Café Hauptwache in Frankfurt am Main

Nice place, although the currywurst was a bit cold – but that's due to the kitchen renovation. Would gladly come again.

The famous Café on the square near Zeil, right above the main station. It resists the modern world. Suitable for a break from sightseeing.

Worst currywurst and fries I've ever eaten (or rather, not eaten) (€12.50)!!! The sauce tasted only of ketchup/tomato sauce with no curry flavor whatsoever; there wasn't even a hint of curry powder! The beef sausage was bland, almost cold, and yet partially burnt. The fries were okay.

That was by far the worst thing I've experienced in a long time ☹️ The entire place was filthy! The tables and toilets were absolutely disgusting. 🐷 You have to be careful not to hurt yourself in the toilets. And someone's sitting there expecting money for this state of affairs 😡 The prices here are completely outrageous and not worth what they're asking ☹️

The waitresses were the only bright spot in a very dark chapter. The charm and class of yesteryear are gone. Like so many old coffee houses, Cafe Hauptwache is fading into insignificance. How the city of Frankfurt could lease such a flagship establishment to a low performer is beyond me. A real shame.

Nice atmosphere, but the tall waiter thinks he's funny. He's just unpleasant.

Food, I don't know. We just had a coffee. On earlier occasions I had a beer. Service is always good. Friendly and efficient.

The establishment didn't live up to my expectations. The only good thing about it is the location.

I would give zero stars if I could. The service is rough and rude. You won't find any hospitality here. Reservations weren't possible in advance. The entrance gate is constantly open, so guests are always sitting in the draft. The food comes from a deep fryer and is completely overpriced. The supposedly homemade cake is thawed and, at €5 a slice, is an outrage. Still water is served with ice cubes in winter; there's no bottle to indicate that guests aren't being served tap water. A big online presence, but nothing behind it. A café that's geared not towards Frankfurt locals but tourists who will never come back anyway!

The homemade potato salad smelled and tasted like brandy vinegar. Absolutely cheap. Vienna sausages from a jar. The meatballs were unrecognizable and burnt. The green sauce was bland and unseasoned, like those 500ml tubs from the discount store. I ordered a regular Coke, but received a Diet/Zero Coke. It's a shame I didn't notice until too late. I have an intolerance to artificial sweeteners! So, my planned visit to the Christmas market was no longer possible. The benches inside were worn out and grimy.

I went there for dinner with my friends. And the emphasis is on "went"! Because we won't be going back. I ordered two homemade meatballs with homemade potato and cucumber salad. After a short while, I could see out the window as the server got my food from a food truck, carried it across the terrace through the cold, and finally served it to me at the table. Then came the next shock: Two meatballs, or rather, tiny meatballs the size of golf balls, and a portion of potato salad that amounted to about two large soup spoons. Furthermore, the meatballs were unrecognizable as fried ground meat, and I highly doubt that the potato salad was "homemade" as advertised on the menu. ... And the kicker: all this for €14.50! Plus a 0.25l bottle of water for €4.00. Conclusion: What was supposed to be a main course, and fill me up, I wouldn't even serve to my guests at home as an appetizer. I would be utterly ashamed as a chef to serve something like that! Value for money: F My friends had similar experiences with their orders. After leaving the restaurant, we filled up at the nearest sausage stand in the Christmas market!

Ordered fresh delicious bread, it was neither fresh nor delicious.

Friendly staffs who speak good English. I ate cherry cake and it was very good. Coffee served with a large cup and reasonable though cafe is located middle in Frankfurt.

This restaurant doesnt accept cards and it doesnt let you know in advance. They only want cash, and they dont give you a bill. Tourism scam! AVOID PLEASE

Unfortunately, the waiting room is understaffed. The outdoor area 😮 and the environment 😮 are heated with electric heaters.

