40 cheap eats places in Frankfurt, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Frankfurt: the places editors actually return to. All Frankfurt food.
Metzgerei Schreiber (Kleinmarkthalle) ★ 4.7
innenstadt · Kleinmarkthalle, Hasengasse 5-7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Metzgerei Schreiber's stand 8 in Frankfurt's Kleinmarkthalle serves hot Fleischwurst, Krakauer and Gelbwurst with mustard to a permanent queue.
Tip: Order the Fleischwurst with Senf, take the paper plate to the standing tables, and accept that the queue is part of the ritual.
Metzgerei Schreiber (Kleinmarkthalle) ★ 4.7
innenstadt · Kleinmarkthalle, Hasengasse 5-7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Schreiber's sausage counter in the Kleinmarkthalle is Frankfurt's definitive cheap lunch, hot Fleischwurst handed over the glass for pocket change.
Tip: Cash ready, order fast, eat standing; the whole transaction takes ninety seconds once you reach the front.
Wacker's Kaffee ★ 4.6
innenstadt · Kornmarkt 9, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Wacker's Kaffee has roasted and poured in Frankfurt since 1914, four generations in, its Kornmarkt Stammhaus drawing a queue of regulars most mornings.
Tip: Order at the counter and stand like the locals; beans roasted through the day go home by the bag.
Wacker's Kaffee ★ 4.6
innenstadt · Kornmarkt 9, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Wacker's Kaffee has roasted daily in Frankfurt since 1914, and the Kornmarkt shop still sells the day's beans over its stand-up espresso counter.
Tip: The roastery office answers Mon-Fri 09:00-15:00; branch counters on Schweizer Straße, Berger Straße and Grüneburgweg pour the same roasts.
Gref-Völsings ★ 4.6
ostend · Hanauer Landstraße 132, 60314 Frankfurt am Main
Gref-Völsings has made Frankfurt's Rindswurst since 1894, and its Ostend Braterei window still sells them hot with a roll at lunchtime on weekdays.
Tip: The all-beef sausage was born here in 1894; eat it standing with mustard and bread, then buy a vacuum pack for home.
Gref-Völsings ★ 4.6
ostend · Hanauer Landstraße 132, 60314 Frankfurt am Main
Gref-Völsings' Braterei window serves Frankfurt's original Rindswurst where it was invented in 1894, four hours a day, weekdays only and gone by 15:00.
Tip: Come before 14:30 or the day's sausages are gone; the ECB tower crowd knows the drill and arrives at noon sharp.
Gref-Völsings ★ 4.6
ostend · Hanauer Landstraße 132, 60314 Frankfurt am Main
Gref-Völsings sells Frankfurt's founding Rindswurst hot for pocket money, a 130-year institution disguised as an Ostend lunch window on weekdays.
Tip: Weekday lunch only; the price has crept up over 130 years but remains one of the city's great food bargains.
Zeit für Brot ★ 4.5
nordend · Oeder Weg 15, 60318 Frankfurt am Main
Zeit für Brot bakes organic sourdough and cinnamon rolls in an open bakehouse on Oeder Weg, the Frankfurt-born chain's Nordend flagship and longest queue.
Tip: The brand started in Frankfurt before conquering Berlin; weekend mornings sell rolls faster than the ovens turn them over.
The Holy Cross Brewing Society ★ 4.5
altstadt · Fahrgasse 7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
The Holy Cross Brewing Society has anchored Frankfurt specialty coffee on Fahrgasse since December 2015, cycling roasters from four continents.
Tip: The bean lineup changes constantly, so ask what is on the grinders; weekend afternoons fill fastest, and there are no reservations.
Hoppenworth & Ploch Rösterei ★ 4.5
sachsenhausen · Länderweg 21, 60599 Frankfurt am Main
Hoppenworth & Ploch roasts Frankfurt's leading specialty coffee on a Giesen W30A at Länderweg 21, supplying its three cafés across the city.
Tip: Buy beans at any of the three cafés; the roastery itself has run production at Länderweg since 2019 and is not a walk-in counter.
