So, You're Moving to Wiesbaden? | WHERE TO EAT: Part 2

Cafe/Light Lunch/Coffee Date

La Maison du Pain | Marktstraße 2, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 16661310

Ahhh, cafe lattes the size of your head. No, really. I miss this place so! Great for a relaxing Sunday brunch or a sweet treat and cup of joe, La Maison du Pain always left me full and feeling refreshed. My Maison favorites? The St. Tropez tartine, Croque Monsieur, and their yogurt parfait with honey & fruit. And bonus! They have English menus! Don't forget to take home one of their unbelievable pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants) or raspberry macarons. You can thank me later. :)

Cafe Maldaner | Marktstraße 34, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 305214

Don't let the creepy old mannequins out front scare you from eating here. What their window decor lacks in sanity, they totally make up for with their delicious desserts! Cafe Maldaner keeps old-time coffee house tradition alive and well in downtown Wiesbaden. Antique furniture & decadent pastries make this a sweet place to stop in for a light nosh, and their Sunday champagne brunch is not to be missed! Located just off the Marktplatz.

Domane Mechtildshausen | Mechtildshausen, 65205 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 73740

Located on a sustainable farm near the Clay Kaserne Army Airfield, Cafe Bohne at the Domane is the perfect spot for a light lunch and cup of tea. Not only can you enjoy fresh fare from the farm, but you can shop at their on-site baker, butcher, bio market, and cheese shop as well as stop to pet the animals! This place is a total dream in the springtime (flowers everywhere!), but could get busy and sometimes the service is slow (it is a farm, after all). Make sure to try their delicious soups and baked brie. A true hidden gem in Wiesbaden!

Doner Kebaps

Cardak Pizza & Doner (Mainz-Kastel) | Boelcke Strasse 55, 55252 Mainz-Kastel, Germany
After trying a handful of doner shops, this is the only one D and I really ever ate at in the Wiesbaden area. My theory, if it ain't broke...don't fix it! We LOVE Cardak! Great doners, excellent crispy french fries (D dreams about them still!), and quick, friendly service. D was a big fan of the doner duram (doner wrap) and I was a creature of habit and always ordered the traditional doner kebap sandwich. We've heard awesome things about their doner pizza, too. Doner meat on a pizza? Sign me up! Oh, and don't forget the garlic sauce!

Asian

Okini | Taunusstraße 22, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 23835808

All you can eat sushi and Asian delights...enough said! If great sushi, marinated steak tips (YUM!), sauteed mushrooms, and potstickers aren't enough to peak your interest...how about ordering your entire meal on an iPad? Neat, right?! Okini is just an all-around fun dining experience. It is a bit on the pricey side, though. Their all-you-can-eat dinner will cost you 25 euros per person. For a better bargain, go for lunch at 15 euro instead. :)

Aroma Noodle Bar | Mauritiusstraße 1, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 2408951
I loved this place for a quick bite to eat when I was out shopping downtown with the girls (located just off the main pedestrian zone at Mauritiusplatz). Aroma Noodle Bar has exactly what the name says, NOODLES! But also much, much more. They've got lots of great salads, rice dishes, and desserts, but their claim to fame are their tasty Italian and Asian pasta dishes. My typical order would either be their pesto pasta, Napoli pasta, or their chicken, veggies, & noodles with sweet and sour sauce. 

Thai Express | Langgasse 36, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49  611 5058508

I never actually got to eat here, but D did often on guys night out (yep, he totally goes on those!). He used to rave about all their spicy chicken & noodle dishes, but somehow forgot to ever take me down there to try it. Mean, right?! ;) He loved Thai Express because their meals were cheap, service quick (so they could get to the bars faster), and the food was always hearty & delicious.

Mayflower Chinese Restaurant (Mainz-Kastel) | Uthmannstraße 8, 55246 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 6134 258928
Mayflower was one of those places D and I went to when we wanted really tasty Chinese food. We had a hard time finding great General Tso's around Germany, but Mayflower had it! They've also got great sesame chicken, generous combination plates, ginormous spring rolls, and perfectly cooked sticky rice. Every patron is greeted with a small glass of plum wine, so you know I was sold! 

A Little Bit of Everything

Urban Kitchen | Bahnhofsplatz 1, 65189 Wiesbaden | +49 611 71694600

We loved having get-togethers with our friends at Urban Kitchen. Not only is it central to Wiesbaden (located inside the train station), its menu has a little something for everyone. Pizzas, pastas, burgers, Asian dishes, gyros, soups, salads...the list goes on and on! I've tried quite a few different types of cuisines there and they've all been winners. Great cocktail selection, too!