Very friendly staff, good food at a reasonable price-performance ratio, very nice view

A nice historic place to eat German food. Apparently, it's a former police station. The only thing I didn't like much is that they allow smoking on the terrace, which is uncomfortable when someone is eating.

Uninspired, service inconsistent to intrusive

Nice and cozy place. Had only coffee while waiting for a friend there

Café Hauptwache is one of Frankfurt's hotspots. The service was mediocre to grumpy, and it was cold inside. The kitchen closes at 8 pm. Why was the place so sparsely populated during the Christmas market? Unfortunately, not recommended!

Nice coffee shop / bar / restaurant in a historical building. Fair prices, but the servers were a little too overloaded to be attentive.

A quiet place for good coffee and beer

A pleasant place to sit for a short while and have a coffee in the city center

Very unfriendly employees. Broken heater outside, small indoor capacity

A very pleasant and friendly setting.

Nice café with a view of the square and the skyscrapers in the background. Unfortunately, long waiting times despite it not being very busy. Oh well, at least they're friendly.

Cafe Hauptwache is one of Frankfurt’s most iconic spots, set in a restored 18th-century guardhouse right above Hauptwache station. Its central location makes it perfect for a quick break while exploring the Zeil or the city’s old town. The cafe blends history with a relaxed, lively vibe — ideal for breakfast, lunch, or just coffee and cake. The outdoor terrace is great for people-watching, while the interior stays cozy even when packed. The apple strudel, schnitzel, and fresh pretzels are worth trying, and service is generally fast despite the crowd. Prices are fair for the area, and portions are generous. Whether you’re a local or visitor, Cafe Hauptwache captures Frankfurt’s everyday rhythm beautifully.

The food tasted good but took too long, even though it was just eggs and green sauce. The service was a disaster!

A café located in an old building. The architecture is beautiful. The coffee is decent. The croissants are just average. It's nice for taking photos, but you don't necessarily need to eat there.

It's a real shame that such a run-down café is housed in this beautiful, historic building in the heart of Frankfurt's city center. I spent about €5 on a pot of tea, which consisted of a single Messmer tea bag. You can buy a whole pack of the same tea at the supermarket for half that price. A total rip-off! The restrooms are in the basement and will still be served by a pee lady in 2025, even though almost everything in them is broken. They hand you a piece of kitchen paper to dry your hands. There are better cafés in Frankfurt; I recommend everyone avoid this one!

Here, despite the skyscrapers, the sun shines during the day, even in February.

The currywurst was delicious. The bill was about 36 euros, but the waitress asked, "Is 40 okay with tip? Is that okay?" She pushed for 40, rather aggressively. I don't mind that much, but I thought some people might be annoyed, so I thought I'd share it. I'll also add that the service wasn't attentive enough to warrant a tip. It's partly because the restaurant is spacious, but it just doesn't notice when you need one. My friend from Germany who accompanied me said that it's rare to see such pushy behavior. But the currywurst was delicious. It's fine if you don't expect great service and just want to eat delicious food.

Very bad service… not very friendly waiter. I dared ask to see a menu and waited 10mins for it, that’s after i waited 15 mins to even get a waiter to notice me to ask for a menu . Then another 15 mins to get my drink served. Thats 40mins just to get an aperol.

So far okay, but the toilet leaves something to be desired

While I like having food with a show, a whole hasardeous team of drunk waiters are unfortunately too out of my comfort zone. 1 star for trying to explain that an egg and some potatoes are enough for vegetarians. Keep trying king 👑

Five members of the staff are arguing inside. When we ask if it's okay, we sit down at a table. And then we sit. The waitress goes back and forth several times... after a quarter of an hour, we're asked across the room if anyone has been with us yet. And then someone just walks past. Not a brilliant service. And because they only offer binding, they deduct one star.

Not recommended for coffee or cappuccino, as it doesn't pump. Service is otherwise excellent.

The location was very good and pleasant. The drinks were good too. 🚨ATTENTION!!🚨 You may only be able to pay in cash. That was the case for us.

