Hankook – One of the best Koreans in town

Korean is a star among Asian food. It got increasingly popular in recent years in Germany too and Frankfurt has already its fair share of established Korean restaurants. Hankook in Sachsenhausen-Süd is one of the most known places and it offers the typical Korean menu – from Bibimbap to Korean Barbecue. Browsing through the internet, I got the impression that Hankook is competing for the unofficial title of best Korean restaurant in Frankfurt. I wanted to test the place myself as I am bigger admirer of spicy Korean dishes and good Korean Barbecue.

We went to Hankook, which is located a small uphill walk from Lokalbahnhof right next to the new development around the former Henninger Turm. I reserved the place for two and after arriving, we noticed that this is really necessary. The restaurant is extremely busy, especially on a Friday night. The owners manage this very well though. They seem to have quite a large crew of people working there. We were greeted friendly and got a good table. It is definitely recommended to call before since the place was absolutely packed. It speaks for the restaurant that it is so popular and confirms my internet research.

The menu offers basically the classical dishes that you expect to appear in a Korean restaurant in Europe. A highlight of good Korean is the table barbecue. Hankook is offering quite a variety of meats and so we went for it. We chose the menu where our orders of Bulgogi (marinated beef) and Samgyeopsal (pork belly) came with a wide range of small vegetable side dishes. The menu price was absolutely fair especially considering the amount of food we got. The side dishes were many and the meat was plenty. The menu card also explains that you can even order more meat if necessary – of course no take-away of left overs and no sharing with people who do not pay (the menu card explains in detail because people probably abuse the system otherwise). Also, the more people you are the more different kinds of meat you can order.

We were more than happy with the amount of food, in fact I even ate too much. But it was just so delicious. The meat was excellent and grilling on your own table adds a bit of extra fun. The side dishes were pretty good as well. However, some of them were a bit weak in taste and could have some more kick to it. When it comes to winning the crown of best Korean restaurant, a close look to the Kimchi served is in order. Kimchi - fermented vegetable, usually cabbage - is the core of the Korean food universe. The spiciness of Kimchi of Hankook is unfortunately toned down quite a bit and fermenting time was probably not too long. I guess this is necessary to accommodate the German taste, which usually is not compatible with too spicy food. Overall, I understand that most Asian places have to do this – but really great would be if there was an option to choose among the Korean and the German version of Kimchi.

Overall, I can confirm that good stories I read about Hankook. Its popularity does have a reason. The food is tasty and plentiful. The atmosphere was good. The prices are fair. I will definitely want to visit again. However, if it wins the title of best Korean restaurant in Frankfurt remains yet to be seen.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: Korean/Asian

Location: Sachsenhausen

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hankook/147432088645759

Café Croquant – Charming French café in the Europa Viertel

This café is a super charming place in the middle of the Europa Viertel. Being right at the Europa Allee, the big street passing through this newly developed neighborhood, it is perfectly located to serve as a local meeting place and supply the residents with fresh bakery products. Café Croquant is more than just a bakery though, it is a French style Sandwicherie, Pâtisserie, Brasserie and Café. Charmingly decorated it is very inviting not only to have a small beverage but to also sit down and enjoy a Flammkuchen, a tart or some of other pastry.

We visited right before Christmas and the decoration of the café was prepared accordingly. The style inside is very cozy and comforting. Not to be missed in a French brasserie are the wine bottles beautifying the background shelve. The thick wooden furniture makes it feel rustic and down to earth. So far, the view outside still goes to a large construction site where the Messe is building another extensive hall. Still some of the surrounding building places are to be developed, but once this part of Europa Viertel is completed the view will also improve. I can imagine that it is a promising location with plenty of apartment blocks around, where there are many potential costumers waiting for a café and bakery. 

We visited café Croquant on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. We were much surprised to find such a charming place during our walk along the Europa Allee. We ordered two white wines, French of course, to go with our Flammkuchen and omelet. Everything was pretty good, fresh and tasty. The Flammkuchen was not the best one I ever tried, but quite alright. The strong suit of this café are the pastries though. We enjoyed a little chocolate tarte, which was fantastic. Overall, it is the perfect place to rest a bit from a Sunday walk and enjoy the cozy atmosphere.

Style: Café

Cuisine: French, Bakery

Location: Europa Viertel

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Caf%C3%A9-Croquant-599321850250498/

Fonda de Santiago – The most authentic Mexican food in Frankfurt

This is a place offering excellent Mexican food. There are plenty of restaurants that label their cuisine Mexican but more often than not this refers to Tex-Mex or is strongly adapted to what Germans think Mexican dishes are like (chili con carne) and Mexican decoration looks like (a gecko and some Maya-style paintings on the wall). Fonda de Santiago however cooks actual Mexican while not overburdening the German palate. On the menu, you can find various beef, pork and fish dishes in different forms – in tacos, enchiladas, tostadas. Everything is prepared in a very authentic way. They try to use Mexican ingredients or at least use what comes close. Most notably: the tacos are actually based on soft corn tortillas, which is how tacos look and taste like in Mexico – and it’s delicious.

The location of Fonda de Santiago is unfortunately quite hidden. It is tucked away in a small side street in Nordend. The neighborhood is known for its many good restaurants, so it should be a good idea to open an authentic food place here. But the location is a bit away from the usual beaten paths and it’s unlikely to come across the place by accident. So far, we visited two times and unfortunate the restaurant was not very busy. This must be due to the location because the food is absolutely great, the service is excellent and the decoration is playful.

