Al fresco dining in Cologne

When you’ve spent hours sightseeing, you’re bound to get hungry at some point and what better place to eat in the summer than outside? To make sure you don’t starve looking for the right place, we’ve gone through the wide range of cafés, bars and restaurants in Cologne and picked out the ones with terraces that offer particularly nice views or menus that are a little bit different. There are places where you can enjoy your first meal of the day, a well-earned lunch break or a late dinner – all outside.

For a perfect start to the day, try Café Reichard, just two minutes’ walk from Cologne’s central station. This family-run place has an amazing breakfast buffet with a wide range of hot and cold dishes, both German and international, featuring excellent sweet and savoury products. Lovingly prepared coffees from the world’s best coffee-growing regions team up with handmade cakes and chocolates. This is the place to go if you love good food – and it comes with a breathtaking view of Cologne Cathedral!

Café Reichard
Unter Fettenhennen 11
50667 Cologne
www.cafe-reichard.de

If it ended up being a late night or if you just like a bit of a lie-in at the weekend, the “chill out breakfast” at the Rheinterrassen restaurant is the right choice for you. On Saturdays and Sundays there’s a sumptuous buffet with something for everyone, from 12 noon to 5 pm – with a view of the cathedral at no extra charge. Unfortunately, though, you can’t book in advance so it’s a question of “first come, first served”.

Restaurant Rheinterrassen
Rheinparkweg 1
50679 Cologne
www.rheinterrassen.eu

Right next door, the km 689 Cologne Beach Club offers relaxation and a taste of the Caribbean with its loungers, chill-out cabanas and comfy chairs, set out on 1,100 tonnes of super-fine sand. Sit back with a snack, a refreshing drink and your feet in the white sand and take in the wonderful view – it’s a real must-see! You’ll want to spend the whole summer here…

km 689 Cologne Beach Club
Rheinparkweg 1
50679 Cologne
www.km689.de

A little further up the Rhine, on what’s known as the “Kölsche Riviera”, lies the popular Zum Treppchen restaurant. This half-timbered building with a history dating back to 1656 has a quaint beer garden in the shade of an old chapel. Serving primarily savoury dishes, this is an exquisitely picturesque spot to relax, people-watch and be seen.

Zum Treppchen
Kirchstraße 15
50996 Cologne
www.zum-treppchen-koeln.de

Dank Augusta in the Flora botanical garden is the perfect place to indulge in life’s pleasures with a picnic in the park, right in the middle of the city. At the bar, you’ll get your own picnic bag, filled according to your requirements (including vegan and vegetarian diets). Then you go and find a sunny place on the terrace where you can sit back and enjoy your deluxe packed lunch. But make sure you leave some space for a delicious, organic Bizziice ice cream!

Dank Augusta
Am Botanischen Garten 1a
50735 Cologne
www.dankaugusta.de

If you’re into rustic, laid-back eateries and want to get a late bite to eat after a concert or movie, “Lommi” (as the locals call it) in the city’s Deutz district is the ideal place for you. Steeped in tradition, this pub has a little beer garden where you can while away the time until midnight and tuck into one of their legendary XXL cutlets (some say the best in Cologne) with one or two glasses of cool, crisp Kölsch to wash it down. It’s also worthwhile taking a look at the old taproom and the vaulted cellar.

Lommerzheim
Siegesstraße 18
50679 Cologne