As soon as you arrive in Germany, you get hit hard with some of the century-old laws that shape the local lifestyle; like the one which dictates that he who forgets to buy eggs on a Saturday shall have no omelet for Sunday’s breakfast – shops are closed folks!
Fortunately, once you realize that you can do many other interesting things on a Sunday, other than grocery shopping, you start to appreciate its quietness!
There is another sweet blessing that can change your perspective on German Sundays: the “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake) tradition. The idea has always been that Sunday should be a rest day, to be spent with family and friends. Now, if these quality moments include good coffee and freshly baked cakes, even better!
Düsseldorf can be a paradise to those with a sweet tooth. From the classical German streusels to exotic sweets and fine French pastries. Here is our list of top 10 places for your Kaffee und Kuchen afternoon, as recommended by our lovely expats on the Life in Düsseldorf Facebook Group.
Byzantio Konditorei
One of the magical things about expat life is how you learn about new traditions, embrace them and mix them with other ones along the way. And this is how you mix Greek and German tradition: by having Greek pastries for a Kaffee und Kuchen afternoon. Or after dinner, why not, since Byzantio Konditiorei is open late almost every day.
As quick as the staff was in handling the many customers walking in, they managed to answer my endless questions about the endless amount of cakes I could choose from.
What will definitely call your attention first are the typical Greek “Korne” and “Trigono Panoramatos”, both filled with rich vanilla custard and sprinkled generously with Almond Flakes.
The ambiance is quite dim, but the seating area is huge and goes around the shop to the back.
Covent Garden
Covent Garden has been quite the hotspot lately. The place has a sort of “feel-good” factor that keeps the younger crowd in year-round.
That they offer excellent coffee in a friendly atmosphere is common knowledge. What is less spoken about are the homemade cakes to have with your drinks. Even if the selection is not too big, they are all comforting, beautifully presented, and always delectable without fail.
Did I mention the reasonable prices?
Café Hüftgold
Café Hüftgold sits in a popular corner of Flingern and is a must-visit among the many trending places in this area.
Despite having a lot of outdoor seating, it often takes a while to find a free table. Alternatively, the retro interior is equally inviting and cozy, just make sure you check both entrances and the upper area.
They have a large selection of cakes displayed in a beautiful vintage cabinet. Even if you decide on just having a cheesecake slice, they have at least 3 different types to choose from. The gluten-free and lactose-free options ensure nobody is left out of tasting these fresh bakes!
Service is a little bit slow on busy days, on a good note it lets you linger over the excellent coffee.
Sugarbird Cupcakes
There are times in life when you want to eat a whole cake all by yourself, without sharing!
At Sugarbird Cupcakes’ cute café, you could actually do it guilt-free. The hardest part would be actually choosing which cupcake to choose considering the whole assortment they offer.
Their cupcakes are light and moist, with delicious fillings. The buttercream frosting is very enjoyable as it is not overly sweet and tastes very natural.
They were previously on Henrich-Heine Allee, but their new location in Düsseltal is way more spacious and kid-friendly.
Café Barré
There is no need to go to Paris anymore to have a taste of artisan-style pastries “à la Française”.
The homestyle café in Flingern can be difficult to spot at first, the key to finding this family-run address is to look for a shop front full of lavishly decorated cakes.
If you want a piece of the French Classic, a Lemon Meringue Pie, you would need to head there early enough as they do not last long. The custard is well balanced, in between sweet and zesty, lying on a perfect crumbly base.
My favourite remains the Vanilla éclair, the real challenge lies in not eating all of it even before the first sip of your coffee!
Nooij Dutch Deli
Photo and content added by Jenna Davis
To be honest, I had no idea that Nooij Dutch Deli even offered coffee and cake until we finally went inside. They are famous for their chicken and fries, they also make a delicious peanut sauce too. However, their cakes are surprisingly phenomenal and definitely worth being on this list of top places for Kaffee and Kuchen in Düsseldorf. Nooij Dutch Deli is a beautiful restaurant located within the Tanzhaus NRW.
Pure Freude
These lists of best places in Düsseldorf are all about sharing hidden gems, so here is another one for you: Pure Freude’s minimalist shop in Carlstadt.
You could mistake this café for one of the many art galleries popular to this part of Düsseldorf. The French-inspired chef d’oeuvres available there are so beautiful that you will hesitate to dive your fork into it before snapping some Instagram shots. The lovely inner courtyard where you can enjoy your cake and coffee is perfect for spring or summer.
Even if the prices are on the higher side, it is totally worth the guilty pleasure!
Bastians Bäckerei
Purists of the German tradition would tell you, there is no Kaffee und Kuchen without whipped cream, a lot of it! So next time you are at Bastians, do not refuse the Sahne (cream) offer on top of your cake.
Bastians has a wonderful selection of German cakes and tarts. So many of them that we would need a separate article to talk about all the different German cakes and tarts.
The Bienenstisch is a must-try, think of layers of cream, dough, and fragrant roasted almonds – as big as a forearm. So bringing a big appetite or friends to help you finish might be a good idea!
They also have their own cheesecake style, which is nothing like the New York Cheesecake, but nonetheless equally wonderful and smooth.
Bastians is always lively and crowded but you can manage to find a table relatively quickly. Just choose your cake at the counter first and they will serve you.
Patisserie Tanger
Let’s travel in search of some exotic sweets, not as far as Marrakesh, but right here in lively Oberbilk. Patisserie Tanger brings us the rose-infused and almond filled Moroccan pastries as seen on travel TV shows.
Briouat – a triangular-shaped pastry filled with a luxurious almond filling – will definitely tempt you to have more than a few at one sitting.
For an even sweeter treat, there is Basbousa, a flat semolina cake, soaked in an orange blossom syrup.
Usually, a Mint Tea coupled with these pastries is just perfect. The atmosphere is not very fancy, but the friendliness of the staff makes up for it.
Homemade – We Eat Fine
The little café might be easy to miss on the large streets of Bilker Allee, but they pack a big (delicious) punch! Homemade – We Eat Fine is a family-run café making some of the most delicious cupcakes and cakes fresh daily. You may have also heard about the café that Beyoncé ordered from? Yep, this one.
There should be enough places (and calories as well) for you to fill up your Sundays or at least part of them. If not, we also heard great things about PYC Cheesecake & Gallery in Oberkassel, Suße Erinnerung and Le Gourmet in Bilk, Isabella Glutenfreie Patisserie in Kö Gallerie, Café Gateaux in Angermund, Café Schuster in Kaiserswerth, Oma Erika in Flingern, and Café Heinnemann. Let us know about your experiences if you have tried their bakes.
This could help us put together a list of the top 52 cafés in Düsseldorf: one spot for every week of the year.
Coffee aficionados will also find our list of top 10 best coffee shops in planning their next coffee crawl handy.
