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Cologne is not a beautiful city in the classic sense, wide streets and outstanding architecture are scarce, except of course, in the case of the cathedral. What makes Cologne interesting and attractive is its denseness. It is not very hard to explore the different areas of the city in one morning. At the same time, Cologne is also a young city and its charm is partly due to the diversity of ethnic groups calling it their home. This is also reflected in the variety of restaurants - culinarily speaking almost every country of the world is represented here. The influence of a young clientèle and students have, however, had the most pronounced effect in forming the gastro-landscape of the city. Therefore, the dominant form of entertainment is not only at restaurants but also bars and coffee shops.
Even though the nightlife areas are situated close together, each has its own atmosphere and clientèle. The focal point of Cologne's nightly entertainment used to be the South of the city, but has gradually shifted to the center and now the North, around the Ebertplatz, has gained the upper hand in nightly entertainment. The majority of new restaurants and bars in this area have no cause for complaint as far as volume of custom goes; however, this development does not mean the veteran areas have now fallen by the wayside, they may just be a bit quieter nowadays.
Südstadt
This area around the Chlodwigplatz, still has a certain appeal - although not necessarily for wild nightlife. A lot of good restaurants are located in this area. The well-established La Patata on Alteburgerstraße is as popular now as it ever was. The Galestro, star of Cologne's pasta universe, can still hold its own.
Student life rules around Zülpicherplatz. Along Zülpicherstraße the glittering array of bars is only interrupted by a few snack bars. Just a side street away from this backbone of student nightlife, is a downtown oasis of culinary delights.
Belgische Viertel
This area, between Rudolfplatz und Friesenplatz, becomes the playing field of media folks after dusk, artists and those who are on their way to becoming one or the other. By day a rather peaceful neighborhood with coffee shops and galleries, by night it becomes a veritable Eldorado for restaurant enthusiasts and clubber. Even though the interesting part of Friesenstraße is only 200 meters (656 feet) long, you will find everything you need for a night well spent: Sushi, Tapas, Kölsch and beautiful people, the latter can be frequently encountered at places such as Arkadia. The Stadtgarten is the place for small but high quality concerts and boasts the most popular downtown beer garden.
Ebertplatz
This marks the northern point of the semi-circle that forms downtown Cologne. If you are looking for proof of this area's trendiness then pay Elektra a visit. The Bosporus on Weidengasse is synonymous with excellent Turkish cuisine, however this area offers plenty of other opportunities to get a great Turkish meal in any one of the many snack bars.
Ehrenfeld
Otherwise this area is not really blessed with good restaurants, but it is home to both Anders and Zeit der Kirschen.
Nippes
This is another blue-collar neighborhood, which accommodates the Zum Kornbrenner—a great place to get to know the locals and a genuine traditional Kneipen. In addition to the aforementioned Turkish restaurant at Weidengasse, the Merhaba also offers perfectly executed modern Turkish cuisine.
What Cologne lacks in terms of grandeur, it makes up for in its charm and zest for living.
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