Confessions of a Food Explorer @ Freiburg

Freiburg is a mini Muenster. The city is very lively, trams and bikes are almost everywhere! It is a small university town which offers small stores, cafes, and great food. Bächle (miniature streams) that run along almost every street are something particularly noticeable. Surrounded by nature, the city is filled with friendly people. This is one of my favorite cities in Germany. Some things I learned during my trip in southern regions of Germany, you probably already knew these :

• Order a cappuccino with milk. They usually serve "dry cappuccinos"- without hot milk, and topped with foamed milk.
• Black forest cake is often prepared with alcohol - Kirschwasser.
• Food portions are large sized - suitable for sharing..or you may order a kinder meal!
  

Here are some cafes and restaurants which I found particularly interesting.

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Kolben-Kaffee-Akademie, Kaiser-Joseph-Str. 233, Altstadt. This cafe is a small hidden jewel under the St. Martin Tower. A must visit place, especially for cake lovers! Be prepared to stand and enjoy your coffee and pastries - there are several high tables, but no seats! The interior is snug and cozy, and old Hessian sacks are used to decorate the walls. I had a cappuccino and a slice of apple pie with hazelnuts. The coffee was fantastic, the pie tasted SO goooooood! It was not too sweet, the crust was a bit crispy - loved it! A perfect meeting spot for spontaneous conversation, so don't miss it! My Food Score : 4.5 stars

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Altstadt-Cafe - This café is located near Kaiser Joseph main street. It is a medium-sized café which offers breakfast buffet, a variety of cakes and coffees. This place is popular among older people. I had a slice of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest). The price was right. I usually don't like cake and alcohol together, so it was not great, not bad. My Food Score : 3 stars

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Café Schmidt - This is one of the famous cafés in town, usually packed with locals and tourists. It consists of two floors. The nice thing is it opens everyday. It offers various cakes, chocolates, cookies, and ice cream. It sells chocolates in souvenir packs. You may also purchase them online. Don't forget to check out a collection of coffee grinders in the ground floor- they are old fashioned but unique!

Sauerrahmkuchen (sour cream cake) with cherries & Schweizer Schümli Kaffee - both were good and the price was reasonable (EUR 5.10).
My Food Score : 3 3/4 stars

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Kartoffelhaus - As the name implies, this restaurant offers almost everything that is made of potatoes - baked potato, potato salad, pancake and soup, mashed potato, french fries, gratin potato and so on. Meat steaks and fish fillets are also available. The menu also includes some seasonal choices. The restaurant is not in the city center, you have to walk a bit to get there.

I chose the "trio" option (EUR 12.50) which includes two fairly large baked potatoes, three types of dips (avocado, tomato-olive dip, and creamy dill sauce with shrimps), and a large plate of mixed salad. The salad was fresh and filling. The avocado and tomato dips were flavorful, but the dill sauce needs some improvement! The baked potatoes were really large. I only managed to eat half of one as I was too consumed by the salad. Overall, decent food at a great price! If you are a potato lover, this would be a good option!

My Food Score: salad - 4 stars; trio dish - 3 stars

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Martin's Brau is a brewery that also serves good regional food. This is the first wifi-free brew pub I have ever been in my life. It is located in the basement of the Freiburger Markthalle. There is an open kitchen on the right side of the brewery. There are also two copper vats at the other corner of the brewery. The menu comprises daily specials and local food, which are heavy on meat and fat - breaded pork steaks, Ox tongue salad, homemade Bratwurst, knöpfle, and roast knuckle of pork with sauerkraut.

I found something that fits my dietary needs- "Black Forest style" knöpfle with creamy mushroom sauce. The food portion was so humongous. I felt sluggish and heavy after eating half of it. Nevertheless, the food tasted very good. It was a nice experience to try out a Swabian food.
My Food Score : 4 stars

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Markthalle is a food hall where you can discover a wide options of cuisines from around the world - German, French, Italian, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Persian and Mexican. It includes several stand-up tables and bar stools. This is an ideal place to find cheap and decent food.

I had a simple but tasty salmon crepe (EUR 5.90). Again, the portion was very generous!

My Food Score : 3 1/2 stars