Hey, I’m Becky, founder of DeliciouslyFreeCupcake which was influenced by my gluten free and low FODMAP diet. Check out My low FODMAP journey. Having to eat this way often makes travelling pretty daunting. But travelling and eating food are two of the best things in life and two things I am absolutely never going to give up. So here is a quick guide to my experience of eating gluten free (and low FODMAP) in Cologne, Germany.
Gluten Free in Cologne, Germany
Tips for Eating out in Germany
Gluten Free in Cologne, Germany
Cologne is Germany’s fourth largest city behind Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. It situated along the Rhine river in the western region of Germany known as the North Rhine-Westphalia and it just a 1 hour 25 flight from London Heathrow.
I’d say a visit to the cathedral is a must! Even if you’re not interested in religion, the architecture of this building is staggering. Kölner Dom is 157 m (515 ft) tall at its tallest point on its twin spires. Kölner Dom is in fact is the tallest twin-spired church in the world and third tallest church in the world. Taking over 600 years to build. The cathedral was finally completed according to the original medieval plans in 1880 and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.
Tips for Eating out in Germany
This was my first visit to Germany and I have to say I was rather nervous about finding food to eat. My knowledge of German food didn’t extend much more than beer, currywurst and schnitzel. All of which are definitely not good for a gluten intolerant traveller. I have to say though I was pleasantly pleased with the foods I was able to eat.
Just the same as in Britain, in Germany all restaurants display allergens on their menus or have an allergen list to hand so this made life much easier. Their English was also very good. Constantly putting us Brits with limited language skills to shame – but again this made ordering easy. I wasn’t surprised to see however, that the traditional German food was heavy on gluten and onions (two foods I cannot eat).
Recommendations
Gilden im Zims
Steak did feature a lot on the menus in the traditional brew houses (Brauhaus). Often served with herb butter, fries and salad. The steak is very easy to pick out on the menu, literally called rumpsteak in German. Translated the same into English, however this is the cut of meat we’d know as sirloin and is served medium. Although I’d say it came out closer to medium rare. I would definitely recommend the rumpstead a Gilden im Zims. a traditional German brewhouse in a very attractive building, parts of which date back 850 years! We were very lucky to stumble across this place on our first night and it even has its own Wikipedia page. Other non gluten containing meals on the menu however were limited.
Brauhaus Reissdorf
Another food I’d highly recommend is Ziegenkäse, a cheese traditionally made from a combination of goats and cows milk. I had it with a salad of walnuts, pair, salad leaves and a honey dressing at the Brauhaus Reissdorf and it was very nice. Brauhaus Reissdorf is definitely off the beaten track for tourists but only a 15 minute walk from the cathedral and was recommended by locals (always a good sign in my books!).
As for drinks I couldn’t try the local Kölsch beer but I am quite a fan of German white wine. One I can recommend, with the grapes grown in one of the vineyards along the banks of the Rhine down river from Cologne, is 2021 Pinot Gris; Weingut Braunewell, Rheinhessen.
Krua Thai am Heumarkt
Of course there were many traditional Brauhaus in Cologne. But the city was also heavily influence by many different cuisines. Thai and sushi restaurants were in abundance as were kebab takeaways and Turkish restaurants. We went to a lovely little Thai restaurant/takeaway, Krua Thai am Heumarkt. Krua Thai am Heumarkt has quite a few gluten free and vegan options. I had the Ped Tord Grob, an absolutely delicious dish with stir fried veg in a home made soysause, sticky rice and topped of with a crispy duck breast. While eating it I was honestly questioning whether it was gluten free as it was so good!
Isabella Glutenfreie Pâtisserie
Saving the best to last, I may have stumbled on my absolute favourite pastry shop in the world! Pastries are usually something I have to stay well away from unless I bake them myself. But Isabella Glutenfreie Pâtisserie is a completely gluten free Patisserie. With a large proportion of the sweet and savoury pastries and breads being vegan too. This was a really cute cafe with very friendly staff and a very good selection of foods safe to eat. I was literally like a kid in a sweet-shop!
So it goes without question that I returned to Isabella Glutenfreie Pâtisserie and tried three of their pastries. I wish I’d had time to try them all!. I would highly recommend this place to anyone travelling to Cologne who is gluten free or vegan. Although my non-gluten free friends loved it too. It’s just a 20-25 minute walk from the cathedral but the streets are lined with clothes shops, art galleries and interior shops along the way. So I’d walk it rather than using public transport, walking in my opinion is always the best way to experience a city.
Helpful Vocabulary
Gluten free – Glutenfrei (glutenfri)
Dairy free – Milchfrei (milshfri)
Please – Bitte (bitter)
Thank you – Danke (danka)
The allergen menu – Das Allegen-Menü (das aleg menu)
I have an allergy to – Ich habe eine Allergie gegen (Ich habe ein Aleg gigen)
This blog was up to date as of March 2023. Please let me know if you find anything needing updating that may have slipped through the net!
This is just a guide so be sure to check with individual restaurants/cafes regarding their practices with gluten to make sure your food is 100% safe for you!
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