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Expensive
Gargantua
Initially, Klaus Trebes, Gargantua's chef, was determined to cook only one dish a day - like an original family-run kitchen. But popular demand soon forced him to turn Gargantua into a 'normal' restaurant. And as such, with its elegant setting, antique furniture, German ingredients-meet-international recipes and a big wine list, it has been extraordinarily successful.
Liebigstrasse 47, Westend
Tel: (069) 720 718.
Website: www.gargantua.com
Price: $$$$Restaurant Weidemann
Spanish-born owner Angelo Vega offers outstanding Mediterranean/French-style cuisine in charming and relaxing surroundings in the Niederrad district, immediately to the north of the city centre. Aimed firmly at a gourmet and upper-end business clientele, this restaurant has four separate eating areas, including a covered terrace and a chestnut tree-lined garden.
Kelsterbacher Strasse 66
Tel: (069) 675 996.
Website: www.weidemann.vegapohl.com
Price: $$$$Tigerpalast
A trendy Michelin star restaurant, Tigerpalast offers live music, song and even acrobats. As well as an innovative range of dishes - with the likes of artichokes with an experimental foam or an unusual fried lobster cannelloni - the wine list is comprehensive. The more informal Tiger Bar or Tiger Bistro on the same site are options when the main restaurant is fully booked.
Heiligkreuzgasse 16-20
Tel: (069) 920 0220.
Website: www.tigerpalast.com
Price: $$$$
Moderate
Die Leiter
'The Ladder' is a fashionable eating place for the young, stylish and beautiful people. Mediterranean flair and bold French cuisine blended with an edgy, contemporary décor make this a top trendy spot in the city. Great selection of European wines and digestifs.
Kaiserhofstrasse 11
Tel: (069) 292 121.
Website: www.dieleiter.de
Price: $$$Sushi Circle
One of a chain of restaurants, this centrally located sushi bar, near the Alter Oper and Fressgass, serves speciality fresh fish dishes on a conveyor belt. Appealing to businesspeople and shoppers, as there is no waiting involved, it is great for a healthy lunchtime treat with green tea. However, it is equally enjoyable with sake rice wine in the evening.
Neue Mainzer Strasse 84
Tel: (069) 9139 9302.
Website: www.sushi-circle.de
Price: $$Romanella
This cosy Italian place treats every guest like family. And most of the regulars might as well be, they come back so often. If there is no space to sit down inside or in the little garden outside, they just take their favourite food home.
Wolfsgangstrasse 84
Tel: (069) 596 1117.
Price: $$Edelweiss
Hidden in the quarter of Sachsenhausen, this Austrian restaurant is not overloaded with Alpine kitsch but decorated in a genuine country-house style. As one might suspect, Wiener Schnitzel is served in this authentic Austrian 'Gasthaus', but there are also a few typical traditional dishes with a twist. The menu is not short of Austrian wines or its famous strong Schnapps.
Schweizer Strasse 96
Tel: (069) 619 696.
Website: www.edelweiss-ffm.de
Price: $$Gickelschlag
Located at the top end of Bergerstrasse, the main restaurant and bar area of the Bornheim district to the east of the city centre, Gickelschlag offers an extensive choice of traditional Alsatian cooking, from the ubiquitous flammkuchen to rich and extremely tasty dishes such as coq au vin and zander fillet with sauerkraut. Excellent value, and a good selection of Alsace wines.
Bergerstrasse 257
Tel: (069) 9459 8522.
Website: www.gickelschlag.de
Price: $$Jasper's
Despite its modest location hidden at the rear of a building, Jasper's has conquered a well-deserved place in the ranks of Frankfurt's top restaurants - primarily through imagination and quality. The bistro setting, with its dark leather seats, art nouveau flair and colourful pictures, is in harmony with its French menu and is ideal for a romantic occasion or for a more lively evening.
Schifferstrasse 8
Tel: (069) 614 117.
Website: www.jaspers-frankfurt.de
Price: $$
Cheap
Andalucia
Situated in the quarter of Bockenheim, Andalucia is one of those very rare places that serves traditional Spanish home cooking at its best. Its comfortable atmosphere and affordable prices attract students but also a wide range of clientele, from Spaniards and big families to businesspeople. Within its atmospheric interior of wooden tables and landscape paintings, Andalucia serves traditional tapas and à la carte dishes.
Konrad-Brosswitz-Strasse 41, Bockenheim
Tel: (069) 773 730.
Website: www.restaurante-andalucia.de
Price: $Chicago Meatpackers
The interior décor is eclectic industrial meets 1930s Chicago, with the focus on all things railway - two electric trains run around tracks on the ceiling, sounding alarmingly like rain. And everything else is very American, including the playful menu, filled with burgers, barbecues and brownies. An all-American experience in the middle of Frankfurt. Open Sunday to Thursday until 0100 and Friday and Saturday until 0200.
Untermainanlage 8
Tel: (069) 231 659.
Website: www.chicago-meatpackers.de
Price: $
