Foodie tour in Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken's capital is a melting pot of culture and nature: whether it's the green city park “Der Staden” right on the banks of the Saar, or the Urban Art Walk with its colorful pictures stretching across the city. In addition to the National Theater, the castle and the primeval forest on the city's doorstep, Saarbrücken has one thing above all else to offer: good food!
Let's start our stroll in the heart of town, at the St. Johanner Markt, where restaurants, cafés and various stores stand side by side. We want to go to the culinary alley and immediately find two gourmet producers.
Kalinski Wurstwirtschaft & Gin Bar
Anyone who loves and appreciates a good currywurst must visit Kalinski. The meat comes from happy Bliesgau cattle raised nearby, and vegetarians will also find something to their liking. The vegan curry sauces are a real treat for everyone. For those who prefer a more original dish, there's Alsatian or Saarland-style currywurst.
Brot & Sinne
With its creative recipes and old-fashioned grains such as starch, you can buy a sandwich of a completely different kind here. The bread is still prepared by hand and freshly topped before it reaches the counter. Whether it's a sweet treat to accompany your coffee, or a hearty snack to enjoy while strolling through town, Brot & Sinne offers a wide choice. Vegan bread rolls are also available.
Henry`s Eismanufaktur
There's always room for ice cream! That's the motto of this popular ice cream factory, which creates its ice cream varieties with products from the nearby Bliesgau-Molkerei dairy. Flavors include hazelnut, vanilla, halva and a vegan chocolate sorbet. Speaking of vegan: at Henry's, sorbets are generally vegan and made from regional and seasonal fruit. So if you want to enjoy a mirabelle plum or rhubarb ice cream, you'd better hurry!
Let's head for the Nauwieser Viertel. Anyone visiting Saarbrücken can't miss this trendy, creative district. During the day, small stores such as bookstores, toy and ceramics stores invite you to stroll around. One or other café offers space to admire the frescoes of the Art Walk. We don't want to weaken and continue our culinary stroll through the regional capital.
SaarLorDeluxe
If you want to discover the cuisine of the Greater Region, you've come to the right place! The regional specialities of Saarland, Lorraine, Luxembourg and Rhineland-Palatinate tempt with sweet, hearty delights presented in small glass jars and large bottles. All products are generally handcrafted by small factories located within a 150-kilometer radius of the Saarland. If you've already had your fill, you can take a gift basket with you to share with friends and family.
Fruchteria
Time for sweet and sour. At Andrea Dumont's Fruchteria, it's all about homemade jams, chutneys and other delicacies. Many of the fruit varieties used are freshly selected from nearby orchards. As well as the classic fruit spreads with strawberry or apricot, you'll also find ones with tomato and tonka bean, or mango and rosemary
After discovering the Nauwieser Viertel, we move on to another trendy corner of the city, Mainzer Straße. Heading east, it exudes an inner-city flair with courtyards, boutiques, restaurants and little hidden stores. It's not just the Art Walk frescoes that can be found here, but even more culinary delights! How about it? Are you still hungry?
ItalianDelight Pastamanufaktur
With a passion for her Italian roots, Tina Bonaffini-Caputo pampers her customers with refined pasta creations. Meat, fruit and vegetables from the nearby Wintringer Hof are transformed into sauces, ravioli and other dishes. Special recommendation: SaarlandRavioli with refined homemade liver sausage and Fleckvieh minced beef accompanied by potatoes and enhanced by caramelized apple and sauerkraut sourness. Lunchtime visitors can buy a hot takeaway dish that changes daily.
Café Steigleiter
This third-generation family business offers more than just bread and cakes. At weekly meals, you can enjoy home-cooked Saarland dishes, as in Grandma Gerdi's day, and pamper yourself with Dibbelabbes, Hoorische and Lyoner specialties. The chocolate lounge, set up by chocolate sommelier Michael Steigleiter, who knows this sweet temptation inside out, is also a special place.
Pour finir notre « petit » tour culinaire, nous nous rendons vite de l’autre côté de la Sarre, au château de Sarrebruck. Cette résidence princière est aujourd’hui un bâtiment administratif et un lieu de manifestation culturelle. Le musée historique y est également abrité. Mais laissons l’histoire de côté et consacrons-nous de nouveau aux délices culinaires.
Rimoco Gewürzmanufaktur
What characterizes good cooking? According to Richard Möcks and Ben Albuzat, it's the spices. However, we often pay too little attention to them. You have to be careful not to use just any spices. On their many travels, they have discovered and learned to appreciate the variety of spices used in cooking, and have brought this experience back with them. Rimoco offers an impressive assortment of chillies, herbs, curries, spice blends, salts and pepper varieties. Of all the fantastic curries, I was most impressed by the Purple Curry with hibiscus flowers, with its lilac color and slightly acidic taste. There are also classics like baharat, café de Paris, cajun, garam masala and dukkah. Regional spice blends such as Dibbelabbes or Schwenker and other local compositions for fried potatoes, bread or bean soup are among the 160 spices and spice blends on offer. Ayurvedic spice blends are also represented. A clear product philosophy is paramount: no concessions are made when it comes to the quality of the various ingredients!
If you'd like to round off the evening with a fine dinner, there are two restaurants to choose from.
Café Kostbar
In the middle of the Nauwies district lies an oasis of greenery. Above the inner courtyard near the Achteinhalb cinema stands a leafy roof which, in the evening, with its many strings of lights, invites you to stay longer. Gerd Kühn's Café Kostbar is particularly renowned for its vegetarian and vegan dishes, which change on the menu according to the season. So there's always something new to try.
Hilde&Heinz
If you're looking for a modern bistro atmosphere, you'll find what you're looking for at Hilde&Heinz, just off Mainzer Straße. In a stylish atmosphere, you can sample Saarland tapas and try classics like Dibbelabbes, Gefillde and Geheirade in miniature. Those who think that hearty Saarland cuisine is all about meat can be convinced here by the many vegetarian variations on the classics.
A special tip for those interested in high-end cuisine: Esplanade, also located in the heart of the Nauwies district and awarded two Michelin stars. Here, you can let yourself be spoiled by chef Silio del Fabro and even spend the night in the city's modern villa.