Worth noting is also that the restaurant team is eager to always come up with new events presenting some special dishes from Mexico. For example, Sunday seems to be taco day where they have an extended menu of tacos on offer. Tacos are also my favorites and so I ordered them both times I visited. The cochinita pibil (pork) was just fantastic, very fresh and juicy. The acidity was very typical for a Mexican pork dish. I also tasted some of the beef tacos and they were equally amazing. The spicy sauces are typically served in a separate small bowl so that one can decide if and how much spiciness one wants to add. The sauces served at Fonda de Santiago are quite nice, but not too spicy – probably one small adaption to the German’s discomfort with spiciness.

My wife ordered the enchiladas and they too were prepared in a nice authentic style. We got a big amount of stuffed tortillas with sprinkled cheese on top, squished beand and Mexican-style rice on the side. All portions are big and heavy which is again very much Mexican. Overall, this is the most authentic Mexican restaurant in Frankfurt to me. They adapt only what is necessary and keep the originality of Mexican cuisine. This is the place to go to have proper tacos, chiles, enchiladas or tostadas. I hope more costumers find their way to this hidden treasure.

Style: Casual eatery/Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Location: Nordend-Ost

Website: https://www.facebook.com/fondadesantiago/

Proprium – Fine tapas and delicious wine

This one is a really great new discovery in Gallus. Proprium is a wine bar that serves fine little tapas-style dishes, cheese and serrano platers as well as larger steak dishes. It only opened just this year and was apparently at first focused on serving lunch. My recent visit was the first time in Proprium and I cannot say anything about the lunch deals, but I am definitely very happy about them opening now for dinner as well. Proprium is a cozy place to enjoy some after-work wine and indulge in some of its fine foods. This place absolutely adds to the Gallus neighborhood as it brings the more upscale concept of a wine bar with proper food. There is no shortage of wine and tapas in Frankfurt, but most places are in the city center or the popular dining neighborhoods of Sachsenhausen and Nordend.

The flair of Proprium is relaxed enough to be very comfortable visiting casually during the week. The wines on offer are generally not cheap, but we got an excellent bottle for an OK price. The service was also extremely friendly and inviting. The homey feel inside is created by the great decoration and especially by a large fireplace in a corner. The opening hours are not too long, but this is probably because they started with a lunch menu first and only try recently to open for dinner as well. From my side, I hope they succeed and establish this location as a great evening wine bar. So far, they are not open on Saturday, but only during the week – including Friday.

We ordered a Spanish Rioja, which was wonderful. I cannot get disappointed by a Spanish red. As for the food, we got a couple of the tapas dishes, fried vegetables, a savory chicken piece, goat cheese with pears and others. I especially enjoyed the cheese platter, which had a range of fantastic hard cheeses. Cheese platters in Germany can often be rather disappointing, but Proprium knows to offer a couple of good cuts. Overall, we enjoyed these really tasteful pieces of food, excellent wine and the great flair. Definitely will be back.

Style: Casual eatery/Wine bar

Cuisine: Tapas/International

Location: Gallus

Website: https://proprium-frankfurt.de/

Konamon – Japanese pancakes in Gallus

I want to open this blog with a coverage of a wonderful small eatery that serves fantastic Japanese food. There is certainly no shortage of Asian food locations in the city of Frankfurt. However, this place is not the ordinary Japanese restaurant serving sushi, but instead focuses on a particular dish of the East Asian country’s cuisine: Okononmiyaki. This is basically a rich savory pancake were one can mix-in just about anything tasty – from seafood, over sausages to Kimchi. And that is exactly what this small eatery in Gallus does. Just like in the streets of Tokyo or Kyoto, where this dish is especially popular, one can enjoy Japanese style pancakes a short walk behind Galluswarte.

We visited Konamon already for the second time and since the restaurant is rather small and cozy it is definitely recommended to call and reserve if one wants to come on a weekend. The limited space inside is reminiscent of the tiny restaurants that Tokyo is packed with. The location of Konamon is interesting as well. Gallus has so far not been known for being a culinary hotspot of Frankfurt. This is an eatery one would expect to pop up in Bockenheim or Bornheim maybe, but it is very much welcome that such an inventive place opens up shop in the middle of Gallus – quite a bit away from the culinary melting pot of the Bahnhofsviertel, yet close enough to the city for this restaurant location to make sense.

Trying one of the excellent main dishes of Okonomiyaki is a must when visiting this place. However, we already did this the first time we visited and so thought to try out some of the small Japanese Tapas dishes that are also on offer. We definitely did a good choice there as all of our picks totally amazed us in flavor and originality. It is a great idea to order multiple of the small plates and just share all the food variety accumulated on the table. In that way, we enjoyed pickeled vegetables, fried rice balls, pork with kimchi (Butakimchi) and Japanese-style fried chicken (Karaage). We completed our stay by trying the ice cream for dessert and again found really intense and original flavors (Matcha and sesame).

To make for a perfect stay, the owner and staff are very friendly and welcoming. One definitely enjoys great service in this place. Overall location, decoration and the dishes benefit from the Japanese trait of attention to detail. Frankfurt’s culinary landscape is enriched by a place offering courageously not the typical Sushi or Asian noodle dishes so common everywhere, but an original extract of the Japanese cuisine. Pancakes mixed with Asian ingredients and topped with savory sauces are definitely going to be well received in Frankfurt.

Style: Casual small eatery

Cuisine: Japanese/Asian

Location: Gallus

Website: http://www.konamon.online/