Aniis – Trendy Café in Frankfurt’s ‘East End’

Already in my last post, I wrote about the growing food scene in Frankfurt’s eastern neighborhood of Ostend. Now, I also visited a great café in the area. This neighborhood is definitely becoming one interesting area. It is not only the European Central Bank that drives the development of Ostend, it is also the opening up of parts of the port to residential and small business construction. It is also well connected to the city center which is actually only a short stroll away. It is set to further gain from the transformation of Ostbahnhof, which so far is only a low frequency train station, more important for freight than for passenger transport. Plans to build a new S-Bahn from the city center towards the east along the northern bank of the river will make this train station a major hub of Frankfurt. It will be one of the few places in the city, where tram, subway, S-Bahn and regional trains are closely linked. Around the train station, there is already a small local center with restaurants, shops and cafés forming. Café Aniis is one of those establishments.

I recently visited the café with my wife on a snowy Sunday in December. We were lucky to get a place since I have seen it often very full. It is also not so spacious, but at the same time it is quite popular with the locals. Once being inside, I understood why. It is decorated in a cool, hip way and the details, from the cute cactus on the table to the large picture on the wall, are super charming. The coffee is served in elegant cups and the barista casts a perfect flower picture into the milk foam. However, I was most surprised by the great food served. The menu has a few light items, great for breakfast, lunch and to accompany the afternoon-coffee or tea. We ordered a vegetarian plate Eastern Mediterranean-style, with hummus, falafel, beans, couscous, some awesome eggplant mash and other small stuff. This was fantastic and better than most restaurants do such a plate. It was even enough food for the two of us. Overall, I was quite enchanted and Aniis now ranks high on my top-list of Frankfurt’s cafés.

Style: Café

Cuisine: Coffee and breakfast

Location: Ostend

Website: http://www.aniis.de/

Dicke Wutz – American Barbecue at Osthafen

I recently managed to discover new places at Frankfurt’s eastern fringes. The city’s neighborhood Ostend – as the name in German suggests – is to the East of the city center and also feels more or less like the end of the city towards this direction even though the administrative boundaries are going further, but few locals venture beyond the huge amalgamation of highways, harbor industry and rail tracks creating a barrier here. In a way, the Ostend neighborhood is incredibly different in its various parts. Where it is bordering Bornheim and Nordend there is the nice area, around the river side, close to the European Central Bank’s main tower, it is booming and developing quickly in to an upscale residential neighborhood. The Osthafen, Frankfurt’s main port with its many industrial facilities is also part of it, just like the stretch along Hanauer Landsraße leading out of the city. It is here, where many offices are residing and new apartments getting constructed as the area became more attractive recently and low-key industries and car dealers move out of the area.

There is an area around Osthafen that has been opened up for new construction and abandoned old industry is finding a new use. Some really hip offices can now be found in places where many corners still show a rough appearance. At the same time, the area is developing its culinary scene. One can already observe that Hanauer Landstraße boosts more and more restaurants, especially close to Ostbahnhof. I am sure the neighborhood becomes livelier in the next years as population will increase due to the construction of so many new housing blocks. The restaurant I visited with my friends recently is exactly located in one those cool old industry areas. It is an amazing location, where a whole industrial block is now used by different small businesses and the said gastronomy. It is also already quite a bit outside of the city. At least, I have never walked down Hanauer Landstraße that far. The restaurant is not directly visible from the street. It is a bit hidden, but therefore has a charming yard, which can be used as a stylish beer garden during summer. This time of the year, however, we sat inside.

Dicke Wutz is an American barbecue and prides itself to bring some Southern-style BBQ to Frankfurt with the grill even being imported from overseas. Hence, the main thing to eat here are the meats. They have some American classics like Burgers and also Philly Cheesesteak, which we ordered as well. The specialty is their pulled pork though. I ordered a meat platter so that I could try different meats. Besides pulled pork, this had chicken, a beef brisket, grilled corn and pickles and a small salat on the side. The pulled pork was by far the best and went well with the great barbecue sauce. The other meat and especially the sides where quite pale in comparison. Overall, I am afraid I had higher expectations. There is still a lot of room of improvement to really recreate the great BBQ experience of the American South. I expected some burned ends, some grilled beef with a great salt crust, some greasy ribs. To get close to this ideal, it is also important to deliver on the side dishes. For example, this place looks ideal to have some Mac and Cheese, something not very common to find in Germany. But I am sure it would be well received.

On a positive note, I have to mention the great beer menu. There is an extended list of craft beer, which goes very well with the meaty dishes. To sum up, Dicke Wutz brings solid American food to the table with the pulled pork being the highlight. I also loved its location in a trendy building with a great rusty looking interior.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: American/International/BBQ

Location: Ostend

Website: http://dicke-wutz.business.site/