Scotch 'N Soda | Goldgasse 9, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 1714424

Talk about a fun place to dine! Scotch 'N Soda was among one of the first restaurants we ever experienced in Wiesbaden. Burgers, steaks, stews, and a plethora of schnitzels, this Scottish pub-style eatery offers enough meat & pints to keep everyone happy. After dinner hours, the restaurant turns into a bustling pub with a good selection of drinks for all. Don't forget to ask the owner how the dollar bills get up on the ceiling...maybe he'll give you a show! 

Heiliggeist (Mainz) | Mailandsgasse 11, 55116 Mainz, Germany | +49 6131 225757
This place is too cool for words. Heiliggeist translated means "Holy Spirit," which is appropriate because this restaurant is housed inside a former church. Talk about some insanely stunning ambiance! The fare is a little bit all over the place with dishes ranging from club sandwiches and Ahi tuna to penne with orange butter and veal saltimbocca. Even though their menu changes seasonally and varies widely, every dish I've tried has been beyond delicious. You literally can't go wrong.

Citrus (Mainz) | Rheinstr. 2, 55116 Mainz, Germany | +49 6131 216715

Need a great spot for a leisurly lunch date? Citrus is one of my favorites for those! Located along the Rhein River in Mainz, Citrus prides itself on using fresh ingredients to make creative dishes. I love their chicken skewer salad as well as their curry soup. The ambiance is ultra trendy, but the restaurant's building has quite a rich history. You'll just have to go there to learn more!

Ice Cream

Eis Cafe Rialto | Rathausstraße 82, 65203 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 694399

Any time we went downtown for dinner, we ended up at Eis Cafe Rialto for dessert. It's in the perfect location for grabbing a quick scoop and enjoying the views of the Marktplatz. Might I suggest trying their Nutella eis paired with a scoop of Kokonuss (Coconut) eis?  Heaven on a cone! Their spaghetti eis is also pretty rad...a must-try for anyone visiting Germany!

Bar/Pubs

Le Petit Belge (Belgian Beer) Wilhelmstrasse 36, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 1667720
Hands down our favorite (and most frequented) bar in Wiesbaden. It's no surprise that D and I love Belgian beer, so Le Petit Belge was our go-to bar when that hankering for a Trappist beer came around. It's a small place that can often get crowded, but the owner, Helmut, is super friendly and quite accommodating. They also serve fresh made Belgian waffles, frites, and chocolates! Our one-stop shop for a night of decadence. :) They also do beer tastings and serve Saturday brunch, so join their Facebook page to keep in the loop. If you give Belge a try, tell Helmut hello for us! 

Murphy's Pub | Goldgasse 18, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 17278155
Located down "Italian Alley," Murphy's Pub is exactly what you think it is...an Irish pub! It's a fun place to grab a pint after dinner downtown or watch a game with all the locals. Lots of great drink specials, so grab your friends and make a night of it...but be aware, smoking allowed!

Ordering In

Lieferheld App & Website
This is an app (or website you can visit if you don't have a smart phone) that holds menus for local delivery restaurants in your area. You can order and pay for your food right there in the app (credit card or PayPal) and it'll be delivered straight to your door! You can also pay cash to the delivery guy, if you wish. We loved this app and used it whenever we didn't feel like cooking or going out. You will have to translate the menus, though. Great practice if you're learning German!

Lieferservice.de App & Website 
Same kind of service as above, just different company. We used both because different restaurants were listed in each. Very user friendly!

My Top Recommendations for delivery:

Domino's Pizza (better than the American version--less greasy!)
Jit's Thai Kitchen

Pfeffermühle

Pizza Boy

More tips for Wiesbaden to come!!!

So, You're Moving To Wiesbaden? | WHERE TO EAT

Some of the top questions I receive in my inbox each week are about Wiesbaden, our former host city in Germany. Many people are planning their moves abroad, some have already began to call Wiesbaden home…but what they all have in common is their need to know the best places to eat, shop, see, and experience the wonders of their new home city. Over the last 3 years, I grew to love every square inch of Wiesbaden and feel very fortunate to have been able to live in such a beautiful part of Germany. Having lived so close to downtown (a mere 5-minute walk), D and I became quite familiar with the city center and all the wonderful shops and restaurants it had to offer. A sweet reader (and fairly new face to Wiesbaden-Hi Chrisy!) sent me an email asking if I'd start a series about Wiesbaden and share my top picks for dining, shopping, and attractions in the area. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought to do it before…but better late than never, right?! Here is just part 1 of my top picks for places you should be eating at in Wiesbaden and the surrounding area...ENJOY!

