Breakfast in Frankfurt?

March 15, 2008 11:25 AM

Flying into Frankfurt Wednesday morning. Where should I have breakfast?

I fly into Frankfurt early (around 6AM) on Wednesday. At some point I have to get to a train and head in to Luxembourg, but first I want to relax and have a nice breakfast. Where can I go that is delicious, can accommodate the (relatively small, wheeled) suitcase I'll be dragging behind me, and is convenient to the Hauptbahnhof station in Frankfurt?

posted by olinerd to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

The train station is a favorite of mine in both Munich and Frankfurt. The small places to eat in and food carts around the station always make for a great place to eat. I'm a people watcher though, so your mileage may vary.
posted by EasilyOdd at 11:36 AM on March 15, 2008

You will not find anything exciting around the Hauptbahnhof save the usual fast food chains and Starbucks, maybe you can get breakfast at one of the hotels directly around the station. The area in walking distance from the Hauptbahnhof consists mostly of the red light district and I don't think they cater for breakfast guests.

Most of the better cafés will not open until 8 or 9 a.m.; so if you have a little bit of time you could get into the city. Café Wacker (Mittelweg 47, subway Grüneburgweg) and Café Karin (Großer Hirschgraben 28, subway Hauptwache or Willy-Brandt-Platz) are both said to be excellent, but they open only at 9 and might both be a little bit difficult to locate for a foreigner.
Café Extrablatt (Bockenheimer Landstraße 141, for some reason unknown to Google Maps, but right next to the subway station Bockenheimer Warte and the university - look out for the old stone tower) opens at 8 and is ok as far as I remember.

On preview: Yes, the food in the train station is ok, but the places mostly don't have many seats, are quite cold in the morning or underground (or a combination of this).
posted by criticalbeaver at 12:06 PM on March 15, 2008

Since this hasn't drawn a ton of answers so far, I will add that I've had a good meal at Kaefer's, which is IN the Frankfurt airport.
posted by escabeche at 1:21 PM on March 15, 2008

If you're going to Hauptwache, you may want to take the S-Bahn if you have a lot of luggage (there's no U-Bahn line that goes directly from Frankfurt Hbf to Hauptwache).

I can't say I recommend the food in or near any train station I've been to, in any country.
posted by oaf at 4:31 PM on March 15, 2008

Germany is a bakery-centered breakfast culture. You won't find little diners serving eggs and pancakes, so just pick up some rolls and pastry and grab a coffe to go. A bratwurst will tide you over if you need something heavier. All of these can be had at any train station.
posted by zaelic at 5:02 PM on March 15, 2008

There's tons of good eats in the Hauptbahnhof.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 10:09 PM on March 15, 2008