Essen gehen & Feiern
Apart from the cafeterias (link), there are many other affordable places to eat in Tübingen. Although, there are many good restaurants in town, the editors’ favourites are the following reasonably priced places.
Generally speaking restaurants are much cheaper for lunch than for dinner. Between 12am – 2pm you should always ask for the “Mittagsmenü”, a set course at a reduced price.
The cheapest shop in Tübingen is called “Salam” which is located at the back of the Deutsche Bank building. It is less than a minute away from the “Lustnauer Tor” bus stop. This shop sells oriental food. Their speciality is a variation of the omnipresent “Döner Kebab”: veggies, French fries and meat wrapped in a “pancake”, which is called “Shawarma” and is usually sold for around 2-3 €.
When preparing the food for you they would ask whether you would like all veggies in it (“Mit allem?”) and if you would like dried pepper on it (“Mit scharf?”). Literally that translates to “With spicy?” and is incorrect German. All the Döner shops still use it.
About 3 minutes away halfway up the Österberg is the Centrale, an Italian restaurant and cafe. They serve good pizza and pasta.
The Al Dente is another highly recommended Italian restaurant in town. It is located at Clinicumsgasse, below the main church. The Al Dente serves all kinds of Italian food. Their speciality is the excellent fresh veggies. Our suggestion: Don’t order from the menu; just ask the chef’s recommendation. (To date he has never let us down.) Both Centrale and Al Dente cost around 8-10 € for lunch with a small beverage.
On the other side of the city center is the “Thai Imbiss”, Tübingen’s best Thai food shop. It is often crowded but their spicy dishes are superb. These dishes are sold for around 6€.
After lunch the editors love to have a cup of coffee. While there are many cafes in Tübingen, the Katesch is an outstanding choice. Katesch is a relatively new shop for fine tea, chocolate and coffee beans. They also serve the city’s best coffee in a stylish atmosphere with a very competitive price. For example: an espresso for only 1€.
If you would like to taste real swabian food, we would like to recommend the Neckarmüller (they also brew their own beer) and the Wurstküche (5 meters away from the Salam shop).
Tübingen’s best restaurant is the Rosenau, which is located up on the mountain. You might have to take a taxi to get there. However, the price could get quite expensive, as a 3-course-meal without drinks cost around 30-40€. You can have a look at their menu here: http://www.restaurant-rosenau.de/imenu.php?what=s
