Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [573]
Tristan ( 350 2401; Heger Strasse 12; pizza €5.50-10.50, mains €16.50-22; lunch & dinner Tue-Sun; ) This homely, family-friendly Italian osteria (inn) has chunky dark-wood tables and a tiled floor that combine well with white walls hung with art. It’s so large that toddlers will find enough room to explore. If dining alone, you’ll find Der Spiegel and other magazines here for browsing. Beyond the pizza and pasta, the menu is small, changing and meat-focused; the house red wine, very decent.
Hausbrauerei Rampendahl ( 245 35; Hasestrasse 35; light meals €6.40-21; 11am-11pm Mon-Sat, to 9.30pm Sun; ) This restaurant and boutique brewery is about as hearty as they come, serving full meals or substantial ‘light’ dishes to accompany the own-brew beers. It has various cheaper and ever-changing lunch or dinner deals like a Stammessen (staple; €5.95) – typically a beer goulash with cabbage and dumplings.
Arabesque ( 260 363; Osterberger Reihe 12; mains €7-14.50; 4.30pm-midnight Mon-Thu, 4.30pm-1am Fri, 11am-1am Sat, 3.30-11pm Sun; ) The friendly couple who own this Middle Eastern restaurant and hookah place (you retreat to the cushions in the special smoking room) once lived in Sydney’s Bondi Beach. It’s a superb haunt with good food and outdoor seating in the self-styled ‘Hanse Kogge’ square. The latter takes its name from the boat that stands in the children’s playground out front – another good reason to visit. While here, also check out other places nearby.
Restaurant La Vie ( 331 150; www.restaurant-lavie.de; Krahnstrasse 1/2; menu €114-158; dinner Tue-Sat; ) La Vie, which has established itself recently as one of Germany’s top restaurants (with two Michelin stars in 2009), is where head chef Thomas Bühner and his Sri Lankan partner Thayarni Kanagaratnam highlight the aromas and harmony of European cuisine with hints of the east. One of the specialities is reindeer filet gently flavoured with garlic, coriander, apple puree and Sichuan pepper oil. Reserve at least one or two weeks ahead, and for Friday and Saturday, at least three. You can occasionally fill a cancellation at short notice by calling on the day.
Osnabrück has a wonderful range of pubs (most open in the evening only) that also serve simple, inexpensive food. These include the traditional Grüne Gans ( 239 14; Grosse Gildewart 15; mains €3.50-7.50; from 6pm Mon-Sat, from 5pm Sun; ).
If you follow Grosse Gildewart south, it becomes Rolandsmauer, where you find Lagerhalle ( 338 740; www.lagerhalle-osnabrueck.de; Rolandsmauer 26; 8pm-1am Mon, 6pm-1am Tue-Thu, 6pm-2am Fri & Sat, 9.30am-11pm Sun; ), a culture venue, cinema and bar with everything from readings through film to live jazz or rock. Cultcha seekers of all ages simply drink, snack or play pool here, too. Outside is a board listing other places to go to in Heger-Tor-Viertel, inviting exploration of the quarter.
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Getting There & Away
The low-cost carrier Air Berlin (www.airberlin.com) is among those with services to Münster- Osnabrück airport (FMO; www.flughafen.fmo.de). The airport is 30km southwest of the centre, and reached by Schnellbus X150 (€9, 40 minutes), which leaves the airport almost hourly between 3.30am and 11pm Monday to Friday, from 8.10am Saturday and from 10am Sunday.
RE (€23, 1½ hours) and IC (€27, 1¼ hours) trains to Hanover leave twice an hour. Various services go to Hamburg (€46, one hour 50 minutes), Cologne (€40, two hours 10 minutes) and Dortmund (€23, 55 minutes). For Hamelin (€17.60, 1½ hours) you change at Bünde.
Osnabrück is well connected by road via the A1 (Bremen to Dortmund) and the B51, B65 and B68.
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Getting Around
Single bus tickets cost €1.90 and day tickets €4 (so buy a day ticket).
Call a taxi on 277 81 or 320 11.
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VARUSSCHLACHT MUSEUM & PARK KALKRIESE
You needn’t be a history buff to come to the Varusschlacht Museum & Park Kalkriese ( 05468-920 4200; www.kalkriese-varusschlacht.de; Bramsche-Kalkriese; adult/concession/family €7/4/16;