Breakfasts in Karlsruhe

Seasons are coming and going, favorite places are upgraded or downgraded on the bucket list, but wherever I go, there is something that always stays with me: breakfast. I am a big lover of breakfast and I cannot properly start my day without a rich meal, always accompanied by a mug of black, sugarless coffee. Back in the times when I had to be at work at 8 o'clock I was taking up some sweet hours of morning sleep to be sure that I have enough time to prepare my morning ritual, very often the one and only serious and quiet meal of the day.

When I travel, I always try to keep it up with various menus and options, always looking forward to the richer part of the plate. 

Last month, I spent a lovely long birthday weekend in Karlsruhe - with short-time trips to Ettlingen, Pforzheim and Baden-Baden - and wanted to be the early bird catching the (travel) worm. Therefore, I had the chance to test various breakfast options in town, which I am ready to share.

If you just need some fast meal, with pastry and local brezel - you need to try the Baden-Württemberg variant, much tastier than the usual variant sold in Berlin - and maybe some warm quiche, the local network of bakeries Badische Backstub is an affordable and satiable option. 

However, if you are looking for much more, in the Western part of the city, you can enjoy starting with 8 o'clock in the morning a rich Bulgarian morning meal, accompanied by the famous white cheese and local - cottage cheese-filled pastries, at Mama's. They say that breakfast isn't such an important meal in the Bulgarian tradition...

If you are around the Central Station, on the other side of the street, with a view over the pink flamingos from the Zoo, there is my favorite breakfast spot in town: Löwe an Tiergarten. It usually serves the customers of the hotel with the same name, but it open heartedly accepts outsiders too. The prices vary between 3 and 10 EUR. The Swedish buffet has a good selection of cheese, fresh pastry and vegetables, cereals and many tasty local jams. And yes, you can have also brezel for breakfast.

While in Baden-Baden, I made a last stop looking for some famous Schwarzwald cakes, to discover that the Bäckeler Kaffee is also present in Karlsruhe - and in Brühl too, a locality nearby. Their menu for the morning includes many homemade pastry and cheese to fuel your wanderlust energy for the rest of the day. Plus, who can refuse cakes for breakfast, anyway?

During my visit to Karlsruhe, I stayed at Hotel Greif, whose main advantage was the proximity to the train station. It was a neat nice place to spend a peaceful night before going out for the entire day. Their breakfast was booked for additional costs, and wasn't a blast. There was cheese and cereals and fresh orange juice and coffee too, but unfortunately no veggies at all. Maybe my breakfast day was a 'give veggies one more chance to life', who knows...

Among the top recommendations for breakfast in Karlsruhe, ALEX in Post was on the top. It is situated in the busy area of the Post shopping center and offers during the weekend, between 8 and 12 o'clock the option of brunch for 8.90 EUR. The price includes only one glass of juice, as the coffee and the rest of the drinks are paid separately. The balance between price and quality is really fair, with an extensive choice of things to add on your plate - including pasta and olives, fruit and veggie salads - and the breads are tasty and very fresh. 

My only small problem was that the customer service didn't have a good day then, but maybe not anyone knows how important is a good breakfast for a brilliant day. A happy belly and a smile on your face are sometimes all you need for sharing happiness with the others. Especially at breakfast. 

Breakfast chez Benedict in Berlin

As in the case of the afternoon tea, also when it comes to breakfast  Berlin has a long way until it will reach a degree of elegance and refinement comparable to London or Paris. But it is important to keep trying and searching for the best. Thus, when I've found out that the famous Benedict breakfast chain made in Israel has decided to open its branded place in my city, I almost jump of excitement. Finally, the fat generous Middle Eastern breakfast  

Elegantly decorated, with leather couches and luxuriant wall prints, the place reminds of a little French eatery with a touch of British charm and warm customer service. It is situated at the ground level of a boutique hotel at the intersection between Uhlandstrasse and Pariserstrasse, a quiet and posh part of Berlin.

In Israel, Benedict - present in Tel Aviv, Herzliya and Rishon LeZion - offers 24/7 breakfast, but for Berlin, as for now, it is open only until 16.00. The menu was also adapted to the expectations of the German foodie market. What it didn't change is the excellent customer service, which is not only careful to serve you, but to create a certain ambiance that calls you back, whatever your impressions about the food. It has that human touch in so much demand in many of the food places in Berlin, including the high-end ones. 

Too much talk, let's eat. As I am keen to try good Egg Benedicts, I am for a truffle mushrooms version, which is tasty and well done, except that the choice of bread - white and maybe not necessarily fresh, doesn't match. At all. However, the full flavor of truffles which I love a lot, melted with the egg yolk, give my brains a good feeling which make me forget that detail. Maybe the next time there will be a change of bread, I said hopefully to myself and jump to the next order. I love long rich breakfast, you know...

The coconut banana pancakes are not too sweet, soaked in delicious tasting sauces and added some extra natural sugar from the banana. The dough is special, not the usual American pancakes one might expect. The strong cappuccino makes balances the sugar in the blood, but after all, the winter just started and we all need some warm and little sweet surprises. As for me, I would for sure be back this season, to check more of the menu. Because, as you know already, breakfast is my favourite part of the day.

Foodie Berlin: Flakes Corner, in Hackescher Markt

Breakfast is my favourite part of the day, and besides coffee, cornflakes - and cereals in general - are my faithful companions. I particularly love the sweet ones, from the cinnamon covered type to the chocolate small waffles. Thus, when I've found out that over 100 cornflakes boxes - especially those American beauties that it is almost impossible to find in the usual store - are available to try at Flakes Corner since October, I hurried out to take a look and a full spoon. 

The store and eatery is situated on Neue Promenade 9, very close from the S-Bahn station Hackescher Markt. One can choose up to 3 sorts of cornflakes, plus cereals-based shakes. Topics of all sorts - like marshmallows - are available for extra 0.70 EUR. You got a bowl and a little bottle of milk - you can also choose what kind of milk you want, including soy. Energizing cocktails - VitaBoost, orange-based etc - can be also served. 

The overall design of the place is inspired by the 1970s, with a bit too loud music from the same time as a musical background. Expect a lot of plastic chairs and 'nostalgic' decorations on the table, including colourful Rubik cubes. Cornflakes were always fashionable and will always be so making the right choice of cereals doesn't have necessarily to do with the 'old good times'. I bet the GDR -times weren't too cornflakes-friendly either - as it was obviously an American product. The service is friendly and both English and German speaking and quite helpful when it comes to making the right choice for the bowl content.

As for me, I went straightforward for one type of cereals - it was past 13.00 anyway, and I already had my usual fat breakfast - Fruit Loops with marshmallows, soaked in the cold milk. Sweet enough  - with some fruity sensations, and the extra sweetness brought by the marshmallows - to bring me energy to continue my exploration of the Hackescher Markt. When my bowl was empty and had to leave, I had one more look at the many boxes of cereals and promise to come back. Because, breakfast should be a day-long feast, isn't it?