Very nice atmosphere, great service.

Black tea - tea bags from a discount store and lukewarm water in a shabby pot Service - rude and irritated Atmosphere - has seen better days

Unfortunately, you have to give this place at least one star. I was there last week. The schnitzel was unfortunately burnt. Service was almost nonexistent. Many items on the outside menu weren't available to order.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that good. The food took quite a while to arrive. The schnitzel was rather black, the sausage was already cold, and the beer was too warm and lacked foam. The waiter was a bit grumpy and exchanged it. A shame for such an old place in the heart of Frankfurt. And you couldn't pay by card either.

We ate there with a group yesterday. Drinks were very expensive. Alcohol is cheaper than soft drinks. Let me just say, a 0.2L Coke costs €4.50. The beer was below the fill line. The schnitzel was burnt. The menu outside said "pork schnitzel" with "chicken schnitzel" inside. When I returned my schnitzel and said that for €21.50, the quality wasn't worth it, I was just insulted. But I got a new one, which was better. The others in the group had eaten theirs. The service was very unfriendly; especially in the restaurant area, you should be greeted with a smile and a smile. The worst part was the toilet attendant and the broken sink faucet. Should we now pay for the toilet too??? The prices were already very high, and the service was poor. Typical tourist rip-off???

Only had a coffee. Friendly efficient service.

Lovely staff and great wine but beware the "toilet trap" - I went to use the loo innocently and ran into a poor toilet attendant expecting her fee. Of course I had left my bag etc upstairs. At almost €9 for a glass of wine you would think this place could hire cleaners at its own cost rather than pushing the cost (and awkwardness) onto its customers. I thought this unfair, old-fashioned and awkward practice was dying out. Also, the toilet smelled horrible. A sour note to end what had been a very pleasant drink with a friend.

Went in for a late lunch, chose to sit inside and we were ignored for a good while before being served by a very mean server. After our food we also asked what the desserts were (it said on the board to ask the servers) and he offhandedly told us to just look at the displays outside, instead of just telling us (his job), and then got offended when we just asked for the bill instead. Food was okay, felt quite thrown together without much effort. Servers were horrible, avoid this place and find somewhere better quality.

We went out to eat today with 15 people, or rather, we were there, and we were absolutely dissatisfied. It started with the unfriendly, bearded waiter, continued with cold plates, cold as ice. Along with burnt schnitzels, which were exchanged with grumbling. I myself treated myself to the cold, burnt currywurst, which was served on a cold plate with hot curry sauce. The allegedly cold sausage was apparently due to the "power outage in the kitchen," as I was told when I complained. To round out the flavor, a lukewarm wheat beer (which tasted watered down and was quite clear) was recommended. Last but not least, card payments, of course, didn't work. All in all, I would advise against eating at this place. The drinks were pleasantly cold for half of our group, and the rest were room temperature. Our bearded waiter should perhaps retrain and do something where he doesn't have contact with customers.

The order was taken quickly, but the food took a while to arrive due to "problems in the kitchen caused by faulty electrical wiring." The menu advertises dishes that are unavailable due to construction work in the kitchen. The chicken schnitzel I ordered was very disappointing. It was fried for far too long and came with a handful of fries...the schnitzel was, as they say, over-fried. Service is also not up to scratch... I will never visit this café/restaurant again. If the historic building had known what was going to happen there, it would have collapsed before.

Unfortunately, you have to give at least one star. We were in Frankfurt on Sunday, September 28, 2025, and wanted to have a coffee at this café because the atmosphere was really nice. After half an hour!!! had passed, and the waiters had walked past us at least 50 times without even being able to say "Hello," we left without being served. You can at least say hello, but being treated like air is truly deplorable! There are soooo many bad reviews here, apparently the owner doesn't care. The service is absolutely abysmal!

