Best Burgers in Cologne: Ehrenfeld to Südstadt

The best burgers in Cologne cluster west of the old town, in the Belgian Quarter (Belgisches Viertel) and Ehrenfeld along Venloer Straße, and south of the centre in the Südstadt. Zülpicher Straße, the student strip near the university, adds casual counters that stay open late. Deutz, on the right bank beside the trade fair grounds, is the nearest area for visitors to the Koelnmesse.

Cologne eats around its beer. Kölsch, the local top-fermented beer, comes in slim 0.2-litre glasses called Stangen, and the waiters, known as Köbes, keep replacing them until you lay a beer mat on top. Brewery taverns serve a local snack with it, the Halve Hahn: despite a name that means “half a chicken”, it is a rye roll with a thick slice of aged Gouda, mustard and raw onion. The beer itself is protected: the Kölsch Konvention of 1986 reserves the name for beer brewed in and around the city.

Burgers in Cologne: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Belgian Quarter, Ehrenfeld, Südstadt, Zülpicher Straße and Deutz.
• Local drink: Kölsch, served in 0.2-litre Stangen by a Köbes.
• Local snack: the Halve Hahn, a rye roll with Gouda, mustard and onion.
• Busiest season: carnival, which takes over the city’s bars every year in the days before Lent.
• Getting around: KVB light rail and buses; much of the light rail runs underground in the centre.

Every guide we publish on Cologne is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. Compare Cologne with other cities in our burger restaurant guides.