The Holy Cross Brewing Society ★ 4.5
altstadt · Fahrgasse 7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
The Holy Cross Brewing Society is Frankfurt's window on the world's roasters, rotating guest beans from four continents through its Fahrgasse bar.
Tip: It roasts nothing itself, deliberately; the retail shelf is the easiest place in Frankfurt to buy international specialty bags.
Eis Christina ★ 4.5
nordend · Eckenheimer Landstraße 78, 60318 Frankfurt am Main
Eis Christina draws queues down Eckenheimer Landstraße, Frankfurt's benchmark Italian gelato counter and the Nordend's standing summer-evening ritual.
Tip: The pavement queue moves faster than it looks; on hot evenings the last scoops of the popular flavours go before 21:00.
Eis Christina ★ 4.5
nordend · Eckenheimer Landstraße 78, 60318 Frankfurt am Main
Eis Christina is the gelato counter Frankfurt argues least about, an unassuming Nordend shopfront with queues since the analogue era of city life.
Tip: Closed Tuesdays, a detail that has ruined many Nordend evenings; the queue after dinner moves quicker than the afternoon one.
Eis Christina ★ 4.5
nordend · Eckenheimer Landstraße 78, 60318 Frankfurt am Main
Eis Christina's cones remain one of Frankfurt's great cheap pleasures, Nordend gelato at prices that survived the espresso inflation almost untouched.
Tip: Cash speeds the queue; the price board by the window has barely moved in years and the portions have not shrunk either.
Hoppenworth & Ploch Café Altstadt ★ 4.4
altstadt · Markt 22, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Hoppenworth & Ploch pours its own Frankfurt-roasted coffee at Markt 22 in the rebuilt Altstadt, steps from the Römer and the new old town lanes.
Tip: Take the espresso outside to the Hühnermarkt fountain; the Altstadtbäckerei sibling around the corner handles the pastry side.
Hoppenworth & Ploch Café Nordend ★ 4.4
nordend · Friedberger Landstraße 86, 60316 Frankfurt am Main
The Nordend original of Hoppenworth & Ploch on Friedberger Landstraße is where Frankfurt's specialty coffee scene grew up, filter brews first.
Tip: This is the branch where the roasting started before production moved to Länderweg; weekday mornings are laptop-friendly.
Weinterrasse FFM (Weingut Rollanderhof) ★ 4.4
innenstadt · Kleinmarkthalle, Hasengasse 5-7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Weingut Rollanderhof pours its Rheinhessen estate wines on the Kleinmarkthalle gallery terrace, Frankfurt's daylight wine ritual over Liebfrauenberg.
Tip: No reservations, ever; buy Handkäs or sausage from the hall downstairs and carry it up to the terrace with your Schoppen.
Edel's Hausmannskost (Kleinmarkthalle) ★ 4.4
innenstadt · Kleinmarkthalle, Hasengasse 5-7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Edel's Hausmannskost dishes Grüne Soße and Hessian home cooking from stand 24 of Frankfurt's Kleinmarkthalle, the fastest honest lunch in the centre.
Tip: This is the cheapest way to try real Grüne Soße in the city centre; Saturdays sell out the pots well before closing.
Weinterrasse FFM (Weingut Rollanderhof) ★ 4.4
innenstadt · Kleinmarkthalle, Hasengasse 5-7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
The Rollanderhof wine terrace above Frankfurt's Kleinmarkthalle pours estate Rheinhessen wines over the rooftops, hidden one staircase up from the shoppers.
Tip: It even opens Sunday when the market below is shut; the Liebfrauenberg side catches the afternoon sun.
Edel's Hausmannskost (Kleinmarkthalle) ★ 4.4
innenstadt · Kleinmarkthalle, Hasengasse 5-7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Edel's stand in the Kleinmarkthalle is where Frankfurt office workers eat Grüne Soße standing up, hidden in the sausage queue's shadow at midday.
Tip: Go at 11:30 before the office rush; the pots are finite and Saturday afternoons run dry early.
