Ranking roughly #20 out of 2,000 Frankfurt restaurants on Tripadvisor (including a Certificate of Excellence until 2018), Mainkai Café had been recommended to me on various occasions. So I was very pleased, when I was invited to bring a friend and check out their food.
Located next to Frankfurt’s beautifully re-built Old Town on the riverbank of the Main, the big windows of the tiny Café offer good views. My friend had already arrived when I rocked up a few minutes late. The interior is basic but friendly.
After short deliberation my buddy went for kofta with couscous and salad (€11.90) while I ordered venison goulash with Schupfnudeln (a type of freshly made thick noodles made of potatoes, flour and eggs), red cabbage, and cranberry jam (€14.50).
Both dishes arrived after just ten minutes, and even before they arrived on our table, we could tell from the lovely smells that we were going to be in for a treat. According to my friend, the kofta were very spicy with great texture. I could certainly confirm that my venison goulash was among the best I’ve had outside of traditional goulash meccas like Budapest or Vienna. The Schupfnudeln were a true delight. It’s a shame that they are so hard to come by, because most restaurants don’t want to make the effort. When I grew up, we enjoyed them at least once a month, so they come with fond memories.
Next time Ms B joins me to Frankfurt, I’ll make sure we’ll pay Mainkai Café another visit. 5 out of 5 in our book.
Looking for more Frankfurt restaurant reviews? Check out our posts about Restaurant Lohninger, La Scuderia, Black Bulls, and V’uisine. Or perhaps something further afield? Try Hostaria Osottoosopra, Venice, Plachutta, Vienna, Les Papilles Bistroy Parisien, Paris, or Natural Kitchen, London.
For travel and adventure, feel welcome to eyeball our posts about learning how to row Venetian style in Venice, about our Norfolk seal safari, our deep sea fishing trip from Brighton, our camel ride with desert camp in Morocco, or our trip to Dubai.