Italian

Ristorante Comeback | Goldgasse 13, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 373802 

This was the very first restaurant D and I ever ate at in Wiesbaden...and like the name says, we always "comeback!" It's located in a charming alley downtown (appropriately dubbed "Italian Alley" by the Americans in town) and serves some of the most delicious fresh pasta dishes I've ever tasted. Their spaghetti Aglio e Olio is better than what I tried in Italy (seriously!) and the servers are all super friendly! A must-eat in Wiesbaden, for sure.

Vapiano |  Wilhelmstrasse 52, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 1608773

Want fast food Italian without it tasting like fast food Italian? Vapiano is the restaurant for you! The concept is unique--grab a card, visit a food station (pizza, pasta, salad, etc.), choose how you like it, and your meal is made fresh to order while you wait and watch! Might I recommend their Caesar salad, bolognese, and carbonara salmone? Wash it down with a glass of Hugo and you've got a winning (quick!) dinner combo.

Aurum | Goldgasse 16, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 3600877
Also located down "Italian Alley," Aurum is one of our fall/winter time favorites...mostly because of their AMAZING parmesan soup. It's to die for! Other favorites--margarita pizza, baked gnocchi, and the involtini mediterranean. Dine al fresco for the best ambiance!

Mexican/Spanish

Viva Los Tioz Tapas Bar | Goldgasse 10, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 700 0567 8469

I can't even count how many times D and I ate here with friends over our 3 year tour in Wiesbaden. It's beyond delicious and such a fun dining experience! Located adjacent to "Italian Alley" in a small square, Viva Los Tios is perfect for a tapas-lovers night out. Best tapas on the menu? The chorizo, bacon wrapped dates, garlic dip (with bread), gambas de ajillo (shrimp in garlic), and patatas con alioli (potatos with garlic sauce). Basically anything with garlic will do. And if you're into exotic cocktails, try the caipirinha!

Enchilada | Schützenhofstraße 3, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 45048350
 Germany isn't known for having stellar Mexican food, but if you're jonesing for a good margarita and burrito, Enchilada will fit the bill. Located in Wiesbaden's downtown pedestrian zone (Kirchgasse), Enchilada is easy to reach, has great happy hour drink specials, and has plenty of room for parties or a fun night out with friends.

Mexico Lindo (Mainz) | Adolf-Kolping-Straße 17, 55116 Mainz, Germany | +49 6131 228060
Another great option for Tex-Mex food, except this restaurant is located in Mainz, just a hop, skip, and jump from the Wiesbaden area. Mexico Lindo has excellent steak fajitas--best in town, I think! Owner is originally from Texas, so he knows a thing or two about spice and bold flavors. The taco salad and quesadilla are excellent choices as well!

German

Webers Wikinger | Grabenstraße 14, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 307622

Hands down the best German/Viking food in all of Wiesbaden! We LOVE Webers...love it. Best dishes--the turkey escalope with fried potatoes and either the garlic or mushroom cream sauce, the bacon wrapped pork medallions, or the salmon fillet. If I were you, I'd eat the turkey escalope every single time...it wasn't my last meal in Germany for no reason! Reservations recommended.

Paulaner | Wilhelmstraße 58, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 1667101
If you're hungry for traditional Bavarian cuisine, Paulaner won't disappoint. Aside from their famous beer, you can also find great schnitzles, yummy seasonal menus, and sausage platters typical of Bavarian cooking traditions. Their kasespatzel was my favorite in town! Located downtown right on Wilhelmstrasse.

Der Andechser Ratskeller| Schloßplatz 6, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 300023 

Located under the Ratskeller in downtown Wiesbaden (just beside the beautiful Marktkirche), Der Andechers is most well-known for its monastery-brewed beer, but also serves a wide variety of traditional German dishes from rump roasts to afpelstrudel. I find the best part about the restaurant is the fun stube (beer/wine cellar) atmosphere.

Brahaus Castle (Mainz-Kastel)| Otto-Suhr-Ring 27, 55252 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 6134 24999

I've eaten at the Brauhaus Castle at least 3 dozen times. It's where I bring all our visitors for authentic German meals, it's where half of our squadron going away parties were held (large outdoor biergarten), and it's where D and I would go on date night every so often. Great schnitzles and spundekas, EXCELLENT salads (Rustica salad is my fave!), kitschy German ambiance, and wonderful beer brewed in-house. They also have tasty specials during spargle (white asparagus) and pumpkin seasons! Did I mention they have English menus and speak English? What's not to love about this place?!

