Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [349]
Délice ( 640 3222 www.restaurant-delice.de; Hauptstätter Strasse 61; 6.30pm-midnight Mon-Fri) Save your appetite for dinner (presuming you’ve booked well ahead) at this vaulted Michelin-starred restaurant. Viennese master chef Friedrich Gutscher uses organic ingredients in taste sensations such as tender pigeon breast on boletus potatoes and curd ice cream with rose water. The sommelier will talk you through the award-winning riesling selection.
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THEODOR-HEUSS-STRASSE BAR CRAWL
Crammed with hipper-than-thou lounge bars, Theodor-Heuss-Strasse, just west of Königstrasse, is the centre of Stuttgart’s pulsating after-dark scene. Dress the part (jeans and trainers are a no-no in most places) to slip past picky doormen. DJ Amar works the crowd into a sweat spinning house and electro at charcoal-black 7 Grad (Theodor-Heuss-Strasse 32), while neighbouring Barcode (Theodor-Heuss-Strasse 30) fuels the party with decadent cocktails in streamlined surrounds. Good-looking Stuttgarters dance to soul and funk at nouveau Alpine chic Muttermilch (Theodor-Heuss-Strasse 23), where the vibe is clubby, and ice-cool Suite 212 (Theodor-Heuss-Strasse 23). It’s less of a beauty contest at relaxed student hang-out Schaufenster Mitte (Theodor-Heuss-Strasse 4), hosting upbeat exhibitions and gigs.
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DRINKING
Biergarten im Schlossgarten ( 226 1274; Mittlerer Schlossgarten; 10am-1.30am May-Oct) Celebrate summer with beer and pretzels at Stuttgart’s best-loved, 2000-seat beer garden in the green heart of the Schlossgarten. Regular live music gets steins a-swinging.
Café Weiss ( 244 121; Geissstrasse 16; 6pm-3am Mon-Thu, to 4am Fri & Sat) Drunken students and punks, hip-hop dudes and glammed-up divas – all love this grungy, borderline sleazy dive. The bartenders can be gruffer than billy goats, but they pour a stiff vodka and lend change for the jukebox.
Hüftengold ( 248 6988; Olgastrasse 44; 7am-midnight Mon-Sat, 10am-10pm Sun) Rumour has it that when the boss fell pregnant, she named her other baby, this lounge cafe, Hüftengold (love handles). Bag a log stool in this retro sylvan wonderland for cocktails, chill-out grooves and cosy evening chats by candlelight.
Palast der Republik ( 226 4887; Friedrichstrasse 27; 11am-2am, to 3am Fri & Sat) Named after the former seat of East German parliament, this round kiosk has a less-than-imposing history as a public toilet. It’s popular among students and alternative types, who sit at tables or on the ground sipping their brew.
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ENTERTAINMENT
For the low-down on events, grab a copy of German-language monthly Lift Stuttgart (www.lift-online.de) from the tourist office or news kiosks, or listings magazine Prinz (www.prinz.de/stuttgart.html). Events tickets can be purchased at the Kartenvorverkauf desk ( 222 8243; inside the tourist office; 9am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat).
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Nightclubs
Click onto www.subculture.de (in German) for more on Stuttgart’s club scene.
Dilayla ( 236 9527; Eberhardstrasse 49; admission free; 9pm-4am, to 6am Fri & Sat nights, from 11pm late May-Sep) Crash on the sofas or get your groove on to ’70s and ’80s soundtracks at this laid-back, dimly lit basement club. Gets going around midnight.
Die Röhre ( 299 1499; www.die-roehre.com, in German; Willy-Brandt-Strasse 2/1; admission varies) A hugely popular, industrial-style concert and party venue under the curved ceiling of an aborted vehicle tunnel or Röhre (tube).
King’s Club ( 226 4558; www.kingsclub-stuttgart.de, in German; Calwer Strasse 21; admission Fri & Sat €10; 10pm-6am) Scarlet walls create a sultry backdrop at King’s, where gays, lesbians and straights dance to house and electro. Picks up after midnight. Enter from Gymnasiumstrasse.
Wagenhallen ( 253 7012; www.wagenhallen.de, in German; Innerer Nordbahnhof 1; admission varies) Swim away from the