Edel's Hausmannskost (Kleinmarkthalle) ★ 4.4
innenstadt · Kleinmarkthalle, Hasengasse 5-7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Edel's stand in the Kleinmarkthalle plates Frankfurt's cheapest proper Grüne Soße, eaten standing among the market crowds at lunch every weekday.
Tip: A full plate costs less than a cocktail across town; pair with a roll from Huck's stand two aisles over.
Zeit für Brot Kaiserstraße ★ 4.3
bahnhofsviertel · Kaiserstraße 36, 60329 Frankfurt am Main
The Kaiserstraße branch of Zeit für Brot gives Frankfurt's Bahnhofsviertel an organic bakery counter between the döner grills and wine bars.
Tip: Handy for a train-station breakfast far better than the Hauptbahnhof concourse; it closes earlier than the Oeder Weg original.
Best Worscht in Town ★ 4.3
westend · Grüneburgweg 37, 60322 Frankfurt am Main
Best Worscht in Town scales Frankfurt currywurst from mild to the feared FBI sauce, Lars Obendorfer's Grüneburgweg stand grown from a 1970 snack cart.
Tip: Sauces climb from Bissi Prickeln to a claimed 1,200,000 SCU; sign the waiver of common sense above level C at your own risk.
Best Worscht in Town ★ 4.3
westend · Grüneburgweg 37, 60322 Frankfurt am Main
Best Worscht in Town remains Frankfurt's benchmark cheap hot lunch all week long, currywurst and Huck sourdough bread for well under ten euros.
Tip: Level B is the sensible ceiling for first-timers; the bread is from Bäckerei Huck and soaks up the regret.
Zeit für Brot Kaiserstraße ★ 4.3
bahnhofsviertel · Kaiserstraße 36, 60329 Frankfurt am Main
Zeit für Brot's Kaiserstraße counter beats every station snack in Frankfurt on price and quality, organic bread rolls from early morning until evening.
Tip: A topped bread and coffee runs cheaper than anything inside the Hauptbahnhof and tastes double the price.
Zeit für Brot ★ 4.3
nordend · Oeder Weg 15, 60318 Frankfurt am Main
Zeit für Brot on Oeder Weg is Frankfurt's bakery brunch: organic bread plates and warm cinnamon rolls from 07:00, seven days a week of the week.
Tip: Sunday opens at 07:30 when nearly everything else sleeps; the rolls come out of the oven in visible waves, so time your run.
Hoppenworth & Ploch Café am Campus Westend ★ 4.2
westend · Siolistraße 7, 60323 Frankfurt am Main
The Campus Westend café of Frankfurt roaster Hoppenworth & Ploch serves the Länderweg roasts to the university quarter on Siolistraße seven days a week.
Tip: Term-time mornings queue with students; holidays and weekends after 11:00 are the quiet windows on the campus lawns.
Eis Fontanella ★ 4.2
bahnhofsviertel · Kaiserstraße 33, 60329 Frankfurt am Main
Eis Fontanella scoops Italian gelato on Frankfurt's Kaiserstraße until almost 22:00, the Bahnhofsviertel's sweet counterweight to the street outside.
Tip: It stays open later than most German ice parlours; a cone here is the standard finish to a Bahnhofsviertel food crawl.
Liebesbrot ★ 4.1
westend · Mendelssohnstraße 60, 60325 Frankfurt am Main
Liebesbrot bakes organic sourdough, croissants and cinnamon rolls on Mendelssohnstraße, the Westend's neighbourhood bakery done properly, open every day.
Tip: Weekends close at 14:00 and the sourdough sells first; the Nordend branch on Eckenheimer Landstraße runs an hour later.
Kaffeewerk Espressionist ★ 4.1
westend · Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 35-37, 60327 Frankfurt am Main
Kaffeewerk Espressionist brews four house espresso roasts below Tower 185 near Frankfurt's Messe, the trade-fair district's serious coffee bar.
Tip: Weekdays only, tuned to the office and Messe crowd; the shelves stock brewers and beans for the hotel-room hand-brewer.