French

Kafer's | Kurhausplatz 1, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany | +49 611 536200
If you're looking for a fancy French bistro-inspired night out, Kafer's, inside of the beautiful Wiesbaden Kurhaus, is the date night of your dreams. The restaurant itself is a piece of art--high ceilings, chandeliers, gilded mirrors--rich architecture around every turn. The food is quite the gastronomic adventure--lobster, lamb shanks, octopus salad--delights for all types of palates. While there is a small cover charge to eat there (roughly 3 euros per person), the food and atmosphere is worth experiencing at least once. Kafer's also serves a lovely Sunday brunch. Reservations recommended!

So many places to eat, so little time!
More suggestions to come in my next installment...so, stay tuned!

Remembering Wiesbaden with Minted

[The following is a review featuring affiliate links and items ℅ Minted. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

Last week, the very first piece of new wall art for our soon-to-be new home in Florida came in the mail...and I'm IN LOVE! If you remember, D and I had photos taken by the insanely talented Ashley Ludaescher of us around Wiesbaden, our German host town for the last 3 years. We thought it would be the perfect way to commemorate our time abroad and to pay homage to the city we'd grown to love so much. Soon after we got our photos back, I was contacted by the lovely folks at Minted to review a piece of custom art from their extensive card, art, and stationary website. I'm a HUGE Minted fan (having ordered our Christmas cards from them the last few years), so I was thrilled to customize a beautiful art print using our Wiesbaden photos! 

The whole customization process was a total sinch. You could choose from dozens of beautiful prints, both pre-designed by selection of Minted designers and prints you could customize yourself. Each piece of art is printed on thick, matte art paper in a wide array of sizes to suit your design needs. You also have the option to add a custom frame in a great selection of wood and color varieties. I was immediately drawn to the limited edition Love is You print, complete with our favorite Wiesbaden photos, a quote from our favorite Robert Frost poem (a little homage to my blog as well) and the distressed charcoal frame. Before I knew it, I'd created a piece of art that was so "us"...the perfect example of the beauty and uniqueness of our expat experience. I absolutely can't wait to hang this on the wall of our new home and fondly remember our time in Germany every time I pass by it. A big THANK YOU to the design team at Minted for helping me create such a lovely lasting memory!

Love my print? Want to customize one of your own? Now's the time! This week, Minted is celebrating their 6 year anniversary creating unique indie designs for cards, invites, art prints, and stationary. Head on over to their website and use code '6YEARS' to get 15% OFF your entire order from now until April 7th! Don't miss out!

Our Wiesbaden Photo Session with Ashley Ludaescher Photography

Germany has absolutely stollen a piece of my heart. Our hearts, really. The adventures we've faced, countries we've explored, the experiences we've had...this place has become such a defining chapter in our book of life together. As our 3 years living abroad has started to come to a close, I knew I wanted to do something special to commemorate living in Wiesbaden, our beautiful adoptive home away from home. That's when I contacted Ashley of Ashley Ludaescher Photography (also a dear blog friend of mine) and asked if she'd be willing to hop a train from Berlin to Wiesbaden and spend the day photographing D and I around town. She happily jumped at the opportunity and made the 5 hour train journey south one lovely November morning! To say that we had the BEST FALL DAY EVER would be a total understatement. Germany is known to have some pretty finicky weather, but the day Ashley came to photograph us, the sun was shining, the air was warm (55°F in November?!), and the leaves were still clinging to the trees in the most beautiful shades of orange, red, and yellow I'd ever seen. It's as if Germany was smiling upon us, knowing how much this fall shoot meant to both D and I. 

