If possible, I want to return to Düsseldorf in the coming years, because what a wonderful city it is full of delicious food and drinks!
Many travellers skip Düsseldorf and travel on to Cologne. Understandable, and this is said by someone who has never visited Cologne. But you don’t have to visit a city to know that it has a rich history, or do you? Because even though Düsseldorf is a lot less known, the city has a lot to offer. It even has a history that even many Germans don’t know about. I accidentally came across it when I was doing research for my Korean and Japanese studies. That made me so enthusiastic that I decided to travel to the city last year.
When you walk out of the train station, you quickly walk into Little Tokyo. Düsseldorf has the largest Japanese community in Europe. You can even find an international Japanese school and Japanese daycare centres! About 4 streets are completely dedicated to Japan and other Asian countries, but Asian culture can be found in various places in Düsseldorf. In this blogpost I will not go into the culture or history which is very fascinating, because otherwise it will be way too long. Anyway, this is really a city you should visit if you want to taste the Asian culture without leaving Europe.
COCO Café
My travel companion and I decided to chill at this Korean café upon arrival in the city before we could go to our Airbnb. With a wide range of coffee (plant-based milk possible!) we were able to recharge. Of course, this coffee house follows the latest trends from Korea, so you can also order various desserts. If you are staying in the city and you want to work somewhere, this is also a very suitable café, since part of the space is designed for working and/or studying. Bonus: the café is also open until late!
Copenhagen Coffee Lab
For lunch we went to one of the locations of this chain. Funnily enough, it doesn’t feel like a chain. The interior is very warm and it feels like you are in a bakery. Until this trip I had never heard of this brand before, but I am definitely a fan. Not only because of the menu, but also the service employees are happy to think along with you. For example, I could choose to have my muffin served after my warm bread. They find freshness very important, just like there are also plenty of vegetarian/vegan options.
To1980 VEGAN
For dinner we went for Vietnamese Street Food. We both had a fresh lemonade and a large bowl. There is plenty of choice and everything is of course vegan. However, it is advisable to make a reservation if you want to be sure of a table. It can get quite busy which makes total sense, because the atmosphere is good, beautiful decorations, and fresh food and drinks.
Hala Empanada at KiT Café
When I move a lot, especially during a trip with a lot of walking, you can really make me happy with a warm lunch. There are different menus at this restaurant: one if you want to take lunch with you to sit even closer to the river or you can eat at the terrace. To be honest, I can still taste the empanadas just thinking about it! We enjoyed the food on the terrace by the water before walking along the river to Altstadt. Oh, and fun fact: in the basement of the café there is a museum/gallery with changing exhibitions.
Gut & Gerne
This is a chocolaterie, but I still want to mention it. Because this chocolaterie also has a lot of vegan chocolates and other delicacies. Walking through Altstadt I can imagine that a cosy place like this puts a big smile on your face.
Hulala
Time for cocktails or mocktails? Lunch, dinner or just because you feel like having a drink. The drinks are delicious and certainly not in small glasses so you can enjoy them for a while. With a wide choice on the menu, this is a great place to spend time with friends. Thanks to the atmosphere and colourful decoration you can have a good time here while enjoying everything the restaurant has to offer.
Buur Deli
On our last day in the city we came across this nice place. The appearance, atmosphere and the crowd were not at all what we expected, but that is exactly why it was super nice. I really liked the coffee here and it was extra nice that there was a wide choice of vegan milk. You can also easily find something delicious vegan for breakfast or lunch on the menu. I thoroughly enjoyed the pancakes.
There was so much more we wanted to discover, from museums to other neighbourhoods and restaurants. We had dinner at our Airbnb twice, because we were tired after a long day in the city. And there were actually quite a few restaurants closed in Little Tokyo that we had in mind to eat there. Apparently, many restaurants go on vacation in September after a busy summer. So it’s useful to keep this in mind if you want to try out many restaurants in this neighbourhood.
Love,
Leave a Reply