I love discovering how coffee culture differs from country to country. Like how grabbing a coffee to-go is so common in the United States, but it’s practically sacrilegious in Italy. Or how Greek coffee is strong and somewhat bitter, while German coffee on the other hand is on the lighter side. My foray into German coffee shops began in Frankfurt.
To be honest, I really struggled through most of our week-long Germany trip. For some reason I needed multiple cups of coffee to get through the day, when I usually only need one double espresso to get my caffeine fix! I realized after the fact that this was due to differences in how much espresso was put into the drinks I ordered compared to what I’m used to, but I digress. One thing I was shocked by is how many Frankfurt coffee shops open later in the morning on the weekend. Who can wait until 10 am for their coffee?! Not me, that’s for sure.
As a reminder: I don’t give out stars or number ratings to the coffee shops that I visit. Those kind of reviews aren’t super helpful and are VERY subjective (in my opinion). We all have different tastes, meaning my favorite place could end up being one someone else hates! Instead I provide some details like the vibes, what I ordered, recommendations/tips, and my overall thoughts so you can decide if you want to try it out yourself. Interested in my other coffee-related travels? Check out the rest of my Will Travel for Coffee series!
Wake Up. Drink Coffee. Travel. Repeat.
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Planning a trip to Frankfurt? Check out my 2-day itinerary!
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Like hard cider? Where to Drink Apfelwein in Frankfurt.
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Need somewhere to stay? Check out my Frankfurt hotel guide.
Hoppenworth & Ploch – Altstadt
Tucked away in the Hühnermarkt – a historic plaza that was once a chicken market – is Hoppenworth & Ploch’s Altstadt café. This Frankfurt coffee roaster has three locations across the city, as well as a bakery. While it wasn’t very busy when we got there around 9 am when they opened, the tables were really starting to fill up by the time we left. They have lots of seating both indoors and outdoors. One big thing to note is they are card-only, the opposite of many other places we went to that only took cash!
We ordered an iced latte macchiato with oat milk, apfelschorle (sparkling apple juice), croissant & two blueberry mixed-nut scones. The coffee was light – it tasted slightly more like milk than espresso – as well as a little smaller than I was expecting. I’m not a huge juice person, but I surprisingly really liked Jasper’s apfelschorle. It became his go-to breakfast drink for the rest of the week. The scones were a bit dry, but the flavor more than made up for it.
BUNCA
Compared to Hoppenworth and Ploch, BUNCA is pretty small café. We went first thing in the morning and were able to grab a spot, but there really isn’t a ton of seating – just 3 or 4 tables inside and a few more outside when the weather is nice. The tables inside were a little low, which considering how short I am is saying something, and even I had to lean a bit to eat/drink which wasn’t super comfortable. So if you visit BUNCA I’d recommend ordering your coffee to-go.
I ordered a cold brew and somehow completely spaced on asking for oat milk. I didn’t want to go back and ask for some (yay, anxiety!), so I just drank it black – which is NOT something I enjoy. Imagine my surprise when I took a sip and realized it didn’t need milk! This was possibly the best cold brew I’ve ever had, and I really wish I’d bought some beans to try and recreate it at home. They have rave reviews online for their banana bread, so of course we had to get a slice of that as well. Its safe to say it lived up to the hype. BUNCA makes all of their pastries and baked goods on site.
For Next Time
I wish I was the type of person that could drink unlimited amounts of caffeine, but alas I generally max out at 2 a day. So as much as I try, my “want to go” list for coffee shops just never seems to get shorter. Below are a few shops that are on my radar for my next visit to Frankfurt!
drei kaffeebar – Fahrgasse 23, 60311 Frankfurt am Main.
High end coffee bar featuring coffee sourced from roasters all over Europe.
Kioskie – Große Eschenheimer Str. 2, 60313 Frankfurt am Main.
A specialty coffee Kiosk from the same team as the former Bohnerie, a local favorite.
Retablo Coffee – Schifferstraße 12, 60594 Frankfurt am Main.
This specialty coffee shop features a rotating list of German coffee roasters.
Have a coffee shop you think I should review next? Let me know in the comments!
See the little button to your right? You could buy me my next coffee!
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