Six of the best fine dining restaurants in Düsseldorf

Culinary experiences that are out of this world

Düsseldorf is a top gourmet destination with many highly acclaimed restaurants, no fewer than ten of which were awarded a Michelin star in 2022! The prestigious Michelin Guide also recommended a further 19 of the city’s restaurants for their first-rate cuisine. But where to begin on this gastronomic voyage of discovery? We have hand-picked six restaurants for you that are in a league of their own, each with their own distinctive culinary approach.  

Im Schiffchen

Jean-Claude Bourgueil has been at the helm of the Im Schiffchen – the little ship – restaurant since 1977. Based in a baroque brick building on Kaiserswerth market, just a stone’s throw from the banks of the Rhine, chef Bourgueil and his team have dedicated themselves to creative French cuisine. One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is a small Breton lobster steamed with chamomile flowers, while choice fish and crustaceans in a bouillabaisse broth also play their part in evoking the spirit of fine French dining. Bourgueil hails from the Centre-Val de Loire region, south of Paris, but has been making his home here on the banks of the Rhine for over 50 years. This fact is reflected on his menu by a superb Senfrostbraten – or mustard roast, a Düsseldorf speciality – prepared with prime Irish beef. Which brings us to his ingredients. No matter from where they are sourced, they are always of the very highest quality. To round off the culinary experience, the restaurant boasts an impressive wine selection and attentive service, with the ground floor resplendent in its maritime décor.

Phoenix

This modern venue in Düsseldorf is in a class of its own. Located on the ground floor of the heritage-listed Dreischeibenhaus, the Phoenix is the most recent addition to Düsseldorf’s list of Michelin-starred restaurants, receiving the coveted award for the first time in 2022. The interior design is itself a feast for the eyes, with teal-coloured upholstery complementing the green marble floor, accentuated by warm walnut wood. The team headed by chef Philipp Wolter conjures up its signature dishes in an open kitchen. Two set evening menus offer a choice between ‘Flora’ and ‘Fauna’, the Flora menu being completely vegetarian. But with such courses as the one consisting of muscat squash and lemon mousse ice cream with currants, linseeds, blue cornflowers and Styrian pumpkin seed oil it might well appeal to non-vegetarians too. If you prefer to dine à la carte, the choice is greater at lunchtime, when the restaurant also offers a ‘Quicklunch’ as a one-course or three-course option.

Nagaya

The restaurant of Michelin-starred chef Yoshizumi Nagaya blends elements of Japanese and western cuisine. In his clearly though-out, bold and meticulous approach, the traditional Japanese purism that Nagaya learned from Toshiro Kandagawa in Osaka meets innovative European haute cuisine. Nagaya has mastered this balancing act more successfully than anyone else in Germany – and it has earned him a Michelin star. His style relies on outstanding ingredients and is rooted in an instinct for aesthetics. We recommend the omakase menu, where all decisions about the dishes and their sequence are left up to the master himself. Would you care for another helping of inside information? The acclaimed chef runs another starred restaurant in Düsseldorf, namely Yoshi by Nagaya. That means he has two out of the total of four Michelin stars currently held by Japanese restaurants in Germany.

Berens on the quay

An old favourite has had a facelift. Offering intense taste experiences based on premium ingredients, the Berens am Kai restaurant in the MedienHafen has been synonymous with fine modern European cuisine since 1998. The fact that owner Holger Berens has relinquished the post of head chef and handed over the reins to his former sous-chef, Michal Slawik, has done nothing to alter this. He retains his role as the restaurant’s managing director and will continue to ensure that diners can enjoy classic dishes such as oysters, foie gras and black Angus filet mignon, just as they have always done. All of the Michel-starred restaurant’s dishes, an unusually larger number of which are also available à la carte, are still as superb as ever. Leaving aside the menu for a moment, the location itself is another star attraction. The restaurant’s floor-length windows give you an unimpeded view of the harbour, and a terrace offers a more relaxed gourmet experience in the summer.

Le Flair

What do Holger Berens and Dany Cerf, the head chef at the Le Flair restaurant, have in common? Both run a Michelin-starred venue with a terrace, and both of them started out under Jean-Claude Bourgueil at the Im Schiffchen restaurant before going it alone. Dany Cerf, who was born in French-speaking Switzerland, took that step in 2014, together with his partner (in love and business) Nicole Bänder. His new restaurant took its name from its location, the Le Flair quarter, which was created on the site of the former rail freight station in Pempelfort. It began life as an upmarket bistro, but three years later, Cerf and his team had acquired a Michelin star, which they have retained ever since. The intimate gourmet temple with just 25 seats has remained true to its appealingly purist roots. The four to six course menus are carefully planned yet simple, letting the quality of the ingredients speak for itself. You can choose between the ‘Menu du Moment’ and the ‘Menu Veggie’, with Cerf’s fondness for classic French cuisine apparent not only in the names. From foie gras terrine to Pyrenean suckling lamb, the Le Flair is sure to delight any fan of haute cuisine.

Pink Pepper

The Pink Pepper at the Steigenberger Parkhotel on Königsallee only opened its doors in February 2022, but is already attracting high praise from fans of fine dining. This hardly comes as a surprise, as the man in charge is Michelin-starred chef Benjamin Kriegel. Located in the Steigenberger’s conservatory, the restaurant boasts a flamboyant yet welcoming interior. Lavish floral wallpaper and azulejo-style floor tiles are combined with gilded detail, velvet upholstery and pastel shades. Using seasonal and regional ingredients, interpreted with finesse and very open to international inspiration, the chef de cuisine stays true to his characteristic culinary concept, realised to an exceptionally high standard. You won’t regret extending your five-course menu to seven courses. To complement them, enjoy the extensive wine selection, or perhaps an aperitif or digestif from the delightful bar. The Pink Pepper is named after the Brazilian peppertree, which symbolises the spice of life. Quite apt, really.

Cover image: Yoshizumi Nagaya