Comment: A real legend! It has everything a brewery must have: Good Kölsch, fast down to earth waiters, wooden furnishings, no music, down to earth food – and tons of tradition.

Actually I really like going there with visitors from out of town, especially also with foreigners. Once you’ve been here there’s not much else to say about Cologne. Here you can savour the city’s atmosphere in a nutshell. But Päffgen brewery isn’t only a good showcase. Even as a regular, you’ll always feel welcome here. I’d avoid sitting in the ‘winter garden’ extension though. To me it has absolutely nothing to do with a brewery.

The quality of Päffgen’s Kölsch is obviously impeccable. Despite being rough at the edges, the waiters always have a friendly word for you when they do their rounds and if you offer them a drink after every umpteenth round, their already prompt service gets even better.
The food has the usual brewery quality: It’s not Haute Cuisine, but it is substantial and tastefully prepared and gives you are good start to your evening. Highly recommended are: Himmel un Ääd met Flöns (fried black pudding on potato and apple mash), Hämmchen (pork knuckle), Suurbrode (Sauerbraten or marinated pot roast) or for the smaller appetite a Halver Hahn (two rye rolls with thickly sliced mature Gouda; be aware that this is not a chicken dish although “Hahn” literally translates to “rooster”!).

What is particularly good about this place is that the tourist traffic through this area is quite negligible because even though Päffgen in the Friesen Street lies in a popular night spot area, it’s a part of town that outsiders take a while to discover.

All in all, always worth a visit! The only place where you’ll ever find something like this is in Cologne on the River Rhine!