“They say — and by ‘they,’ I mean people from around here — that Cologne is an ugly city. This is quickly followed by the proud statement that the people are nice. That they are welcoming, tolerant, kind, open to new things. I never saw Cologne as ugly at all. I always saw it as, well, charming in the least patronizing sense of the word. I mean, this city charms you. It takes you in. It makes you feel welcome.”

Bei Oma Kleinmann

German restaurant · Cologne

Tony met with Tracey Gudwin (friend and former producer for No Reservations) and Anke Lönne, a resident of Cologne. They had schnitzel, which Bourdain describes as “surfboard-sized slabs of veal and pork filled with many wonderful things, dredged in breadcrumbs and fried in magical, magical deep fat.”

Kleine Glocke

Gastropub · Cologne

"A hangout for Cologne's artist community since the first World War." Tony ate sauerbraten (pot roast of horse meat) with chef René Stessl

PARTS UNKNOWN

Restaurant Ox & Klee Köln

Fine dining restaurant · Cologne

Tony met with former rock star Irmin Schmidt of the Krautrock band Can. They had grilled scalllop with black salsify served with a consomme of burned hay, lemon gelee, and walnut oil; grilled lobster with a dashi of eel, marinated algae, fermented kale, and yuzu froth; braised ox cheeks with marrow, beet roots with mustard, gratin potatoes, black truffle.

PARTS UNKNOWN

De Fressbud

Takeout Restaurant · Cologne

Tony met with the chef from Ox & Klee, Daniel Gottschlich and his friend Demetri to have grilled bratwurst with curry sauce.

Brauerei zur Malzmühle

Brewpub · Cologne

Tony met with Heinz Grüne, beer expert, to have some kolsch, a style of pale ale created in Cologne. They ate a halve hahn, "Gouda cheese on rye" and Mettbrötchen, or raw minced pork on a roll. They also had himmel und erde (blood sausage, fried onions, mashed potatoes, applesauce), and cured pork

PARTS UNKNOWN

Artistanbul Restaurant Innenstadt

Turkish restaurant · Cologne

Tony met with Melek Yaprak, aTurkish-German whose grandparents were among the first wave of Turkish immigrants in Cologne in this Turkish restaurant. They had Raki and mezze of "spicy mashed vegetables, tzatziki, hummus, beetroot and olive dip, fried eggplant, pastries with feta, meatballs with tomato sauce and mint"

Habibi Köln

Lebanese restaurant · Cologne

Tony met with Syrian immigrant Sakher Al Mohamad to talk about the unrest Cologne faced when middle eastern terrorists attacked Cologne residents on New Year's Eve 2015.

Uerige

Brewpub · Dusseldorf

Serving beer and pork products since 1862. Tony met with Heinz and his friend Judith drank alt (a dark beer) and ate pickled eggs, cabbage and mettwurst, and spicy pork goulash with rye bread.

Bar Trattoria Celentano

Italian restaurant · Cologne

Tony had a meal with Maurizio Arca, a Sardinian-German. They had wine, antipasti (carpaccio, tomatoes with pepper and parmesan, grilled zucchini, mortadella), spaghetti with white clam sauce