This cafe survives on it's location to keep going. The staff were great, so it's a shame that others had a bad experience. Our waitress was friendly and joking, not something you see in Germany a lot. The food however was mixed. Chicken schnitzel and green sauce, very nice. The currywurst... Wasn't currywurst. Tomato sauce with curry powder shaken in top is really poor and has no curry flavour! Prices are high and their website isn't showing the current prices. Of course, the beer was good though!

Decent food but super rude waiters

I really enjoy coming here. Great atmosphere, prices absolutely reasonable for this central location.👍🏻 I've been really satisfied with the service up until now, but this morning's situation is unacceptable.👎🏻👎🏻 I entered the interior around 9:15!! a.m. and walked purposefully around the counter to sit down at my favorite spot, I think it's table 46. Halfway there, a female employee behind the counter approached me in a really unfriendly tone... Where was I going? It was still closed, but according to Google, it opens at 9:00 a.m., and as mentioned above, it was already 9:15!! a.m. Otherwise, I should find a seat outside😳😳 If I'd planned to sit outside, I would have done so long ago.💁🏼‍♀️ There was a very friendly employee outside who was still setting up the outdoor area. She offered me a seat, but I declined, annoyed because of the situation with her colleague. Please!🙏🏻🙏🏻 Dear Service Manager, please train this unfriendly employee behind the bar in customer communication skills. It's worth it, even for this lady!😅

According to the website, it opens at 9:00 a.m., but we arrived for breakfast at 9:15 a.m. Outside the café, a waitress yelled at us, saying she wouldn't be ready to open for at least 30 minutes. We've rarely been fobbed off in such an unfriendly manner.

The Aperol Spritz was not good and we didn’t appreciate the service that was cold and arrogant

The menu was limited due to restoration, but has good Frankfurter specialities served by friendly staffs.

Never again. The service is catastrophic.

Unfortunately, it only got one star, which is a real bummer. We sat outside yesterday afternoon, to the left of the restaurant, near the stairs, but the old waitress didn't serve us for 40 minutes, and then we had to wait almost 30 minutes for our order. We were fed up, so we left and went to another restaurant. It's a real shame.

It's a shame for the beautiful Aperol decor if the original Aperol isn't served. Even when asked if it was really an Aperol Spritz, the wait staff didn't respond. Considering the price of the drink, that's anything but satisfactory.

Hello, I was at this "restaurant" with my family. 2 adults and 2 children. We had our first problems when ordering. The waitress wasn't exactly customer-friendly. Unfortunately, she didn't know what lactose meant and just referred us to the letters on the menu. Unfortunately, the menu didn't have a key explaining what the letters meant. She didn't know either. The food is disproportionate to the price. The portions are all very small. None of us were full! And nothing tasted particularly good, which would justify the high price. Unfortunately, we paid almost 100 euros for our lunch. We only got ketchup after asking three times. My son had to run to the counter because no one cared. We won't be visiting this place again. One can only hope that the employees aren't like that to everyone. Regards

Extremely expensive and bad coffee. We wanted almost €4 for three ice cubes (€7.90 for an iced latte) without syrup or anything similar. It tasted absolutely terrible. The waitress was nice, but she didn't even know if the large cappuccino had more espresso/coffee in it or just more milk. Also, there are no milk alternatives on the menu. 0.2L of water for almost €4 is pretty ridiculous. I definitely would have expected more for the prices they charge. The location is generally bad for sitting outside, but we expected that. There are always special people around at the Hauptwache, and everything is loud.

Forty years ago, I ate there several times with my parents! I haven't been back for a while now. My mother invited me there for breakfast again! I really enjoyed it! Friendly, quick service! It was delicious! Good value for money! I'll be back more often! 😎👍🏻

Delicious coffee and cake. A lovely atmosphere and truly customer-oriented staff. Always worth a visit!

We only had a drink there and waited a long time for our drinks. It's an expensive place.

Came here for lunch, nice building and atmosphere, food was good.

