Food & Drink in Dortmund

You’re on a business trip and scheduled for a business lunch? Perhaps you’re planning a romantic weekend for two and look forward to a candlelight dinner? Maybe you’re looking for a Sunday brunch to nourish you for a long tour through the region? In Dortmund you’ll find the perfect option for any occasion. In any case, enjoy your meal. You can rest assured: you won’t be leaving hungry. Hearty portions are standard in the Ruhrgebiet.

Beer and more

Dortmund always has a lot to offer in the way of culinary arts. This is even well documented in a museum. The Westphalian metropolis is home to the German Cookbook Museum and of course there’s also a brewery museum here. Dortmund was Europe’s number one beer brewing city after all, and the local traditional drink is known almost everywhere on earth. For this reason, every visitor to the city should definitely try a glass of Dortmund beer. The locals will be happy to socialise with you. Local specialties like a “Salzkuchen mit Mett”. This salt and caraway seed-topped pastry roll with fresh ground pork and onions is typical Dortmund fare, hardly known even in neighbouring cities. The legendary “Pfefferpotthast” is also great with beer. This peppery stew meat is usually served with potatoes, gherkins, and red beets. Delicious!   However, Dortmund chefs have much more to offer. The opening of the concert house at the beginning of the new millennium sparked life into the local restaurant scene that spread like wildfire.   Dozens of culinary gems have since popped up like mushrooms all over the place. This new restaurants enrich the selection of traditional chefs, popular beyond the Dortmund city limits. There is truly something to suits everyone's taste here.

Open for diversity

In Dortmund, the maître d’ of the world are at home – as friends of connoisseurs. Aside from a wide range of Mediterranean restaurants, there is lots of Asian and Oriental cuisine to choose from. Whether Japanese, Indian, Chinese or Mongolian, Persian, Tunisian, Turkish or Lebanese: The range is almost limitless. Of course, there’s also plenty of European cuisine as well. Italian restaurants are plentiful and contribute to fine dining in Dortmund. There’s something especially interesting for gourmets: the creative fusion of local cuisine with Italian, French, or Far Eastern culinary arts, as presented by several ambitious chefs in Dortmund. In recent years another new trend has emerged. Young and imaginative interpretations of popular Ruhrgebiet specialties from Currywurst to Pfefferpotthast has been well-received by critical gourmets.

Everything's here: from chich to hearty

Get ready to embark on a culinary tour of Dortmund. Discover grand style restaurants in the city centre, relax in urban lounges, or discover the flair of the pubs, brew-houses, and local football bars. If you’re visiting Dortmund in the summertime, try relaxing in one of the many beer gardens on the Alter Markt or on the Kleppingstraße. With a little luck, you’ll visit during the Dortmund à la Carte, one of the oldest culinary festivals in Germany.