Germany · Rhine, Kö, Little Tokyo
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the most underrated dining city in Germany: the largest Japanese community in Europe, a fine dining tradition around Kaiserswerth and a harbour that eats as well as it looks.
Visitors come for the Königsallee and leave talking about the food. Düsseldorf’s Japanese quarter around Immermannstraße is the real thing, from ramen counters to Yoshizumi Nagaya’s starred kaiseki, and the city has cooked at the top level for decades: Jean-Claude Bourgueil’s Im Schiffchen in Kaiserswerth was one of Germany’s first great French houses, and its successor generation, Agata’s, Fritz’s Frau Franzi, Berens am Kai, keeps the standard.
The Medienhafen turned old docks into the city’s dinner district: glass towers by Gehry, terraces on the water and kitchens that mix Asia and Europe with confidence. Böser Chinese, a gourmaris member, serves its Asian cross-over menu here on the harbour and in Flingern, and the sky lounge of the Innside hotel gives the best view of the Rhine bend.
Düsseldorf dresses up, drinks well and eats late by Rhineland standards. Combine the Altstadt’s brasseries with a Japanese dinner and a Medienhafen nightcap, and the city reveals more than most people expect.
The dining profile
- Tasting menu
- €200
- Main course
- €38
- Glass of wine
- €10
- Tip
- 8 %
Chic. Düsseldorf notices shoes.
May to September for the harbour terraces; avoid the big trade fair weeks.
Guide prices 2026, per person, in euros
A day in Düsseldorf
From breakfast to the nightcap.
May to September
- 08:00Breakfast
A croissant on the Kö or a Japanese breakfast set near the main station.
- 12:00Lunch
Ramen or a bento on Immermannstraße: the city’s best-value lunch.
- 16:00Coffee and cake
Cake at a Carlsplatz café, or matcha and mochi in Little Tokyo.
- 19:00Aperitif
Altbier in the Altstadt or a glass of Champagne at the Breidenbacher Hof.
- 20:00Dinner
Kaiserswerth for the classics, the Medienhafen for the modern kitchens.
- 23:00Nightcap
The sky lounge above the harbour, sixteen floors up, with the Rhine tower blinking.
The districts
Medienhafen
Böser Chinese, Berens am Kai and the harbour terraces: modern Düsseldorf dining.
Little Tokyo
Immermannstraße and Klosterstraße: Nagaya, izakayas, ramen and Japanese bakeries.
Kaiserswerth
Im Schiffchen and Agata’s: the classic fine dining district by the Rhine.
Altstadt and Pempelfort
Le Flair, Phoenix, brasseries and the longest bar in the world.
The restaurants
10 restaurants in Düsseldorf.
Asian restaurantgourmaris memberDüsseldorf · Medienhafen
Böser Chinese
Asian cross-over on the harbour
Asian restaurantStarredDüsseldorf · Little Tokyo
Nagaya
Kaiseki in Little Tokyo
BrasserieIconDüsseldorf · Pempelfort
Le Flair
French bistro cooking, Rhineland warmth
Fine diningStarredDüsseldorf · Friedrichstadt
Fritz’s Frau Franzi
A starred kitchen in a design hotel
Fine diningStarredDüsseldorf · Golzheim
Agata’s
Personal fine dining by the Rhine
Fine diningIconDüsseldorf · Kaiserswerth
Im Schiffchen
French haute cuisine since 1977
BrasserieHotspotDüsseldorf · Altstadt
Phoenix
Brasserie glamour in the Dreischeibenhaus
HotspotStarredDüsseldorf · Friedrichstadt
DR.KOSCH
Fine dining as a neighbourhood bar
Fine diningViewDüsseldorf · Medienhafen
Berens am Kai
Harbour terrace, refined cooking
View restaurantViewDüsseldorf · Medienhafen
The View Skylounge & Bar
Sixteen floors over the Rhine
Good to know
Tips for Düsseldorf.
- Nagaya has two houses: Nagaya for kaiseki fine dining and Yoshi by Nagaya for a more relaxed Japanese menu.
- The Medienhafen is a short taxi from the Altstadt; walk it along the Rhine promenade at sunset instead.
- Böser Chinese takes reservations online; the Medienhafen terrace is the summer seat, Flingern the cosy one.
- Altbier is served without asking until you put your coaster on the glass.
- Trade fair weeks double hotel prices and fill restaurants; check the Messe calendar before you book.
Frequently asked questions
Is Düsseldorf really a Japanese food city?
Yes. With around 8,000 Japanese residents it has the largest Japanese community in Germany and an authentic restaurant scene from ramen to kaiseki.
Where do I dine with a Rhine view?
Berens am Kai and Böser Chinese in the Medienhafen, or the sky lounge of the Innside hotel for drinks and small plates.
What is the classic Düsseldorf fine dining address?
Im Schiffchen in Kaiserswerth, cooking at the top level since 1977.