Upscale restaurant, very nice space. Prices a bit too high.

Very slow waitress and food wasn’t good, schnitzel was dry and the frankfurter sausage seems like a cheap supermarket sausage. I don’t know how this restaurant has above 4 rating, maybe previous iterations had better food and service.

The café is located near the Zeil shopping street and is easily accessible on foot. The menu is extensive and there's both an indoor and outdoor seating area. Outside, you can enjoy watching people come and go from shopping. The prices are big city prices, and you can't complain about that. We had three cappuccinos and one Coke Zero for €17.00. That's still within an acceptable range for me. We didn't eat anything. I highly recommend it.

I waited for over an hour, but the food still hadn't arrived. When I told the staff member, he said something like "Please wait a moment" in German. In the end, the food still didn't arrive, so I left the restaurant. A staff member was singing in front of the toilet during his break, which made me feel very uncomfortable.

The food was okay, but the service was the worst. It was like racism. They took our table's order incredibly slowly. Then they apologized because there were too many people - just a few tables were not occupied. I was going to eat more, but they didn't come to take our order so I just left. If you want to eat in a good mood, don't go. There's no need. And the currywurst doesn't have curry... ???? I wanted to ask but the waiter wasn't there so I couldn't - I just ate my sausage with ketchup lol

Not a recommendation, really. We stopped into the café because, as a Frankfurt native, I'd never been there before and thought I really had to try it. Conclusion: No, you don't have to. The service is truly abysmal. I've never experienced anything like it. The waitress (a relatively young man who acted more like a bouncer) threw the menu on our table after we asked about the menu. When we asked a question, he answered monosyllabically, annoyed, and looked everywhere but at us. When we finally wanted to order, he practically yelled at us that he had told us the items on the menu (which he had thrown on our table) weren't available. We decided not to eat there and don't regret it. The coffee is expensive, small, and from a vending machine. The €6 spritzer is tap water with a bit of fruit syrup and already browned mint. Absolutely unacceptable, really. The bistro's location unfortunately can't make up for it. Do yourself a favor and don't go here. (Personal recommendation and salvation of the day: Café Metropol am Dom)

Average food. Service is good for German standards. service fee already calculated and added to the bill by waitress - no need to tip

I was there this morning and enjoyed a truly delicious cappuccino – perfectly creamy and aromatic. The ambiance was simply amazing: cozy, stylish, and inviting at the same time, making you feel immediately at home. The start to the day couldn't have been better!

The service there is truly unfriendly 😡I myself work in the service industry. If I treated my customers like that, I would not have

We each ordered a Frankfurter Kranz with a hot drink. Both arrived relatively promptly and were very tasty. However, the service was anything but good. A little more friendliness wouldn't hurt in the service department and shouldn't really be too much to ask for.

Resturant many foods not ready as Kitchen is not ready, no Haxe order and many others thing, don’t come

Mediocre and very basic food and disinterested service. Her shift was over, so she asked us to pay immediately. You also have to pay for the restroom, even if you're a regular customer.

I was in a really nice, old café and ordered a shandy. After a long wait, however, only a regular beer arrived, which they refused to exchange even after asking. Later, I asked a friendly waitress if I could briefly charge my laptop, which she allowed. When I did, another employee, a bearded waiter, suddenly came over and yelled at me loudly and inappropriately. He said I was damaging the refrigerators by charging my laptop. The situation was so unpleasant that I left the café. I think it's okay to say something like that normally, but in an appropriate tone, especially in a café that relies on customers. Furthermore, they force you to pay in cash, as you can only pay with a card for amounts over €10. In Germany, this is prohibited by law as long as you can pay with Visa or Mastercard. It's a shame, because the place itself is very nice, but the service unfortunately completely overshadowed my visit. I won't be visiting this café again!

