In Frankfurt am Main, when I just want to have a drink, I have 4 options.
First, I can drive over to Mainz and go to one of the many excellent wine taverns there. Wines tend to be entry level wines from the region.
See: Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Mainz, Germany
Second, I can drive to the Rheingau or Rheinhessen and go to a Strausswirtschaft at a winery. Only the wine maker’s wines are served.
See: “Hoffest” (Winery Party) at Weingut Heinrich Baison in Hochheim, Rheingau - Best of Riesling 2010 Award Winner
Third, I can go to an apple wine tavern in Frankfurt.This would be an evening with apple wine served in a Bembel.
See: Schiller's Favorite Apple Wine Taverns in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
There is a small list of apple wine taverns that make the apple wine they serve at the apple wine tavern. See: Schiller's Favorites: Frankfurt Apple Wine Taverns that Make their own Apple Wine - Frankfurter Apfelweinlokale die noch selbst Keltern, Germany
Fourth, I can go to a wine bar in Frankfurt am Main. This posting provides an overview of the wine bars in Frankfurt am Main. The wine bars are ordered alphabetically.
This posting is a revised version (update) of an earlier posting. See: Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (2014)
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main
Aber
Gutleutstrasse 17
Willy Brandt Platz
A trendy place, mix of restaurant and bar. Close to the Frankfurt Opera and open until 1:00 am.
Bockenheimer Weinkontor
Schloßstrasse 92 Hinterhaus (Rear building)
Bockenheim
The Bockenheimer Weinkontor is a true original, located in the basement of the rear building. People here sit on wine crates instead of chairs. The place is never empty, but you can always find somewhere to sit. Service is at the counter only. The wines are good, but not more. Small snacks are served, such as bread with salami or cheese. You find here the university/1968er crowd.
Brasserie du Sud
Oppenheimer Landstraße 31
Sachsenhausen
A bistro and large wine bar, with a comfortable terrace. The wine list is excellent, with a strong focus on German and other old world wines, perhaps 100 wines, with about 20 by the glass. The menu is brasserie-style.
Coq au Vin
Wallstrasse 19
Sachsenhausen (next to Lobster)
“C’est correct” would my French friend say. Nothing spectacular, but good French cooking and a range of French wines at reasonable prices. Coq au Vin also has a nice bar area, where good French wines are served.
Dünker
Berger Straße 265
Bornheim
A wine tavern in the basement of a house built in 1780. For many years, the room was used as a cellar to age apple wine, before Peter Dünker opened his wine wine tavern in 1948. Today, it is run by Christoph and Susanne Dünker. Nice outside area up at the entrance of the cellar.
The wine portfolio includes 300 wines, including 60 by the glass. Interesting, good wines, but you do not find premium wines. Most wines by the glass are Euro 3, some are less than Euro 2. Small bites to eat.
Edelfisch (for lunch only)
Lärchenstraße 101
Griesheim
Edelfisch is a specialty gourmet food retailer/wholesaler. This supermarket type store has a bar area, which is very popular for lunch. You can order any bottle from the wine section of the store. In addition, 6 to 8 interesting wines by the glass.
Frankfurt/ Wein
Wittelsbacherallee 153
Nordend-Ost
Frankfurt/ Wein is a leading wine store in Frankfurt, owned and run Gernot Dorsch and Wolfgang Feierfeil. The focus is on top German producers. Gernot and Wolfgang recencently decided to keep the store open until 11 pm from Thursday to Saturday and added a few tables on the sidewalk. Small bites.
Grössenwahn
Lenaustrasse 97
Nordend-West
A traditional Frankfurt brasserie, with a wonderful, cozy atmosphere. It has been a Frankfurt “classic” for more than 40 years. Popular with the 1968 generation crowd as well as the gay scene. You can get local favorites like Handkas mit Musik (fresh cheese marinated with herbs), but also great spins on the classics like a curried lamb shank.
I have only gone there for a full meal and have not paid attention to the bar area. But I was told that “there is always very interesting people at the bar and the wines are not bad”.
