Stadtgarten Restaurant

When darkness slowly settles over Cologne, the atmosphere around the restaurant in the Stadtgarten becomes romantic. The fairy lights under tall old trees start to twinkle and immerse this setting in a dreamy twilight. Further back in the darkness lies the Stadtgarten, the oldest park in Cologne. It’s a green oasis in the heart of the city, not far from the modern Media Park and the Belgian Quarter. Of course the Stadtgarten restaurant is also open during the day. 

In the sunshine or under the stars, you can look out at the park, and in the summer you can sit outdoors under the open sky in the beer garden. The Stadtgarten restaurant opened its doors in 1898, and thanks to its unique concept, which combines events and catering, it occupies a firmly established position in Cologne’s restaurant landscape.

A diverse bill of fare — from small plates to main courses and from traditional to modern

Snacks, small plates, main courses, meat and fish, vegetarian and vegan selections, cakes and desserts — the Stadtgarten restaurant’s bill of fare is well-accentuated and adapted to a wide variety of tastes and diets, as well as appetites of different sizes. Especially worth mentioning are the numerous vegan variants. Everyone in your group is sure to find something that’s just right.

A summer feeling in the beer garden

The Stadtgarten beer garden is connected to the Stadtgarten restaurant. With its lovingly arranged fairy lights, and surrounded by the lush green of the adjacent Stadtgarten Park, it’s considered to be one of Cologne’s most beautiful beer gardens. It’s located in the heart of the city and close to the ring roads, but it’s nonetheless quiet and idyllic. Here you can spend time pleasantly during the day or in the evening under huge shady trees — either solo, in a twosome or with a group of friends.

The beer garden shares a kitchen with the Stadtgarten restaurant, but it also has a self-service area. At the rear of the beer garden there’s an open-air zone where concerts and DJ sessions are held on special occasions. 

A romantic Christmas market at the Stadtgarten: Stalls, a concert, a children’s programme, mulled wine and delicacies 

During the Christmas season, a small and very popular Christmas market awaits you on the site of the beer garden. A traditional opening concert is held in November. A visit to the Christmas market goes especially well with an evening in the restaurant, and you can get into the right mood for the holiday season with a mulled wine specially created by the Stadtgarten team. You can find out more about the dates, opening times and exhibitors, as well as the children’s programme with free admission and the opening concert, on the website of the Christmas market in the Stadtgarten. 

About the Stadtgarten Park

The surrounding Stadtgarten Park has existed as a decorative garden for more than 200 years, and that makes it one of the city’s tourist attractions as well as one of Cologne’s oldest continuously maintained green areas. The Förderverein Pro Stadtgarten (Friends of the Stadtgarten) association has been working in cooperation with the City of Cologne to restore the Stadtgarten Park’s historical function as a public amenity. The aim is to encourage Cologne’s residents to take recreational walks and enjoy the approximately 50 exotic trees and shrubs that were originally planted throughout the park. 

The Stadtgarten as a music venue 

In addition to its function as a restaurant, the Stadtgarten is also well known far beyond Cologne’s city limits as a concert venue and a well-established event location. It’s an international music showcase with four stages that holds more than 400 events per year, ranging from solo performances by singers/songwriters to rhythm and blues and jazz. In addition to the music, discussions and readings of contemporary literature are also held here.