Reviews

TL;DR Höchfen is a really nice Sichuan restaurant in the heart of Köln with efficient servers and great food. Sichuan food is a bit different from what you are used to, so be sure to prepare to be surprised and delighted by what they can cook up. I highly recommend their Bowl Tea and Sichuan Haxen, but for a beginner's main course I would actually recommend Rindfleisch in Chiliöl which is my favourite dish of all time. Hönchen was, together with Hana's on the other side, one of the two restaurants that I really wanted to visit since I moved to Köln at the start of February. It located at the Barbarossaplatz and is a bit tucked in the corner. The restaurant specializes in Sichuan food, which is a kitchen which is very near and dear to my heart, since it is something that I make for myself whenever I can. Since this was my first time at an authentic Sichuan restaurant, I was very excited to see how those dishes are supposed to taste like. I went alone on a Saturday night at around 21, the restaurant was mostly empty when I arrived. I was given a table near the front next to a lovely group of Chinese women enjoying a nice night eating outdoors. They were wrapping up and asked the waiters whether they could take their leftovers home with them, which the waiters happily obliged. The restaurant uses a QR system to order, and the food arrives whenever the kitchen is done with it. There is a large selection of different dishes, including some good specialities and dishes that are authentically Chinese. In their culture, texture plays a much more important role than in Western food, so they eat parts of animals which are common here. Some examples to look out for are Cow's stomach and Duck's Blood, which feature fascinating and unique textures. I ordered the Sichuan Pickled Vegetables as an entrée and 东坡肘子 (Dong Po Pig's Knuckle) with rice. As a drink, I ordered the Bowl tea, which I had no idea what it was. My entrée was okay and nothing to really write home about. It was nice to have some vegetables, and they had a good crunch, but pickled greens remain pickled greens. The Pig's Knuckle on the other hand was a beautiful, large piece of meat that even impressed the ladies next to me, who looked with a certain jealousy at my main course. It tasted as good as it looked with the meat almost falling off from the bone and had a really tender texture. The dish was spicy, but not overwhelmingly so, and all the flavours were balanced nicely. The sauce paired nicely with the rice, and I had to resist my urge to eat all of it with my spoon. The portion was more than generous, and I could see myself eating this easily with one extra person and still feeling full afterwards Tea is always my indication of restaurant quality, since it is something that it is really easy to cut corners to make some easy money. What I am looking for is restaurants that really try to offer the whole experience, and Höchfen delivered this to a T. I was given a China cup with a bunch of flowers in it with a small plate and a massive jug of tea. After calling a quick helpline in the form of Chinese friends, who first spent five minutes laughing at me for drinking old man tea, I figured out that you put the plate over the cup so that there is a small slit left over that the water can come out of. They were not at all skimpy with the water, so I actually had to spend ten minutes on top of my meal to actually finish all the water. In conclusion, Höchfen is a great Sichuan restaurant that offers high quality food for relatively affordable prices. Chinese food is typically to share, which is reflected in the generous portion sizes. The restaurant offers a masterclass in how you serve tea to your customers, and I was sad that I didn't have time to have their Sticky Rice with Bean Paste dessert, since that looked delicious. I cannot wait to come back to have the Chengdu Fondue and experience more of this great kitchen.

(Translated by Google) The food here is very authentic. The card can be scanned using a QR code and the Chinese name is included with the dishes. There are also dishes that you cannot find in other Chinese restaurants (they are adapted to us Europeans), such as: Pig feet (which my husband (Croatian) also likes to eat sometimes). Not as adventurous as my husband, I got the pineapple fried chicken - it was some of the best chicken I've ever eaten! The sweet and sour sauce was also very creamy and not as runny as usual - very aromatic!!! I can highly recommend the restaurant :)! (Original) Das Essen hier ist sehr authentisch. Die Karte kann per QR-Code gescannt werden und die chinesische Bezeichnung steht bei den Gerichten dabei. Es gibt auch Gerichte, die man in anderen chinesischen Restaurants nicht findet (da halt an uns Europäer angepasst), wie z.b. Schweinefüße (die mein Mann (Kroate) z.b. auch gerne Mal isst). Ich bin nicht ganz so experimentierfreudig wie mein Mann und habe mir das frittierte Hühnchen mit Ananas geholt - das war eines der besten Hühnchen, die ich je gegessen habe! Auch die Süßsauer-Soße war sehr sämig und nicht so dünnflüssig, wie man sie sonst kennt - sehr aromatisch!!! Ich kann das Restaurant sehr empfehlen :)!

(Translated by Google) Super friendly staff. The place was recommended to me by a Chinese woman as the authentic and best Chinese restaurant in Cologne. I can't say whether that's the case, but the food is excellent. Anyway, the best Chinese food I've ever had. And the portions are huge. Definitely come back. (Original) Super freundliches Personal. Der Ort wurde mir von einer Chinesin empfohlen als authentischtes und bestes chinesisches Restaurant in Köln. Ob das so ist, kann ich nicht beurteilen, aber das Essen ist hervorragend. Jedenfalls das beste chinesische Essen, das ich je hatte. Und die Portionen sind riesig. Komme auf jeden Fall wieder.

(Translated by Google) It's really really really really delicious It's a restaurant where you can't measure the bag strap, and the stir-fried eggplant has more tripe than vegetables. The stir-fried eggplant is just heavenly. I'm looking forward to the future and thinking about trying all the menu items here🫶 (Original) 진짜 진짜 진짜 진짜 맛있어요 곱창볶음에 야채보다 곱창이 더 많은 가방끈 측정불가의 식당입니다 가지볶음은 그냥 천상계예요. 여기 메뉴들 다 먹어 볼 생각에 미래가 기대됩니다🫶

(Translated by Google) The restaurant looks rather inconspicuous from the outside. However, this first impression doesn't do the place justice. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is very cozy. Clear recommendation. (Original) Das Restaurant sieht von außen eher unscheinbar aus. Dieser erste Eindruck wird dem Lokal allerdings nicht gerecht. Die Speisen sind super lecker und das Ambiente ist sehr gemütlich. Klare Empfehlung.

(Translated by Google) Fresh dishes, very well prepared, large selection of vegetarian food - incredibly friendly service - the next room is a bit cramped, that's why only the 3 stars... (Original) Frische Gerichte, sehr gut zubereitet, große Auswahl an Vegetarischem Essen - unglaublich freundlicher Service - der Nebenraum ist etwas beengt, drum dafür nur die 3 Sterne….