Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [569]
Gebhards Hotel ( 496 80; www.romantikhotels.com/goettingen; Goetheallee 22-23; s €96-140, d €145-190; ) This quaint, elegant four-star hotel has art-deco touches, wellness facilities like a large whirlpool and small sauna, and a 24-hour bar in its excellent restaurant. You can take breakfast any time of day here, so it’s actually possible to stay up all night in the bar sipping champagne, sleep all day, sweat in the sauna, plunge into the whirlpool, and breakfast in the evening, if that’s your style.
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Eating
Bagel Station ( 489 4661; Weender Strasse 60; bagels €1.80-3.90; 8.30am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm Sat, 11am-6pm Sun; ) This small bagel joint not only does delicious bagels, it is one of the few eateries in town that gets the sun in winter. In summer, you can soak it up while taking a bagel and coffee at an outdoor table. The minimum order for delivery is between €8 and €15, depending on distance from the centre.
Cron & Lanz ( 560 22; Weender Strasse 25; cake €2.50, snacks €2-4, chocolate per 100g €5; 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-6.30pm Sat, 1-7pm Sun; ) This ornate Viennese-style cafe is Göttingen’s dignified haunt for connoisseurs of chocolate and other calorie bombs, but it has a few snacks too.
P-Cafe ( 576 99; Nikolaikirchhof 11; cake €2.30, breakfast €3.50-16.50, light dishes €4-7.50; 9am-10pm Sun-Thu, 9am-midnight Fri & Sat; ) While the tables are cheek by jowl and it gets cramped in poor weather, this cafe-bar serving snacks is one of the nicest for outdoor seating in summer. If it gets cold, you can wrap up in one of the blankets provided. Its quiet location makes it especially good if you’ve got toddlers in tow.
Myer’s ( 499 7888; Lange-Geismar-Strasse 47; dishes €4.40-11; 9am-midnight Mon-Sat, 10am-11pm Sun, closed Sun Jul-Aug; ) This rambling cafe-bar and restaurant is great if you can handle the noise. Every now and again the very skilled chefs whip up a delicious surprise or two to complement pastas, salads, pancakes, pizzas and vegetarian or meat dishes on its large year-round or smaller seasonal menus. Smokers can sit upstairs.
Tokyo ( 999 5735; Gotmarstrasse 16; mains €8-14, sushi platters €16-21; lunch & dinner Tue-Sat, dinner Sun; ) In the simple exposed-pine and bamboo interior here, the lone sushi chef works hard to turn out customers’ orders, including the usual maki and nigiri sushi, tempura and gyoza. Tofu and vegetarian options are available, and there’s even Korean beef and kimchi.
Junkernschänke ( 384 8380; www.junkernschaenke.de, in German; Barfüsserstrasse 5; bistro mains €10-23, 3-7 course restaurant menus €45-79; 10am-midnight Mon-Thu, 10am-1am Fri & Sat, 10am-11pm Sun; ) Behind the colourful timbers of one of the city’s oldest buildings you find an Old World bistro and an upmarket restaurant, both sharpened up with a New World edge. Upstairs you can hang off the bar in fine style, sipping delicious wines and more, while a piano tinkles out a lounge feel. It also has classical and other music during its frequent events.
Gauss ( 566 16; www.restaurant-gauss.de; Obere Karspüle 22, enter on Theaterstrasse; 3-5 course menu €35-56; 6pm-midnight Tue-Sat; ) Chef Jacqueline Amirfallah upholds this cellar restaurant’s reputation as Göttingen’s best gourmet experience with exquisite (and changing) haute cuisine, such as lamb with aubergine, mint yogurt, red lentils and couscous. There’s a noticeable emphasis on seasonal ingredients.
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Drinking
P-Cafe (opposite) and Myer’s (left) are as much popular drinking holes as places to nibble and nosh, and Junkernschänke has a classy lounge bar. Explore eating and drinking options on the square in front of the Junges Theater or along Goetheallee.
Gro Mo ( 488 9232; Goetheallee 13a; 9.30am-midnight Mon-Thu, 9.30am-1am Fri,