweries with so-called brewhouses, which are among the best-known pubs in the Altstadt. These are, for example, the brewery “Im Füchschen”, the “Uerige Hausbrauerei” or the brewery “Zum Schlüssel” – all only 100 metres apart.
Our tip: Brewery tour through Dusseldorf with free beer (Altbier): More info and online booking
Killepitsch
Killepitsch is a schnapps drunk in Dusseldorf and the surrounding area. It is a herbal liqueur with over 40% alcohol. The drink is available opposite the Uerigen home brewery in a so-called tasting room called “Et Kabüffke”. The Killepitsch is said to be made from 100 different herbs and other ingredients. It is also served in almost all pubs in the old town.
Foreign cuisine
Düsseldorf is a wealthy, cosmopolitan city with many restaurants serving top-quality foreign food. This is especially true of Japanese restaurants. 7000 Japanese live in Düsseldorf for various reasons. Many Japanese restaurants are located in Immermannstraße, roughly between the main railway station and the old town.