After eating lunch at one of our favorite Italian restaurants downtown, we made our way to all the best parts of Wiesbaden to snap some photo memories. We stopped at the Marktkirche in the Marktplatz (the backdrop for every major festival & Christmas market we attended), the larger-than-life cuckoo clock that chimes twice an hour, and the Wiesbaden Staatstheater (Opera House) where we marveled at its architecture our first venture downtown. We walked the tree-lined street of Wilhelmstrasse that we stroll down often and still wonder why they prune the trees to look so haunting. We also snapped a few shots at the Warmer Damm Park where we've fed the ducks on Sundays and the famed Wiesbaden Kurhaus where we've attended squadron holiday parties. But as the sun hung low and dripped golden rays all over Wiesbaden signaling the end of the day, we stopped at our favorite park, the Kurpark, to capture the beauty of our favorite spot to picnic in. Each landmark we visited that day holds some special moment D and I shared together...just the two of us in a foreign land. I want to lock them in my mind forever. Not because I think I'll forget...it's hard to forget such an adventure as this...but to one day have something to show our children. To tell them about the amazing adventure mommy and daddy went on when they were young, carefree, and had the whole world at their fingertips. I know once D and I make the inevitable move back to the states next summer, we will look back at these photos with such happy memories of the time we spent here in Germany. As you scroll through the photos, be on the lookout for each of these special places! 

Truth be told, I had such a hard time narrowing down to sharing these select few photos. Every single image gave me goosebumps! Not only was Ashley an absolute sweetheart to work with, but she captured us and our amazing host city so perfectly. D and I gained a forever friend that day, and some amazing photos to boot! Thank you so very much, Ashley, for spending time with us in Wiesbaden, for making us feel so special & comfortable during the shoot, and for sharing in the joy of our most favorite city in Germany. If you live in Germany and want some spectacular, jaw-dropping photos taken...call Ashley. She's one in a million!

OH! Of course, we used a few of these photos in our Christmas card this year (how could we not!?). See if you can guess which 3 images made the cut (and if you've already gotten the card in the mail...shhhh! No cheating! :)) Enjoy!

Photos by Ashley Ludaescher Photography

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Wiesbaden Rheingau Wine Festival

Ahhh the wine festival. If you follow me on Twitter and Instagram you're probably sick of me talking about it. If so, just skip this post. Otherwise, indulge me and feast your eyes on the 10 greatest days of festivaling in the world...the Rheinegauer Weinwoche Wiesbaden. This wine festival is unlike any wine festival I've ever experienced and is very different from the kinds of wine festivals that occur in the states. Not only is it 10 entire days long (from 11am to midnight every day), but it's also the 2nd largest wine festival in Germany next to Wurstmarkt in Bad Durkheim. Let me run this down for you: at most wine festivals in the states (or at least the handful that I've attended), you pay $25-$40 flat fee to get into the festival and get handed a small tasting glass. You then have to wander around to maybe 30 or 40 tents, stand in in lines with dozens of other sweaty drunk people, and wrestle your glass to the server for a mere sip of wine. Do that like 12 times and you're tired, irritated, wine-covered, and barely buzzed. No bueno.

At the Rheingau Wine Fest there is no entry fee...so, you get to hop around to over 100 different winery tents and order yourself a small glass of wine (served in beautifully etched wine glasses unique to each vintner) for a few euros (plus a small 'pfand' or glass fee-but you get that back upon returning your glass). Of course, you can taste the wine before you purchase a glass of wine, but having to go up and pay for a small glass drastically reduces the lines and crowds clambering around the tents. You order (and/or taste) what you want, find a table, and RELAX! Fest tables are around every tent as well as about 2 dozen different food vendors serving cheese platters, brats, flammkuchen, crepes, and pretzels bigger than your head. After drinking a few glasses (rather than sips) of delicious Rhine Region Riesling (the greatest Riesling in the entire world, mind you), those giant pretzels really come in handy. In addition to more wine tents than anyone could ever visit in 10 days (believe me, we've tried), the fest also boasts some pretty stellar entertainment from local bands. 80's cover bands are alive and well in Germany, folks. So are some super sweet dance moves, as noted in the video below. I absolutely love people watching at festivals here.

Don't worry, it was barely 2 minutes after I finished recording this video before D and I got out there and cut a rug with them. So. Much. Fun. Out of the 10 days that the festival was up and running this year, D and I made it down for 6 days...on point with our visits to the fest last year. I literally never tire of that festival. In fact, walking home on our very last night there, possibly ever, I got a bit teary eyed. The Rheingau Wine Fest was the very first festival we attended upon moving to Germany and holds some pretty special memories we've shared with many of our friends (from home and abroad). Not to mention, it's just a few minutes walk down the street from our house in the most beautiful area of Wiesbaden. Everything about it makes my heart sing, so you can see why I had a bit of trouble saying goodbye to it. Fingers crossed our last time at this festival won't truly be our last time. One can only hope! I'm telling you, friends, get yourself to Germany and check out one of these amazing festivals...preferably this one! And if you have an extra plane ticket come wine fest time next year, I'm coming with you. ;)