Top 5 Oldest Restaurants and Cafes to Visit in Germany's Leipzig

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Leipzig, one of the hosts for the Euro 2024 football match in Germany, is an interesting city to explore. This city has a lot of history to tell, with cafes and restaurants dating back hundreds of years.

The old restaurants and cafes in Leipzig are popular with tourists who want to enjoy authentic German culinary delights while delving into its long past. Some of these restaurants have existed since the 15th century and are still operating to this day.

Below are the five oldest restaurants and cafes in Leipzig, Germany:

1. Auerbach's Keller

According to Afar website, Auerbachs Keller is one of the oldest restaurants in Leipzig. This restaurant was founded in 1525 but functioned as a wine bar at the time. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer from the 18th century, wrote part of his famous work, Faust, in this restaurant. He even featured the restaurant in his tragic drama.

The restaurant consists of three different rooms, namely the domed Grosser Keller for Saxon dishes such as goulash soup, roast pork, and wild boar; Historische Weinstuben, a former wine shop decorated with lavish murals, statues, and antique furniture, where guests can enjoy more upscale dishes and set menus; and Mephisto Bar offering coffee during the day and cocktails at night.

2. Thuringer Hof

If you want to find traditional German cuisines, Thüringer Hof is the place to go. This restaurant is one of the favorites for tourists and local residents as they can taste delicious and rich food here. The food is cooked following ancient German recipes. One recommendation is the Thuringian soup with sausages, a traditional regional dish, or marinated beef in sauce served with dumplings.

This restaurant is one of the oldest in Leipzig. Composer Martin Luther, who lived in the 15th and 16th centuries, was a frequent restaurant guest during his time.

3. Zum Arabischen Coffee Baum

Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum is considered the oldest coffee shop in Europe, first mentioned in 1556. Many stories say that August II. der Starke, Johann von Goethe, Napoleon Bonaparte, Johann Bach, Robert Schumann, and Franz Liszt visited the cafe in their days.

Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum is not just a cafe, it also has a museum, where guests can get to know the history of coffee culture in Leipzig. Here, guests can observe old coffee grinders, roasters, coffee cups, and china, and understand the traditions of coffee drinking and preparation.

4. Riquet Kaffeehaus

This cafe is notable for its artistic, beautiful, and strange building. The top is reminiscent of a Chinese pagoda, the front of the building is decorated with colorful mosaic ornaments, and above the cafe entrance, you can see two cast elephant heads. This cafe has a rich history as it has not changed its recipe traditions in more than half a decade.

5. Zill’s Tunnel

Another restaurant in Leipzig with a long history of serving traditional Saxon dishes is Zill’s Tunnel. Among the guests of Zill’s Tunnel house was the famous 19th-century composer Viktor Ernst Nessler. The building has been known as the Zill’s Tunnel since 1841 after a reconstruction where the wooden beamed ceilings became stone arches.

Zill Tunnel is very popular among tourists as it is a place to sample regional specialties and drink fresh premium beer. This restaurant has several floors and is divided into several special areas which have their own characteristics.

MILA NOVITA

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