Heimat
Berliner Str. 70
Willy Brandt Platz
Viewed from the outside, this glass pavilion looks almost like the diner in Edward Hopper’s famous painting “Nighthawks.” The menu is small but the food is top notch. Heimat has 15 toques in the GaultMillau Restaurant Guide 2017. You can watch Chef Gregor Nowak and Chef Tanja Söhnke work in the kitchen right from your bar stool.
Heimat is probably the best wine bar in town. A stunning wine list. Sommelier and Co-owner Oliver Donnecker is Falstaff Sommelier of the Year 2017. See: Best German Winemakers - Falstaff Deutschland Wine Trophies 2017
If you show up between 7 pm and 9 pm, you are expected to eat. And you need to make a reservation.
See:
The Best Restaurants in the Greater Frankfurt am Main Region, Germany
Frankfurt Top Trendy Restaurants– Feinschmecker 2012, Germany
Incantina
Taunusstrasse 6
Hauptbahnhof
Incantina is a place where you can enjoy the cuisine and the wines of Emilia Romagna. It is mainly a restaurant with a small bar area. The wine list offers wines from over 240 different winemakers, members of the Enoteca Regionale Emilia Romagna.
Marco Giovanni Zanetti: This is life in Italy. This place all the good things from the Emilia Romagna area. They have a huge selection of Sangiovese and Lambrusco wines. Simply amazing home style Italian cuisine!
Lobster
Wallstraße 21
Sachsenhausen
This is very much a Parisian Bistro, where people go to eat. The menu is very down to earth; don't expect new and innovative French cooking but rather traditional recipes well executed.
There is a small bar area, with 6 bar chairs. There are also a couple of bar tables, where you can stand. Good, but not extensively large selection of German and other European wines.
Monas Weinbar
Jahnstraße 51
Eschenheimer Turm
A small place run by Mona, who headed a wine co-op in France before opening Monas Weinbar in Frankfurt. The small wine selection is entry-level French and German wines. Like in a French Bistro, all wines that are being poured are listed on a large blackboard.
Paris’ Bar and Café
Oppenheimer Landstraße 27
Sachsenhausen, Schweitzer Platz
For newcomers, this seems to be a French wine bar. But it is not. It is the wine bar of Paris Kosmidis, a film maker, author and journalist from Greece. He is usually there in the evening. Look out for a man with grey hair and chat with him about wine, art, theater or whatever.
You can have breakfast there in the morning, and cheese, cold cuts and vegetables during the day and in the evening. They do not have a kitchen and everything is prepared in a little corner of the bar.
Paris' Bar and Café offers about a dozen wines by the glass. The focus is clearly on German, Austrian and Spanish wines. As often in Europe, New World Wines are not popular with the crowd that you meet at Paris' Bar and Café.
We always try to sit at the communal bar table in the middle of the bar and meet nice people there. If you want to shift from grape wine to apple wine, the national drink of Frankfurt am Main, two of the many cider brasseries are just around the corner, Adolf Wagner and Gemahltes Haus, on Schweizer Strasse.
See:
Wine Bar: Paris Bar and Cafe in Frankfurt am Main
Piccolo Weinbar
Bornheimer Landstraße 58
Nordened-Ost
A small place with a nice selection of German and international wines.
Riz
Berliner Straße 72
Willy Brandt Platz
Just around the corner of the Heimat and also similar in terms of approach and aspirations. Owner and Sommelier Philipp Degenhardt is very knowledgeable in terms of wine. He has 6 excellent wines by the glass and 300 by the bottle, with a strong focus on premium dry German and red German wines, all selected by Philipp.
Rollander Hof
Hasengasse 5-7
Kleinmarkthalle
Popular hang-out for senior citizens, who want to chat with others and not break their bank account. Wines are very reasonably priced. It is a wine tavern and closes when the Kleinmarkthalle closes.
Vadder
Wuerzburger Strasse 38
Bornheim
Good, trendy neighborhood restaurant with a large bar area. Perhaps 40 seats and a long bar counter. When Eintracht Frankfurt plays, they pull out a large screen and show the game.
