Recently, I was in town with some friends of mine. It was approaching 3pm and we were all feeling a bit peckish so we agreed on finding a little cafe where we could sit down, rest our legs and have a small bit to eat. After quite some deliberation, we found ourselves a cosy English coffee shop and sat down to enjoy a slice of Victoria sponge and a pot of tea.
Once the cake had been demolished, we chatted about the busy day we had had exploring and began comparing it to our various trips during our respective year abroads. Obviously this led to the discussion of one very important thing, and definitely one of the highlights of my Year Abroad in Germany – Kaffee and Kuchen. Thinking back to the so-called ‘Procrasti-caking’ meetings and cafe trips with my friend, and fellow language assistant, Emma, I was inspired to come up with a list of my very own favourite cafes in Düsseldorf, and here it is.
Enjoy and Guten Appetit! 😉
My Favourite Cafes in Düsseldorf
Yomaro
Stumbling across this small but delightful frozen yoghurt parlour on Carlsplatz was quite a treat during my year abroad. Evidently it’s pretty popular with the locals too as it’s since opened 3 more parlours across the city!
Yomaro, despite being small has so much to offer from waffles to smoothies and of course, its specialty, frozen yoghurt. There isn’t much space for customers to stop, with only a standing bar but in the summer this shouldn’t be a problem.
For what I consider to be a decent price (3,60 EUR) you can have a ‘basic’ portion, don’t be fooled it’s still huge with 2 toppings of your choice plus a sauce. I went for a slightly more healthier option, bar the kit kat pieces, and it was absolutely delicious!
📍Am Carlsplatz 6B
📍Luegallee 41
Sugarbird Cupcakes
Sugarbird Cupcakes cafe is a great place for a coffee and cake and there are now two cafes in the city. Sugarbird Cupcakes is every girls dream; cute, pink and most importantly, cupcakes!
📍Heinrich-Heine-Allee 37
📍Rethelstraße 153
Covent Garden Coffee House
The cosy Covent Garden Coffee House on Bilker Allee is a great spot for a bit of breakfast or a cup of coffee. The staff are friendly and the cakes are tasty, plus this place opens at 7am, perfect for grabbing a coffee on the way to work or start of a busy day exploring!
📍Bilker Allee 126,
Image Source: The Dorf
Kucheneck
The tiny establishment that is Kucheneck may be small, but it sure is popular. The cafe is housed in what used to be an old gas station and along with its charming character plates up a good selection of classic cake varieties along with a few ‘modern’ interpretations.
📍Corneliusstraße 110
Image Source: Family4Travel
Dinea Kaufhof
Whilst Kaufhof is not the most trendy place for youngsters to go, I have to say that if you need something to eat and a drink in a warm, comfortable environment, then it’s a good place to head. With a number of delicious looking cakes, from the plainer or simpler crumble cake sorts, to the more extravagant Torten, the wide selection is sure to tempt your taste buds and not pull on your purse strings, costing between 2 and 3 EUR each. It provides great value and offers, such as a refill drink for only 1 EUR and other cake and coffee combinations.
📍Königsallee
Engels Cafe
Whilst being a bit off the beaten track, Engels Cafe is worth checking out. Not all that far from the Altstadt, this cafe offers a great range of cakes for every palette and provides a peaceful and picturesque location for enjoying them in. Another bonus of being a little off track is that the prices are lower than some of the places in town…
📍Bastionstraße 8
Dolchinella
Tucked away in the streets of Derendorf is the charming Dolchinella, offering a whole host of ‘sweet and fine food’, from cakes, to pralines, to jams and even liquor! Dolchinella also offers ‘traditional British Tea Time’, their take on Afternoon Tea with freshly baked scones, finger sandwiches and a choice of tea. Whilst I haven’t experienced this Afternoon Tea, I was taken by the owner’s friendly manner and the pleasant atmosphere within their tea shop. Needless to say the cake was delicious too!
📍Tannenstraße 35, Derendorf
Nordmann’s Eisfabrik
Just a few streets away from where my work was based is ice cream lover’s paradise, Nordmann’s Eisfabrik (Ice Cream Factory). I mean, the name alone sells this place for me! The ‘factory’ offers 50 different flavours, from the everyday favourites to the wierd but wonderful – all without artifical additives or emulsifiers!
📍Hermannstraße 22a
Pâtisserie Passion
First off, the cakes in Pâtisserie Passion are works of art in themselves, in fact they were almost too pretty to eat! I can assure you that it was a tough decision picking the cake I wanted. In the end I opted for a ginger and lime mousse on a cheesecake base, sprinkled with pistachio. It was fabulous! Perhaps a little pricier than some of the other cafes, totaling around 8 euros for the cake and a pot of tea, it is still (more than) worth a visit. Or two. Or three.
