A walk through Acker Street 

About 1.3 kilometers long, the center of Flingen delights with its very own, little-adapted charm and a variety of unusual points of contact 

Graffiti, front gardens where palm trees grow, stores that rival any garden shed in size: Ackerstraße in Flingern holds its own as one of the rare corners not only of Düsseldorf, but of any big city, where individuality really still reigns. Where no large chains dominate, where café owners and guests greet each other by name, and where galleries of world renown exhibit as well as art spaces with local artists.

The tour we suggest starts at "Café Hüftgold" and leads north to the restaurant "Cucina Vitale"; on the same side of the street it then leads back in the opposite direction to the "Studio for Artistic Research" in the south of Ackerstraße. The entire route will take you about 75 to 90 minutes, including plenty of time for browsing and looking. 

Café Hüftgold, Ackerstrasse 113 

One of the surest signs that it's a good place - or in this case: café? When you can't make a reservation! That's exactly what Hüftgold does, which nevertheless - or perhaps precisely because of this - can hardly keep itself free of guests. But if the smell of homemade cakes, bagels and tarte flambée is wafting towards you from afar, how on earth can you resist? So rather indulge in the café's motto, namely "indulgence without regret," and enjoy the coffee celebrated far beyond the neighborhood, one of numerous teas and said pastries (also available to go). In summer, you can watch the passing crowd from the terrace. Win-win, we say: You'll discover the latest trends and pick up interesting snippets of conversation, while women, men and children's mouths water at the sight of the desserts - and so the next guests join the queue straight away. By the way, great idea: The café offers a "Suspended Coffee" that you pay for, but a person drinks it who can't afford it themselves. 

After you've walked past power boxes papered with advertising posters, bicycles parked light years ago, and discarded household goods in cardboard boxes - and that's not meant negatively at all, rather this little polish is what makes the neighborhood so appealing - the shopping fun begins, at ... 

aest, Ackerstraße 127 

Do you know the slogan "Before it's in fashion, it's in Vogue"? The slogan of the famous fashion magazine, which is aimed at the trend sense of the editors, also applies to this store. At aest, you'll find mainly plain-colored fashion from Scandinavia by brands like H20Fagerholt and Samsoe & Samsoe, but also jeans from the US brand Agolde, for example. A selection of Autry sneakers, which are currently in great demand, will also enrich your wardrobe. Twisted candles with a color gradient, nail polish, spirits, hair clips and greeting cards are also popular with customers. In the minimalist designed store you will find accordingly what you don't get in every second store. And not seen on every other person. And that can only please a fashion city like Düsseldorf. 

Kiddies - Personalized gifts, Ackerstrasse 145 

Cradle, wagon, diaper package? The list of potential baby gifts is endless, which doesn't make the search for the perfect gift any easier - especially since many parents often have just about everything they could possibly need before the birth. To the rescue: personalized! Dea Spellbrink makes in her store "Stoffwerke/Grottypetz" at Ackerstraße 145 offers especially cute blankets, pillows and clothing with a child's first letter or entire name (from around 45 euros). Our highlight: the pennant chain (around 34.90 euros), which shows who rules the children's room (and household) for many years. Just a few doors down, you'll find the toy store "Klein aber fein" (Ackerstraße 137), where you'll find a huge selection of inexpensive and higher-priced souvenirs for the big brothers and sisters. 

If you're looking for a gift for mom, dad or friends, be sure to stop by the following store. It's located between a quaint wine store, a Finnish fashion boutique, and near a store selling exclusive garden products. 

Moritz Wenz Store & Studio, Ackerstraße 155 

Objects, tools, products of any kind that will last for generations? They can still be found in many a household, that's for sure. But the throwaway society has long had the upper hand taken. Moritz Wenz wants to counteract this with his "Store & Studio" of the same name. He sells knives, atlases and writing utensils, for example, that are reminiscent of "the good old days" without having fallen out of them visually. In addition, the store owner offers high-quality foods such as chocolate that support cooperatives and social enterprises around the world.  

At "Out of Alltag" just across the street (Ackerstraße 150) you can get the right furniture to complete your aesthetics- and quality-hungry living wishes. 

