The Guide Michelin 2019 has just been released. This year’s edition sees two star-awarded restaurants returning to the city’s culinary honours list. Frankfurt naturally has much more to offer than sophisticated gourmet temples. All of the region’s chefs share a similar love of fresh produce and time-honoured recipes as well as a passion for cooking and the fine art of hospitality. The publicans of Frankfurt’s apple wine taverns are particularly renowned for their unique interpretations of cuisine and congeniality.

The latest edition of the famous Michelin Red Guide – Europe’s oldest hotel and restaurant guidebook – was released at the end of February. A total of nine Frankfurt restaurants made the grade with their innovative, top-quality cuisine. The list is headed once again by Restaurant Lafleur and its chef, Andreas Krolik, who was able to retain both of his Michelin stars, making Lafleur Frankfurt’s only two-starred restaurant. The Tiger Gourmet-Restaurant and Restaurant Weinsinn in the city’s station district, on the other hand, regained their coveted stars, which they had held in previous years. Another of Frankfurt’s Michelin-starred restaurants is Seven Swans, at home in the city’s narrowest building, right along the River Main. Here, Ricky Saward and his kitchen staff combine seasonal specialities with flavours and aromas from all across the region, the result being deliciously unique vegetarian dishes.

For a closer look at all nine of Frankfurt’s Michelin Star restaurants, click here.

For lovers of traditional Frankfurt fare, meanwhile, there’s no better place than the city’s apple wine pubs. Here, the stars are time-honoured specialities like “Handkäs’ mit Musik” (small, sour-milk cheeses marinated in oil and vinegar), “Frankfurter Würstchen” (the world-famous parboiled pork sausages) and “Grüne Soße” (a green sauce made of seven regional herbs). These popular specialities are typically enjoyed in combination with the locals’ beverage of choice, Frankfurt apple wine. Served on long wooden benches amidst a warm, cosy atmosphere, these dishes represent the quintessence of traditional Frankfurt cuisine. Apple wine pubs are much more than mere rustic eateries, however. They are places where people of all ages and walks of life come together, sitting side by side to enjoy their glass of apple wine. The cosy camaraderie, an integral part of Frankfurt’s apple wine tradition, is one of the things that both locals and visitors have come to value so greatly. The occasional gruff tone of the publican or waiter, which is oftentimes cultivated with a certain sense of regional pride, is simply part of the package and should not be taken to heart.

Green Sauce, meanwhile, is such a popular dish that Frankfurt has granted the delicacy its own Green Sauce Day, to be held on 06^th June. On this date, Frankfurt hopes to set a new world record. At countless restaurants and marketplaces, fans of Green Sauce will be able to sample traditional and modern variations of this much-loved dish while at the same time taking part in a world record attempt, to be overseen by the German Institute of World Records. To beat the current record, a total of 231,775 portions of Green Sauce will have to be consumed. One of the highlights of the day will no doubt be the 100-metre-long dining table, set up along the embankment of the River Main in “Dîner en Blanc“ style. Anyone interested in taking part in this “Green Dinner” event will be required to make a binding reservation at http://gruenesossetag.de/green-dinner/

Traditional cuisine is only one culinary aspect of many here in the metropolis on the Main. Fact is, Frankfurt’s culinary offerings are as colourfully diverse as the city itself. The many farmers’ markets are particularly inviting to foodies and hobby chefs as they offer a seemingly endless assortment of fresh regional produce, aromatic herbs and spices, international specialities and creative street-food varieties. The head chefs of the local restaurant scene also shop at these weekly markets, which include the popular “Erzeugermarkt” (“Producers’ Market”) at downtown Frankfurt’s Konstablerwache, amongst others. The “Kleinmarkthalle”, the city’s famous market hall, is another highly popular location. Here, visitors take off on a culinary trip around the world while sampling some of the many wonderful delicacies on offer. Those interested will also find the seven herbs needed to make Green Sauce on sale here, bundled together for convenience.

Source: Tourismus + Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main

Photo: Grüne Sauce © Holger Ullmann