Germany Guide
Bremen
Eating
1 Aioli Schnoor 3–4 
0421/32 38 39 Tapas plates and larger Spanish main dishes are served to a soundtrack of lazy jazz in an atmospheric old town house.
2 Beck's im Schnoor Schnoor 36 0421/32 31 30 Above-average traditional dishes in the historic Gaststätte of the brewery.
3 Cafe Knigge Sögstr. 42–44. Bremen's bastion of Kaffee und Kuchen features vintage style and rich cakes and pralines.
4 Grasshof Contrescarpe 80 0421/147 49 Parisian brasserie meets gourmet cooking in a bistro attached to an equally excellent delicatessen, a choice lunchspot for an arty forty-something set. Expect to pay around €20 a main. Opening time: Lunch only, closed Sun
5 Kleine Ratskeller Hinter dem Schütting 11 0421/32 61 68 Charming Gaststätte near the entrance of Böttcherstrasse that serves traditional dishes as well as the likes of salmon in a fennel-butter sauce. Good choice of beers, and live accordion on Saturdays. Opening time: Closed Wed & Sun
6 Kukuk Am Wall 207 The minimalist bistro at the rear of the Kunsthalle prepares the likes of spaghetti with truffle sauce and lamb rack with a bean ragout for an older, arty crowd.
7 Luv Schlachte 15–18 0421/165 55 99 Restaurant and lounge-bar at the west end of the strip that is all things to all people; both a beer garden and a contemporary bar, and a home to lobster as well as Currywurst. Nice breakfast spot, too.
8 Meierei Im Bürgerpark 0421/340 86 19 Smart dining in a Swiss chalet-styled summerhouse in the Bürgerpark, serving international dishes – a popular spot for Sunday lunch then a stroll. Opening time: Closed Mon
9 Piano Fehrfeld 64 Lazy paced café-bar in the Ostertorviertel whose menu of pizzas, pastas and steaks, all priced under €10, is popular with everyone from families to friends.
10 Ratskeller Am Markt 0421/334 79 27 Happiness, suggested Romantic poet Heinrich Heine, is escaping a North Sea storm to hunker down in the "peaceful warmth of the good Ratskeller of Bremen", and Goethe paid tribute to Bremen as a wine city of the north. The Ratskeller remains the world's foremost cellar of German wines (over 650 varieties). You can admire some of the vast barrels in which it's stored over a meal or on a one-hour tour (March– Oct Fri 4pm; €9.50; tickets from Liebfrauenkirchhof tourist office), washed down with a glass of wine – just don't expect the cellar's Rüdesheimer Apostelkeller, the oldest drinkable wine in Germany, which was bottled in 1727. The veritable Ratskeller serves excellent traditional local dishes – this is the best place to sample Braunkohl mit Pinkel – and waiters in traditional garb. It's also home to gourmet French restaurant L'Orchidée (dinner only, closed Sun & Mon).
11 Savarin Auf den Höfen 12–15 0421/769 77 Small and friendly restaurant that prepares a great-value menu ranging from stews to Spanish-style cooking and pastas.
12 Schröter's Schnoor 13 0421/326 67 German cuisine with a Mediterranean twist – lamb with a herb and mustard gratin, pike-perch with balsamic tomatoes – in a small restaurant with a rear side-room of chunky beams.
13 Topaz Kontorhaus am Markt-Langenstr. 2–4 0421/776 25 Ladies who lunch do so in this smart wine bistro: expect the likes of tuna tartare with avocado, a house-special Wiener Schnitzel, and lemon cheesecake cooked to a secret recipe of the owner's mother. Set menus are good value at €9. Opening time: Mon– Fri till 9pm, Sat lunch only
14 
Villa Goetheplatz 4 0421/362 85 57. On the lower floor of Villa Ichon – entry at the back – this award-winning place has great food and bags of style: fine international dishes such as giant prawns in cognac in snug tiled rooms or an idyllic garden in summer. Opening time: Closed Sat lunch & Sun