Awsum Store, Hermannstrasse 24 (at Ackerstrasse) 

You drag your treasure up five floors. You buy three locks, maybe even a fourth, for safety. And you spend many a Sunday evening polishing her or him to a shine. Believe us, if you buy a bike from Awsum, you'll find yourself in the preceding lines. The bikes are objects that, even from a distance, flash through the shop windows or, to take it to the extreme, almost dazzle with their beauty. In olive green, matte black or elegant sailor blue, set off with chrome, you will henceforth cycle through Düsseldorf on "Ludwig," "Frieda" or "Friedrich," with admiring glances accompanying you along the way. The only thing you'd better not forget at home during your visit is the cash box. But the bikes come from an Italian family factory, and quality craftsmanship costs money, as we all know.  

Three taps on the pedals and you can park your new bike in front of the... 

Cucina Vitale, Ackerstrasse 168b 

If you're feeling a little or a lot peckish, skip the next few lines - or book a table at "Cucina Vitale" in the next minute. Fried octopus on a beluga lentil salad or pasta with pointed cabbage, ginger and parmesan sound delicious, but garlic chicken with orange potatoes wouldn't be too bad either... Whatever you choose, Birgit and Gianni Vitale have been spoiling their guests for two decades with dishes that will keep them hungry for a long time. Make yourself comfortable in the restaurant, which is furnished with just a few tables, and let whole evenings pass by with aromas that are as intense as the conversations. The menu changes weekly, so you have no choice but to become a regular. No wonder there are so many "Top Location", "Top Restaurant" or "Recommended by ..." stickers on the window of the restaurant indicating its specialness.  

Dessert is either available on site or you can walk a few doors down to Nordmann's Eisfabrik (Hermannstraße 22a, on Ackerstraße, open from the summer months). Their ice cream varieties were crowned the best in the country by a trade magazine. Or you can stock up for breakfast right away at the ... 

Chicken Crime Department Store, Ackerstrasse 142 

Between butter, bread, sausage and chocolate cream, some jams sometimes feel unappreciated. Unless it's a cold cut from the Chicken Crime Department Store! The store with the original name has long established itself as an oasis for unusual food. Try the raspberry-lavender jam that melts in your mouth, or the Flingern herbal liqueur that burns pleasantly in the throat. Also highly recommended: the "Ginsation," a jam composed with gin and blood orange. Browse the shelves of the store, which is reminiscent of a modern corner store, to never again stand in front of the refrigerator in the morning wondering. 

Beat Retreat" record store, Ackerstrasse 

Vinyl records have been celebrating a comeback for years now, something many of the bands that can be heard on them only dare to dream about. Since 2018, you can get your money's worth at the small but great Beat Retreat Record Store: At the turntables facing Ackerstraße, you can listen to the highlights from - watch out - no less than hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, electronic, Afro, Latin and Brazil, collected by owner Marc Taake. On the Instagram channel of the same name beatretreat, Taake also regularly presents new releases, which, by the way, are always new goods, just like all the records. Let yourself be inspired by the "Pick of the Day", which will not only get you out of your chairs, but maybe soon your neighbors as well.  

With to the beat of the song played just a few minutes ago, it goes on, once across the intersection Acker-/Gerresheimer Straße over in the direction of ... 

Transfood, Ackerstrasse 30 

Don't be surprised if the smell of this supermarket stays with you for a while. The smell is too intense in the food store, which concentrates on specialties from Asia, Africa and India and is considered a true Meltin' Pot on Ackerstrasse. Both long-time residents and newcomers to Düsseldorf stock up on king cumin, tuna balls and chikwangue, or cassava bread. The range of rice alone is beyond imagination! Small white grains, coarse ones in a light shade of pink, yellow rice, and all of it in kilo bags to feed several large families at once. Let yourself be taken on a journey through the world of taste and reach into the shelves filled to the ceiling and into one of the freezer boxes. It's quite possible that you'll "only" get tuna steaks - or rays. Or maybe it's fumbua, the vegetable from the Congo also known as wild spinach. As you can see, it certainly won't be boring in the kitchen after a visit to Transfood. 

By the way, the same applies to the art shown by Stephan Machac. To get to know them, all you need to do is take four big steps across the street and you'll be standing in front of the entrance to his backyard and the ... 

Studio for Artistic Research, Ackterstrasse 33 

Here, Machac puts paintings, objects, and sculpture on a new level by inviting colleagues in the field to take a possible exploratory look at their works. He encourages discussions around questions such as "Can artistic research be considered a scientific discipline?" or even "What effect does artistic research have outside of the internal discourse of art?", and has been doing so since May 2016. In the entrance gate you will find a QR code that lets you virtually experience the most recent exhibition. 

Cover & Galleries: Düsseldorf Tourism