Street food is, quite literally, hot, hot, hot! Pulled pork, Banh mi and Pad Thai have practically ousted the usual fast food favourites and street food trucks and markets have become permanent fixtures on the food scene in many cities around the globe.
The people of Cologne are fond of their local fare and Cologne wouldn’t be Cologne if some of the city’s own dishes hadn’t managed to claim a place at the top of the city’s street food menus. The result is a mixture of international delicacies and wild garlic sausage from the nearby Eifel region, Eifel steak burgers and ginger ale brewed in Cologne.
But where exactly can the ravenous find really good street food in Cologne?
1. meet & eat market: be wowed as you browse
Cologne street food at its best. The intimate meet & eat market on Rudolfplatz square in the heart of the city is a true institution. It’s essentially a market where you can shop and have a meal. Every Thursday, locals and tourists gather between 4pm and 9pm to eat, drink and enjoy each other’s company. There’s lots to choose from, with dozens of stalls serving street food as well as locally made products to take home.
Address: Rudolfplatz, 50674 Cologne
Every Thursday, 4pm-9pm
2. Dos Pedros: nice and spicy
Several times per week, a food truck brings the flavours of Mexico to Cologne’s Sudermannplatz square. And it didn’t take long for word to get around about Dos Pedros‘ fantastic food. On the menu are beef tacos, potato tacos, quesadillas and ceviche. Combined with skilfully seasoned sauces, the spicy dishes are a big hit with foodies, as are the charming Pedro and his crew. Pedro was born in Mexico, grew up in San Diego and serves up an authentic taste of Baja California to go. On Taco Tuesdays, you can get two tacos for seven euros. Hot and spicy street food? Cologne’s got that covered too! ¡Buen provecho!
Address: Sudermannplatz 3, 50670 Cologne
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 6pm-10pm
instagram.com/dos_pedros/, facebook.com/dospedros/
3. Goodman’s Burger Truck: ethically produced, mouth-wateringly good burgers
Good honest fast food – that’s what you get when you order from Goodman’s Burger Trucks. There’s a huge selection of succulent organic beef burgers, crunchy fries (available with a range of different toppings) plus hearty vegetarian burgers and vegan chicken nuggets. Having launched their first truck in 2013, Melanie and Nicole now run an entire fleet of their own. High-quality, sustainable street food is their hallmark. The beef is from an organic butcher in the neighbouring town of Leverkusen, the Goodman’s team make the “Evo” meat substitute themselves, the potatoes for the fries come from regional farmers and the buns are supplied by a long-established bakery, Zimmermann, in Cologne.
Regularly parks up at various places around Cologne. Their weekly where & when schedule is available here: goodmansburgertruck.de/standort-termine
instagram.com/goodmansburgertruck, facebook.com/Burgertruck/
4. Rievkoochebud: traditional Cologne potato fritters
Rievkooche (or Reibekuchen as they’re known in other parts of the country) are a special type of potato fritter that enjoys culinary cult status in Cologne. They’ve even had a song dedicated to them by local band Bläck Fööss. And there’s a highly recommendable place in the middle of the Altstadt district where spud lovers can get their fix: Rievkoochebud. From this small takeaway, owner Christina serves up homemade, freshly fried fritters with garlic sauce, herby quark (a type of soft cheese), apple sauce, smoked salmon or a honey and chili dip. Not too greasy, crunchy on the outside and moist inside – exactly how true Cologne Rievkooche should be!
Address: Salzgasse 6, 50667 Cologne
Wednesday to Saturday, noon-8pm, Sunday, noon-6pm. It’s best to google the current opening hours before you go
5. Bambule’s Chili: hot creations
Bambule’s Chili serves chilli creations from around the world. Apart from the classic version, bean junkies can lick their lips at Anatolian beef chilli with sucuk and chick peas or Balinese satay chilli with soya mince and satay sauce. The “chilli of the week” is often a crazy concoction like Irish chilli with potatoes and toasted soya chunks marinated in Guiness. The usual suspects are here too, of course: nachos, jalapeños, sour cream and homemade habanero salsa in varying degrees of spiciness. From a street food truck back they started in 2018, cousins Jacques and Lukas have grown their bean business and now also have two chili bars in Cologne. Bambule’s is big on sustainability, with tableware made of biodegradable materials, reusable containers for takeaways and meat produced ethically by regional farmers.
Address Südstadt branch: Alteburger Str. 2, 50678 Cologne – 11.30am-9pm
Address Belgian Quarter branch: Gladbacher Str. 9, 50672 Cologne – 11.30am-4pm
bambuleschili.de/bambules-foodtruck-standort/, instagram.com/bambuleschili/, facebook.com/bambuleschili/
6. Bumann & SOHN: meals on (truck) wheels
A true smorgasbord of street food can be had at Bumann & SOHN in Cologne’s Ehrenfeld neighbourhood. This place is a bar and beer garden rolled into one and even turns into a club on Friday and Saturday evenings. In the warmer months, a constant supply of new street food trucks park up here. It’s worthwhile popping by and just trying whichever yummy delicacy takes your fancy. They hold flea markets and concerts here too as well as the Ehrenfeld Christmas market, which also has lots of tasty street food for hungry visitors who enjoy broadening their culinary horizons. To find out what’s open when, check their socials.
Address: Bartholomäus-Schink-Straße 2, 50825 Cologne
In good weather: beer garden from 5pm
bumannundsohn.de/, instagram.com/bumannundsohn/, facebook.com/bumannundsohn/
7. Cologne Street Food Festival: a feast full of food and foodies
Cologne’s Street Food Festival has long since claimed a permanent seat at the city’s dining table. Held in the Ehrenfeld district and with a summer edition at Fühlinger See lake, it has everything a street food lover’s heart could desire. Many of the stalls give away samples to try, there are burgers sizzling, fair trade coffee specialities crossing counters, Oreo cookies being deep-fried in batter and masses of products to take away. It’s important to get there early though – and forget about breakfast!
Address: Oskar-Jäger-Straße 192, 50825 Cologne
8. Eat Play Love: a Cologne street food event with a festival flair
In summer, Fühlinger See lake is transformed into an oasis of food, music and sport when Eat Play Love arrives – a festival in which street food culture plays a starring role. Embark on a voyage of culinary discovery as you watch the wakeboard championships or bop to electronic music. And there really is a lot do discover here: fried plantains from Afrofusion Kitchen, colourful Indian bean salad and Peruvian tamales filled with chicken are just a few of the delicacies on offer. Dig in – this Cologne food festival has top-class street food galore!
Address: Oranjehofstraße 103, 50769 Cologne, Fühlinger See lake
eatplaylove.de/, instagram.com/eatplaylovecgn/, facebook.com/eatplaylovecgn/
9. Market in the Stadtwald park: a feast in the forest
You can’t talk about eating al fresco in Cologne without giving a nod to the city’s markets. One of them is on Kitschburger Straße, where people can come to sample as they amble every Saturday. As well as a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, cheese, baked goods, meat products and regional produce, you’ll also find mouth-watering street food on this tree-lined avenue. This popular food market in the middle of the Stadtwald forest park has everything from Austrian dumplings to churros to potato fritters – and lots more!
Addresss: Kitschburger Straße, 50935 Cologne
Every Saturday, 7am-1pm
Incidentally, we’ve got more on the man behind the Street Food Festival, Till Riekenbrauk, here.
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