Chef and Owner is Norman Holub who used to cook at fine dining restaurants like Emma Metzler. The food is Frankfurt classics, with a modern interpretation of Norman. Sunday is bar-day, where only food from the bar menu is served. Norman Holub knows what he is doing and this is also evident in his wine list, which includes a good number of excellent wines by the glass.
Vai Vai
Grueneburgweg 16
Westend
A hip place. You can chose between 3 (indoor) seating areas: A dining area that boasts steaks, pastas and Italian fare, a lush lounge area and a large bar area. In the summer, there is also a large side walk area. The wine list is interesting.
Vinum
Kleine Hochstraße 9
Alte Oper
A wine tavern housed in a wine cellar that was built in the 1890s und used until the late 1900s to store wine in one of the alleys off the Goethestrasse (Fressgass’). The food is typical German. The wine list is not bad, with a number of interesting German wines by the glass (at decent prices). I am sure, Japanese tourists love the place because of the authentic wine cellar eating and drinking experience. Also nice for a glass of wine and a late night snack after a show at the Alte Oper, which is nearby.
Walhofs
Textorstraße 56
Sachsenhausen
The story behind: Bas-Jan Walhof turned investment banking his back and does what HE wants to do now. And that is meeting with people from all over the world and enjoy a very good wine accompanied by small, delicious appetizers/antipasti. We are very happy if one or the other of you will visit us and enjoy a good glas of wine! Your Team Walhofs
Walon, Rosetti and Cie
Moselstrasse 23
Hauptbahnhof
Bar and restaurant. This venture of Henry Walon (Sugar) und Radu Rosetti (Founder of Kingka-Club) is a new meeting place for those in Frankfurt who are hip. The Bahnhof district used to be a large and popular large red light district, but the area is being gentrified. Other in-places like Maxie Eisen and a popular fish restaurant are around the corner. Walon, Rosetti and Cie has a long bar counter. The wine list is interesting. On warm days, people also hang out on the side walk in front of the restaurant.
Weingarten
Clemensstraße 3
Bockenheim
Arguably the best wine bar (in a narrow sense) in town. It is owned and run by Ulrich Kabiersch, who knows his wines. Pleasant atmosphere, excellent wines (200) and good bar food - cheese and charcutterie. In the summer, very nice outside area.
Weingut der Stadt Frankfurt
Römer
Frankfurt am Main in Germany is known for its international airport and its banks, but it is not known to be a wine city. Yet, the city of Frankfurt owns a wine estate: Weingut der Stadt Frankfurt. That the city of Frankfurt is in the winemaking business goes back to the secularization (the expropriation of the church and transfer of the assets to the state) that took place under Napoleon at the beginning of the 1800s. In the course of the secularization, the city of Frankfurt became the owner of the Carmelite Monastery, which had existed right in the middle of Frankfurt since 1246. With the monastery came its winery and vineyards. The Weingut der Stadt Frankfurt was borne (in 1803). he Weingut der Stadt Frankfurt was borne (in 1803).
You can drink the wines of the Weingut der Stadt Frankfurt all year round in the Weinstube im Roemer - the historic Frankfurt town hall. The Weinstube im Roemer is a nice wine tavern which offers good, hearty food from the Frankfurt area, such as Handkaes mit Musik, Fleischwurst mit Brot and Rippchen mit Kraut. The Weinstube im Roemer only serves wines from the Weingut der Stadt Frankfurt.
See:
Wine in Frankfurt am Main? - Weingut der Stadt Frankfurt, Germany
Weinschirn
Römerberg 8
Römer
Excellent place to enjoy a glass of wine with an accompaniment of flatbreads. Pleasant outdoor seating and tucked away just behind the touristic bustle of the Römer/ Dom area.
Weinstube im Nordend
Eckenheimer Landstr. 84
Nordend
Same owner and concept as Weinstube in Sachsenhausen (see below).
Weinstube in Sachsenhausen
Brückenstrasse 35
Sachsenhausen
A cosy wine tavern, with a good selection of basic wines and local food. You pick your wine and your food at the bar counter. This is an excellent choice if you want to chill and relax, but not if you are looking for an interesting wine. In the summer, nice side walk area.
