Come in and enjoy: Cuisine from Westphalia and the world

High quality regional cuisine? Anyone wishing to explore this current nationwide trend could come to no better place than Münster. And no wonder, considering the wonderful farmland that surrounds it. But what about something different, for a change? Peruvian ceviche or Syrian baklava, perhaps? Or Vietnamese fusion food? They’re all available here, so come in and enjoy!

Münster is a city where it has always been the tradition for the produce of a great surrounding region dominated by a culture of family farming to come fresh to market and from there straight to the table. These products can be found in the quaint taverns and cultivated long-established restaurants serving local Münster and Westphalian specialties – in many cases prepared authentically to traditional recipes, but sometimes also in sophisticated new interpretations in line with the latest standards in the culinary profession.

But the gastronomy scene is not least also a reflection of the fact that Münster is meanwhile home to people from over 160 countries. Whether Lebanese or Russian, Brazilian or Mongolian – people can now enjoy specialities from all corners of the globe, in many cases on a very high level of the art of cuisine, but always with something affordable even for students’ pockets. And even among the classic foreign foods – Italian, Chinese or Indian – it is possible to find interesting regional variations, brought by the restaurant owners from their respective home cultures.

Also the traditional market on Domplatz – regarded by many as one of the loveliest in Europe – presents the broad variety that is so typical of Münster, with the stands of traditional Münsterland farmers set up side by side with Dutch fish or cheese sellers, or dealers in Mediterranean or Oriental specialities right next to an organic farmer selling certified “bio” produce grown in the local region. And in the corresponding season, asparagus plays a leading role. The Münsterland is asparagus country – in many places in the region, the soil offers ideal growing conditions for the delicious, healthy vegetable. And there is hardly a restaurant that does not include this seasonal delicacy on its menu.

Indeed, healthy, organically grown food has enjoyed a strong following in Münster for a very long time. So it is presumably no coincidence that one of the very first bio-supermarket chains in Germany was started in Münster – or that it has built its new headquarters in Münster’s Docklands. For people wanting to eat healthily, transparency is an important aspect. So anyone wanting to see bio-products being made can go to the “Hafenkäserei” in the Docklands area and watch the process of producing delicious cheese.
Healthy, high-quality ingredients also form the basis for the growing craft beer scene in Münster – such as Finne Brauerei, Läuterwerk or Gruthaus – that is dedicated to offering its public a wide choice of artful compositions, away from the standard, mainstream taste and with a marked regional accent. It is equally clear that the growing number of people who attach importance to eating vegetarian or even vegan fare can find an exceptionally broad and rich variety in Münster, whether in established restaurants or even more particularly in the large number of small bars, restaurants and cafés that tend to appeal to the younger age groups.

But eating out in Münster is naturally made even more enjoyable by the appropriate ambience: An outdoor Mediterranean feeling perhaps – with a latte macchiato served in a street cafe overlooked by gabled houses? A traditional beergarden on a warm summer evening? Exclusive gastronomy in the Old Town or overlooking the Aasee Lake? Or cool drinks in an ‘in’ club in the Docklands quarter? That is Münster à la carte – the choice is yours.

Some interesting facts & figures (perhaps worth following up further?)

• The tradition-steeped “Kuhviertel” quarter is home to the Pinkus Müller pub-restaurant (founded in 1816), the last of once more than 150 breweries in Münster making the special kind of beer known as “Altbier”. Another remarkable fact is that this is also where, in 1978, the first “bio-beer” in Germany was brewed. Today, Pinkus beers are exported to a fan community throughout the world.
• Afghan, Persian, Israeli, Syrian, Lebanese or Palestinian – no matter which: Salam Kitchen is home to a socio-culinary peace mission that knows no frontiers. Run jointly with refugees, the restaurant serves delicious dishes from all regions of the Middle East.
• One of the best-known Münster food specialities is “Pumpernickel”, the slow-baked black bread made from coarsely ground rye flour and wholegrain rye that will keep for a long, long time. It acquired international renown not least through the fact that an emigrant from the Münsterland took it in the 19th century as the model for the development of a kind of bread for use by the US Army.
• Cibaria, the biological wholemeal bakery, may bake in strict compliance with organic criteria, but what it turns out is delicious. It has been repeatedly named by the gourmet magazine “Feinschmecker” in its list of Germany’s “Best Bakers”.
• Westphalian ham has been famous for centuries; it acquired its special quality from the tradition of fattening the Münsterland pigs on acorns.
• “Töttchen”, another Münsterland speciality, is no longer the “pauper’s food” that it once was, but has become a special delicacy instead: In addition to onions and vinegar, the savoury ragout with its sweet & sour flavour now contains mostly veal and calf’s tongue, rather than the offal and slaughtering left-overs it used to be made of.
• "Altes Gasthaus Leve" was founded in 1607, making it Münster’s oldest hostelry. It was originally known as "In die drei Könige", and then from 1765 as "Zum Cardinal". Thanks to a large number of objects on display, today’s guests can go on a journey into the history of the hostelry and the city.
• Münster’s traditional student pubs can be found all over the Old Town, but in especially high numbers in the “Kuhviertel”, among them the famous “Akademische Bieranstalt Cavete” and Münster’s smallest pub, the “Ziege”, to name just two.
• With its clubs, lounges and restaurants, Münster’s former “Stadthafen”, or Docklands area, has developed into one of the trendiest places for going out, with a fascinating ambience resulting from the combination of old industrial charm and exciting contemporary architecture.
• A wonderful new attraction can now be found on the top floor of the Stadthaus building: Café “1648”. Here, in Münster’s highest café, visitors can savour delicious coffee, cakes and snacks, while at the same time enjoying breathtaking panoramic views over the city’s rooftops and towers, and far out into the surrounding countryside.
• Once a year, before the magnificent backdrop of the baroque Schloss, Münster’s gastronomers put on a festival of the best that gourmet cuisine has to offer. The title of the event says it all: “Münster verwöhnt”, or “Come along and let yourself be spoiled”.
• An imposing number of Münster restaurants are listed in the seven most renowned gourmet guides, such as the Guide Michelin, Gault Millau etc.
• Restaurants located in renowned hotels include: Gabriel's/Kaiserhof, Hof Wesendrup/Landhaus Eggert, Chesa Rössli/Mövenpick, Hof zur Linde and Von Rhemen/Schloss Wilkinghege
• Self-standing restaurants named in the guides are: Villa Medici, Brust oder Keule, Spitzner im Oer'schen Hof, Giverny, Altes Gasthaus Leve, Grosser Kipenkerl, Kleiner Kiepenkerl, Pinkus Müller and Landgraf
• Names recently added: Ackermann, Artusi, Bakenhof, Caputo's, Eynck, Feldmann, Il Cucchiaio d'Argento, Hotel Krautkrämer, Pleister Mühle, Rotkehlchen, Strandhof, Sudmühlenhof, Sylt am Bült, Wienburg, Zur Post and Zur Prinzenbrücke.

www.stadt-muenster.de/en/tourismus/shopping-and-going-out/culinary-muenster.html
www.muenster-geht-aus.de
www.pinkus.de
www.gasthaus-leve.de
www.salamkitchen.de
hafenkaeserei.de
www.finne-brauerei.de
www.laeuterwerk.de
www.gruthaus.de
www.muenster-verwoehnt.de

Regional specialties:
www.muensterland.de/essen-trinken