The ambiance is really lovely, but the service is disastrous. We had a breakfast appointment for four people, and the website said it was open from 9 a.m. When we arrived, the waitress simply sent us away, saying we should come back in half an hour or an hour. When I politely asked if I could at least sit outside to wait for my guests, I was told, "No, I still have to sweep." I then stood outside for 20 minutes, observing that nothing was being done outside. I then emailed management, but to this day I haven't received a response—pure ignorance. It's a real shame, because the lovely ambiance can't make up for the abysmal service. I certainly won't be coming back and I can't recommend it to anyone.

Terrible service, being outside is the only pro of this place

No one came, the waiter walked by. And bye

Two small schnitzels on a tiny plate, regular soft drinks, and a waiter who seems like he doesn't want to work for almost €67. Everyone has to decide for themselves, but I can't recommend it under any circumstances.

We just drink but everything is ok.

I didn’t eat here but got some beers. Great atmosphere. Cold beer. But, they charge 1 euro to take a piss. Ridiculous

We came here, but they were missing more than half of the menu. We wanted to order a drink, but the waitress didn't listen and walked away even though they didn't ask for everything. We didn't get to try the food, we only drank, but the drinks weren't that good either (perhaps ours were). I didn't like this restaurant.

The kitchen is currently being renovated, so the food comes from a food truck in front of the café. That wouldn't be a problem in itself, but the prices remain at a high restaurant level, which is completely unjustified given the makeshift preparation. The Frankfurter Schnitzel is served with fries as standard, which isn't exactly appropriate. We opted for jacket potatoes instead—unfortunately, they were cold. The service wasn't good either... Overall, the value for money just isn't right. Perhaps worth a stop for a drink in a central location—for food, you'd be better off going elsewhere.

A disaster. The homemade potato salad was mush from a bucket. The employee ignored us, and even as an unskilled worker, you know how to deal with people. Never again.

Great central location to sit outside. But also very touristy and food is just ok, service was also just ok.

We just had Frankfurter Cake since the kitchen was under construction during our visit. It was a good experience with the famous cake or German.

My message from Saudi Arabia after my visit to the cafe. I thank my Moroccan brother for his high morals and respectful treatment. He is a big attraction to the cafe. I tried the Frankfurt cake. It was delicious, but its size was small, and the price was reasonable.

Shame the waiter was downright rude. Decided to have drinks only.

41 euros 2 coffes 2 omeletes and 1 prezel. And ticket not available. The total sum was made in a calculator

Wouldn’t recommend, service wasn’t super quick which was fine I guess. Then we went up to pay and we had one Pepsi and one glass of white wine, got charged 16,80 for that and the excuse was the location which is bullshit because I’ve had cheaper drinks in bigger city’s like Paris and Amsterdam (also an excuse he used) so you’ll get overcharged for no reason which they probably shouldn’t be allowed to do.

The are overcharging the price for half glass of white wine is 10,50 and a one glass of Pepsi they are charging 5,50 it’s a ripoff.

The only thing worse than the substandard food is the exceptionally poor service. This place survives purely on its location, so if you want to rest your legs and have a glass of local white wine (restricted to 2-3), then this is the place for it. That’s a view of the stale cold and tasteless sauerkraut that I dared try here.

Wow, the waiter, a young man in his 30s or 40s, was extremely unfriendly. The waitress was the same.

Unfriendly service, not recommended. Everyone else gets hot food except us, which is really cheeky.

The service doesn't deserve any stars. When we asked for a seat, we were practically shouted at with the words "Back there!" – after a good 10 minutes, we still hadn't been noticed, while the tables to our right and left were served – equally rudely. It was worth a try. Never again.

The waiter is absolutely unfriendly and not people-friendly. Menus are on the tables, but nothing is sold except drinks.

Drinks: Lemonade bland, Pepsi still and cappuccino thin almost only milk.

ATTENTION! I wrote a review some time ago, which has now been removed due to "defamation." I'll repeat my experience here in a nutshell: - Extremely bad food - Even worse service There's nothing more to say. Stay away!