Local before arrival
Off to lunch at Schmitz – that’s how the locals in the know do it. This is an institution in its own right on Cologne’s famous Aachener Strasse, once known by the epic name of “Grande Route d’Aix-la-Chapelle à Cologne“. To be exact, the mini-empire is comprised of many “Schmitzs”: there’s the Salon, the Metzgerei, the Bar, the Glacier, the Coco nightclub and the Café in the East Asian Arts Museum. As a cherry on top of all that’s wonderful about Schmitz, there’s the house-brewed Kölsch beer. But back to the point: order one of the unbelievably good homemade quiches or salads at the Metzgerei, try to get a table at the Bar to order a Kölsch (in this case, it’s always beer’o’clock), lean back and enjoy. A portion of Schmitz ice cream, possibly the city’s best, is the perfect way to end the experience.