📍Kaiserstraße 34 A
Schlosscafe Benrath
Within the grounds of Schloss Benrath is a rather lovely cafe, offering outdoor seating on a warm summer’s day, or if you prefer, a rather decorative inside area for when the weather is not so nice or you prefer the shade. The prices are very reasonable and there is always a varied choice of cakes, ice cream or, for those who like it hot, fresh waffles during the winter months.
📍Benrather Schlossallee 108, Benrath
Cafe Hüftgold
Next on my list is uniquely decorated Cafe Hüftgold in Flingern, with a chandelier made from china tea cups. The cafe offers a range of cakes, as well as drinks and even sandwiches and bagels, for a very reasonable price.
📍Ackerstraße 113, Flingern
Kaffeeschmiede
Some claim that this is the best coffee shop in Oberkassel, and even the best coffee in the city, so I guess you better find out for yourself! Kaffeeschmiede offers all sorts from a cup of coffee, to cakes, brunch and other snacks.
📍Belsenstraße 11, Oberkassel
Image Source: Kaffeeschmeide
Kyto
Kyto is a popular cafe on the edge of the city centre. It has become popular for its well-reviewed coffees (the vegan latte is particularly good) and also as a workspace for the people of Dusseldorf. There are not loads of tables but I assure you, the coffee and selection of cakes and pastries are worth turning up early for!
📍Am Wehrhahn 42
Image Source: KreativZirkel
Cøffe
Now on to a local favourite (and one of mine), Cøffe in Carlplatz. It is quite off of the tourist trail and it feels exceptionally local – arguably one of the best places to get a real feel for the city and enjoy people watching.
What is even better than the local vibe though is the coffee. It is expertly brewed (they take it very seriously) and the service is pretty good too. The interior is very industrial. It isn’t one which will make you go ‘wow’, but there is something quite charming about it.
There is also a small selection of pastries and cold drinks too if you don’t fancy the coffee. However, I would seriously recommend it.
📍 Benrather Straße 6B
Velvet
Velvet is one of those unassuming places. From the outside and the street it is on, you’d be forgiven for giving it a miss. Even the menu looks a little bit too rustic.
However, that being said, it is probably one of the coolest places in Düsseldorf right now. The interior vibe is fantastic; it feels dark and swanky, but also relatively warm and welcoming. It serves incredible coffee during the day – along with a small selection of food – and then turns to a bar during the evening.
If you want to see where the hip people of Düsseldorf go, head here. However, be prepared to queue for the experience.
📍Stresemannstraße 8
Daily Dose
When we stayed at the Cloud One Hotel, our next door neighbour was Daily Dose. We walked past it one morning and were drawn in by the lovely interior. I’m very glad that we did.
The coffee itself is very good and there are different options you can have to customise it. If I had to give one recommendation, the pistachio latte was probably the best I’ve ever had. In my opinion though, the real stars were the rich selection of baked goods. The cheese toastie looked unbelievably good.
📍Joachim-Erwin Platz 1
Rosterei Vier
If you’re a local and you’re in the Old Town, you head to Rosterei Vier. These people are incredibly serious about their coffee. In fact, you get a menu to choose your beans before they are meticulously brewed in front of you.
The emphasis here is on outstanding coffee in a minimalistic setting. If I had to pick the best coffee I’ve had in Düsseldorf, it would likely be this one. You just can’t beat the attention to detail.
📍Wallstraße 10
Final Thoughts | My Favourite Cafes in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf has some incredible cafes and this is just the surface. How many of my top 17 have you visited and which is your favourite? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts and let me know if you think anywhere deserves an honourable mention.
6 comments
You forgot to visit Caffé Blutrot when you stayed in the Tannenstraße in Derendorf. The coffee is delicious and the self baked cakes……Yummy. My favourite is Schoko- Tarte. The stuff is really nice. Anita, the owner, cooks every day different meals so that you will find always something new.
Hi Ilona, thank you for the suggestion! Next time I’m in Duesseldorf (hopefully very soon!) I will be sure to go there and try the cakes and coffee myself! Victoria
Leissyfer (Kö 44) has also a greate choice of cakes!
Thanks for your suggestion Natalie – another place to add to my list for my next visit! 🙂
I really like to spend my time at Gelateria La Luna. It’s next to the Rhine and they have really good ice cream 🙂
Thanks for the tip Patrick! I will definitely check it out next time I visit Ddorf (hopefully soon!)