Kaffeewerk Espressionist ★ 4.1
westend · Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 35-37, 60327 Frankfurt am Main
Kaffeewerk Espressionist keeps four espresso roasts and a filter lineup running below Tower 185 in Frankfurt, with beans and brewers to take away.
Tip: Its sibling operation is the Brühmarkt roastery; ask which of the four espresso roasts is dialled in before you order.
Antipodean Gelato ★ 4.1
nordend · Bornheimer Landstraße 18, 60316 Frankfurt am Main
Antipodean Gelato churns small batches on Bornheimer Landstraße, the Nordend's modern answer to Frankfurt's old-school Italian parlours and their queues.
Tip: Flavours rotate constantly and the board empties from the top; afternoons midweek are the calm window.
Huck's Favorite Place ★ 4.0
sachsenhausen · Schweizer Straße 30, 60594 Frankfurt am Main
Huck's Favorite Place puts the Frankfurt family bakery Huck on Schweizer Straße from 06:30, breads and breakfast before Sachsenhausen wakes.
Tip: Opens earlier than nearly anything on the street; take a loaf across to the Main riverbank ten minutes north.
Bäckerei Huck (Kleinmarkthalle) ★ 4.0
innenstadt · Kleinmarkthalle, Hasengasse 5-7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Bäckerei Huck holds stands 70-71 in Frankfurt's Kleinmarkthalle, the bread stop on a market crawl past the sausage and Grüne Soße stalls every market day.
Tip: Buy the roll first, then queue at Metzgerei Schreiber's sausage counter; the market pairing costs a few euros total.
Vogelsbergbäcker ★ 4.0
nordend · Koselstraße 2-4, 60318 Frankfurt am Main
Vogelsbergbäcker brings village bread from the Vogelsberg hills to Koselstraße in Frankfurt's Nordend, a counter of dense honest loaves that keep for days.
Tip: Sunday opening makes it the Nordend's bread lifeline when the chains shut; the darker the loaf, the better it keeps.
Liebesbrot Nordend ★ 4.0
nordend · Eckenheimer Landstraße 119, 60318 Frankfurt am Main
Liebesbrot's Nordend counter on Eckenheimer Landstraße bakes the same organic sourdough programme for one of Frankfurt's most cafe-dense quarters.
Tip: Open an hour later than the Westend original on weekends; pair a loaf with a Glauburg Café breakfast two streets over.
Glauburg Café ★ 4.0
nordend · Glauburgstraße 28, 60318 Frankfurt am Main
Glauburg Café holds its Nordend corner in Frankfurt with all-day breakfast and coffee, the neighbourhood's default weekend meeting room on Glauburgstraße.
Tip: Weekend brunch peaks between 10:00 and 13:00 with a wait for pavement tables; weekdays it doubles as a laptop room.
Klapper 33 ★ 4.0
sachsenhausen · Klappergasse 33, 60594 Frankfurt am Main
Klapper 33 is the Klappergasse Kneipe that outlasts every Frankfurt tavern night, pouring until 05:00 at the weekend, cash in hand and jukebox on.
Tip: The crowd is whoever survived Sachsenhausen's evening; cash, smoke and no pretensions whatsoever.
Michel's Feinkost (Kleinmarkthalle) ★ 4.0
innenstadt · Kleinmarkthalle, Hasengasse 5-7, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
Michel's Feinkost slices traditional sausage and ham at stand 62 of Frankfurt's Kleinmarkthalle, the quieter counter beside Schreiber's queue.
Tip: When Schreiber's line wraps the aisle, Michel's sausage specialities two rows over settle the same craving faster.
Best Worscht in Town (Schweizer Straße) ★ 4.0
sachsenhausen · Schweizer Straße, 60594 Frankfurt am Main
The Sachsenhausen branch of Best Worscht in Town sells its graded-heat currywurst on Schweizer Straße, open Sundays unlike the original on Grüneburgweg.
Tip: This is the branch that opens on Sunday; walk it off down Schweizer Straße toward the apfelwein taverns.