Epicerie Boucherie is a french natural wine shop and bar restaurant in Neustadt Sued, Cologne.
Epicerie Boucherie on Elsassstrasse in Cologne's Südstadt is a French wine shop and bar serving vin naturel alongside charcuterie; a hidden find in a quiet.
Why locals love it: A hybrid wine shop-bar format that sits between categories; hard to find via standard dining searches.
Address: Elsassstr. 3, 50678 Koln, Cologne
Brauerei Paeffgen's chestnut-tree beer garden on Friesenstrasse is Cologne's most atmospheric summer drinking spot; hand-brewed Kölsch under the trees.
Why locals love it: The chestnut garden is unmarked from Friesenstrasse and invisible unless you know to look.
Toddy Tapper on Schillingstrasse in Cologne's Agnesviertel is a South Asian cocktail bar mixing drinks with coconut toddy; small, skilled and off the map.
Why locals love it: In the Agnesviertel away from the Belgian Quarter cocktail corridor; a destination, not a walkby.
Mandalay on Brüsseler Strasse 53 in the Belgisches Viertel is one of Germany's very few Burmese restaurants; evening-only, small room, Cologne Gastro Award.
Why locals love it: Burmese cuisine is almost absent from Germany; this is one of very few real Burmese kitchens in the country.
Haus Töller on Weyerstrasse in Cologne occupies one of the oldest buildings in the city; cash only, no website, evening-only Rhenish classics in a historic.
Why locals love it: No website, no tourist marketing, no menu online. Walk past twice and you've missed it.
Lommerzheim in Cologne-Deutz has served the city's most argued-over pork chop since 1959; cash only, closed Sundays, unchanged since Mick Jagger ate there.
Why locals love it: On the Deutz east bank away from the tourist centre; no concessions to comfort or modernity.
Tibet Momo at Aachener Strasse 11 in Cologne's Belgisches Viertel has 12 seats, no signage and no reservations; handmade Tibetan dumplings at a hidden.
Why locals love it: Twelve seats, no outdoor signage, no social media presence; easy to walk past entirely.