Westbar
Myliusstraße 48
Westend
A hip wine bar. Guests sit on leather couches alongside the bar’s window front or down along the bar. The wine list comprises some 40 interesting wines, including two dozen wines by the glass. The Westbar does not serve meals, but snacks such as tapas and cheese plates. The international clientele of the Westbar certainly mirrors the demographic makeup of its home, the Westend. Most regulars seem to live or work in the neighborhood. The Westbar also has outside seating.
Westlage
Grüneburgweg 92
Westend
Westlage is a wine and regional specialities store cum winebar. All wines are from the Pfalz area. The focus is on young, unknown, innovative winemakers.
I love the Weinbar Abend on Wednesday; Westlage stays open until 11 pm and on a warm summer day people gather on the sidewalk in front of the store wherever they find space. On other weekdays, Westlage closes at 8 pm.
wineBANK Frankfurt
Meisengasse 9
Alte Oper
The wineBank Frankfurt comprises of 2 parts. One is a wineBank, which now exists in a number of cities, not only in Germany. You can rent space there, store your wine there, with 24 hours access to your wines and a facility were you can drink your wines.
In addition, there is a proper wine bar, which is open to anybody during the day until late in the evening. The wineBank serves a number of expensive wines by the glass, using the enomatic system.
Schiller’s Favorites
Here is a complete list of Schiller's Favorites:
Europe
Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Würzburg, Franken, Germany
Schiller’s Favorites: 2 Legendary Wine Taverns in Würzburg – Juliusspital and Bürgerspital
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars and Wine Taverns in Freiburg, Baden, Germany
Schiller's Favorites: Frankfurt Apple Wine Taverns that Make their own Apple Wine
Schiller's Favorite Winemakers in Sachsen (Saxony), Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Winemakers in the Saale-Unstrut Region, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Trier, Germany
Schiller's Favorite (Wine-) Restaurants in Deidesheim in the Pfalz, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, 2014, Germany
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Berlin, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, 2013, Germany
Schiller's Favorite Apple Wine Taverns in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Mainz, Germany
France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in St. Emilion, France - An Update
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City - An Update
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars and other Wine Venues in Chablis, France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Beaune, Bourgogne
Dinner at a Bouchon - Chez Paul - in Lyon: Schiller’s Favorite Bouchons in Lyon, France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Beaune, Bourgogne, France (2015)
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City, France (2015)
Schiller’s Favorite Restaurants, Brasseries, Bistros, Cafes and Wine Bars in Paris, France
Schiller's Favorite Seafood Places in Bordeaux City, France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City, France, 2014
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in St. Emilion, France
Schiller’s Favorite Restaurants, Brasseries, Bistros, Cafes and Wine Bars in Paris, 2012 France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux (City) (2012), France
UK, Spain, Austria, Hungary
Schiller's Favorite Winebars in London, UK
Schiller’s Favorite Tapas Bars in Logroño in La Rioja, Spain
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in London, 2012, UK
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Wine Spots in Vienna, Austria
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Budapest, Hungary
Schiller’s Favorite Spots to Drink Wine in Vienna, Austria (2011)
USA
Schiller's Favorite Oyster Bars and Seafood Places in Seattle, Washington State, USA - An Update
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Seattle, USA - An Update
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Austin, Texas, USA
Riesling Crawl in New York City – Or, Where to Buy German Wine in Manhattan: Schiller's Favorite Wine Stores, USA
Schiller's Favorite Oyster Bars and Seafood Places in Seattle, USA (2013)
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in New York City, USA (2013)
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Seattle, USA (2013)
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Washington DC, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Crab Houses in the Washington DC Region, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in New York City, 2012, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Charleston, South Carolina, USA (2013)
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in San Francisco, USA
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Places Where You Can Have a Glass of Wine in Healdsburg, California
Asia
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Singapore
Schiller s Favorite Winebars in Beijing, 2014, China
Africa
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa
Schiller's Favorite Wines of Madagascar
Schiller’s 12 Favorite Restaurants of Antananarivo, the Capital of Madagascar
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