Frankfurter from Bauernmarkt Konstablerwache
If you’re in Frankfurt, you’ve pretty much got to get at least one frankfurter. I’m pretty sure that’s the law? I got this particular one from Bauernmarkt Konstablerwache, which is a great farmer’s market in the middle of the city with a whole bunch of different prepared foods and pastries you can try. The sausage was, not surprisingly, very tasty; it was meaty, nicely spiced, and had a great snappy casing. It even had a very mild kick to it, which was unexpected but thoroughly delightful. This particular vendor didn’t have mustard or any other condiments available, and I was worried that the sausage would be too plain, but it was more than flavourful enough to stand up on its own — no toppings needed.
Waffle from Bauernmarkt Konstablerwache
I wasn’t planning on having dessert after sampling that delicious sausage, but then I saw a pretty substantial crowd eating waffles, and wasn’t particularly keen on being left out of the waffle party. It comes with your choice of toppings; either just plain powdered sugar, apple compote, or berry compote. Most people seemed to be getting apple, so that’s what I went with. This didn’t exactly knock my socks off, but it was very tasty. The waffle was fresh, fluffy, and mildly sweet, and the tartness of the compote did a great job of balancing things out.
Pretzel from Bäckerei & Konditorei Huck
Another thing you’ve pretty much gotta get while you’re in Germany: a pretzel. Along with the standard salt, pretty much all of the bakeries here serve a pretzel that’s rolled in a generous amount of sunflower seeds, which turns out to be a very delightful combo. The crunchiness and nutty toastiness that you get from the sunflower seeds works perfectly with the bready, chewy pretzel. I actually had a more traditional salted pretzel the following day, and you know what? I preferred the sunflower seeds.
Hard boiled eggs with green sauce and potatoes from Apfelweinwirtschaft Dauth-Schneider
This may not look like much, but it’s a Frankfurt specialty — in particular, you’ll find the green sauce (a zippy sauce made with yogurt and herbs) on pretty much every menu in Frankfurt. This was fine. It honestly tastes pretty much exactly how you’re expecting it to taste. I can’t say it was a flavour bonanza, but I’m glad I was able to sample it. I also tried apfelwein, Frankfurt’s drink of choice. This I did not like at all — it’s way, way too sour, like drinking boozy vinegar.
Frankfurter kranz from ConditCouture
If a dish has the name of the city in it, you should probably be trying that dish. So of course, I felt like I was obligated to try Frankfurter kranz, which is made with buttercream icing and cherries, and is covered in crushed hazelnuts. This was actually pretty amazing; the icing was silky smooth, the cherries added welcome pops of fruitiness, and the whole thing was sweet, but not too sweet. I vaguely considered going right back to the counter and asking for another slice, so yeah, it’s good.
Doner kebab from Ton Bul Grill- und Kebap-Haus
Though it seems weird, you’ve pretty much gotta get doner kebab at least once while you’re in Germany. There’s a big enough Turkish population that kebab shops are pretty much everywhere in Germany, and there are some pretty great ones to be found. This one wasn’t quite on the level as the best one I had in Berlin, but it was still pretty damn tasty. I mean, look at that glorious pile of meat.
The sandwich was also maybe the biggest sandwich like this that I’ve ever had? I don’t think you really get a good sense of scale from the photo, but the thing was maybe like a foot long, and it was absolutely crammed with meat, which was nicely spiced, tender, and had plenty of crispy bits. My only complaint is that the sandwich isn’t spicy at all, but there’s a bucket of zingy pickled peppers you can help yourself to, along with a shaker of chili flakes on every table.
Chocolate roll from Zeit Fur Brot
I was actually planning on getting a cinnamon roll from Zeit Fur Brot, as I had heard that this bakery makes a particularly good one. But then, just as I was about to order, one of the bakers brought out a fresh-from-the-oven tray of chocolate rolls, and yeah. Of course. Of course I’m going to get one of those warm, gooey chocolate rolls. This was basically like a cinnamon roll, but with dark chocolate instead of cinnamon. Yes, it’s just as good as you’re hoping based on that description, with an amazing balance between the tender pastry and the melty chocolate. The only thing I’ll say is please do not do what I did and order this after eating a gigantic doner kebab sandwich, because that will not end well for you. I was so incredibly full that I had to recover on a bench for about an hour, because I felt like I was legitimately at risk of throwing up if I kept walking.
Schweinshaxe from Wirtshaus im Ostend
Schweinshaxe (roasted pork knuckle) is basically just an enormous piece of tender pork that’s cooked until the meat is fork-tender, and then fried so that the skin becomes crispy. Crispy skin? Fatty pork? That’s what I call a good time. And while the skin here wasn’t quite as crispy as it should have been (it was a bit on the chewy side), I still enjoyed this quite a lot.