Urban Feasting9 Innovative Gastro-Concepts from Southwest Germany's Cities

Swabian tapas or multicultural soul food, a love of plants or a lust for meat, radical reduction or sumptuous feasts: the culinary diversity of the major cities in Baden-Württemberg can hardly be surpassed.

We present 9 innovative urban places where you can feast on the most delicious foods from a showcase kitchen to a hidden gourmet paradise.

"Closed society" is a foreign word in the Mannheim Café Tropical. Here, the guests all sit together at long tables in the backyard, whether they know each other or not. The operators of the Showcase Kitchen, Linda Dröge and Carolin Breckle, have deliberately opted for a concept that underlines the open and warm character of Mannheim and fuels the conversation with their culinary compositions. With olive lemonade and multicultural cuisine, wonderful contacts can be made and strangers quickly become friends.
showcasekitchen.de

All good things come from above? There is no doubt about it at the gourmet restaurant "Oben" in the historic Kohlhof. Not only is it located at the top of Heidelberg's local mountain, the Königstuhl, it also invites you to enjoy its delicious meals. The Michelin Guide also recognized this and awarded the “culinary island in the forest” a star in 2018. The menu consists of a 13-course menu, which is eaten together at rustic wooden tables. Guests are invited to the open kitchen for at least one course and to the wine cellar to select the wines.
restaurant-oben.de

Pizzeria, co-working space, club, and cultural location: there is a lot on offer in the "Fettschmelze" in the former Karlsruhe slaughterhouse. The undisputed star of the house is the juicy "Fetti Pizza" and not only after a night of drinking. The ingredients come from the surrounding area and are processed with love by the “Fett team”. The dough is allowed to ferment for a long time and is not only processed with the Swabian dough machine, but also kneaded several times by hand before it is freshly topped and put in the Italian oven. Delicious!
fettschmelze.org

From Wednesday to Saturday, something strange happens in a classic coffee house in Baden-Baden after 7 p.m.: A wall shelf with chocolate is pushed aside and “Malte’s Hidden Kitchen” appears. The finest dishes are created here under the hand of Malte Kuhn. The Michelin Guide judged the hidden kitchen paradise: "They skillfully reduce the restaurant to the essentials, and the product is always the focus of the menu." In March 2022, Michelin awarded the casual fine dining restaurant a star, and Gault & Millau followed shortly afterwards with two chef's hats.
exquisite-concepts.com

You should definitely bring some time with you for the new enjoyable experience in Freiburg. Studying the menu could take a little longer where the "Freiburg Menu" is served as at least 70 percent of all processed products must come from the immediate region. So that their path can be traced transparently, a map reveals all the details about the ingredients’ origins. The Schlossberg restaurant Dattler, the Dorint Thermenhotel Freiburg, the Hotel Oberkirchs Weinstube, the Hotel Stadt Freiburg, the Hotel Rappen and the Hotel Zum Roten Bären are already implementing this sustainable concept. More are to follow.
visit.freiburg.de/en

24 ingredients. No more, no less: the chefs in Heilbronn's new restaurant "Nosh't" easily get by with this. The background to this consistent reduction: According to chef Christopher Bollmann, a dish is "only good if you can't leave anything out." He sees sustainable cuisine not only as a fashion, but also as a culinary necessity and therefore relies on freshness and short distances. But there is no lack of creativity here either. Many of the processed products cannot be bought - they were invented or modified in the Nosh't.
nosht.de

The gold city of Pforzheim is home to more than 140 nationalities and has therefore an extraordinary variety of international cuisine. If you want to enjoy specialties from Japan, Thailand, India, Venezuela, Korea, the Arab world, and Europe within three hours, you should join a multicultural pleasure tour. World cuisine from the city is served at various stations, and 2000 years of history from the Roman settlement to the jewelery and watch industries are brought to life.
stadt-land-enz.de

According to its own statement, the Stuttgarter Gasthaus Bären is not only the coziest Swabian restaurant, but also one of the most innovative. The principle of "many small plates" was taken from the classic Spanish tapas school and instead of southern specialties, Swabian cuisine is now served in bite-sized tasting portions. From Maultaschen and potato salad to lentils and spaetzle. Anyone who finds it difficult to decide between the Swabian mini delicacies can simply and happily combine them.
gasthaus-baeren.de

For city and business travelers as well as urban locals, the "Me and all" hotel in Ulm is the place to be. The boutique hotel near the main train station offers the right space for all eventualities. The lounge and bar "Über" on the eighth floor not only offer a magnificent view, but also the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas. It is a perfect spot for so many whether they are at work in the co-working space, enjoying the finest regional street food, relaxing during a yoga session, sipping a glass of wine, or dancing at the open-air disco with selected DJs at the weekend.
ulm.meandallhotels.com/en