FRA: Bornheim Excursion

On my last Frankfurt layover, I ran into my captain and friends in the lobby after a jog. He said he was going to one of his favorite restaurants in Frankfurt called Shöneberger. It is in a neat little community named Bornheim in the northeast of Frankfurt town center. He scribbled down some directions on the Frankfurt area map, and I told him I'd meet him there.

Here is the address of Shoneberger:
Berger Strasse 237
50528 Bornheim, Frankfurt am Main
Tel: 0 69-94 50 66 11
Fax: 0 69-94 50 66 12

I wasn't really that hungry, so I wasn't in a big rush to get there, but I liked the idea of venturing out of my normal Frankfurt box. After a relaxing shower, I set out to join them.

To get to Bornheim, you'll need to take the subway, called the U-bahn in Germany.

Come out of the Marriot Hotel and head left along the strassenbahn tracks. There are two glass teepee structures to get down to the U-bahn, take the first one with the stairs not the elevator, as it will put you in a better spot to buy your tickets underneath. The one with the elevator will take you directly to the platform level, which might be convenient if you already have your ticket. This station is called Festhalle/Messe, which will be important to know for the return ride.

Buying your ticket is not really that hard. First select the region that you want to travel in. For the majority of Frankfurt travel, you won't be venturing outside of City Zone (50). Next, select your fare. A one way ticket was €2.10. The day pass is €5.60. The machine will tell you how much you owe. Insert your money and it'll print your ticket.

If you are travelling with a group of up to five, you may want to buy the 'group ticket' wich is more convenient and in most cases cheaper. Just be aware that if you are on the train, you must be travelling with the person that is holding the group ticket. I've have yet to see ticket enforcers on the train, but it's not worth the risk. The group ticket is good for unlimited travel in the zone(s) requested for the rest of the day.

Also, if the weather is bad, you can buy your ticket at the Strassenbahn stop right in front of the Hotel. The stassenbahn will take you the few hundred feet or so to the U-bahn station, which might save you from wet and rainy walk.

To get to Bornheim, you want to take the U4 train labeled Seckbecher/Landstrasse. Get off on the Bornheim/Mitte stop. When you emerge from the station, orient yourself to the map below and head the 450 yards to the Shoneberger Restaurant.


View Larger Map

To the right is a map of the U-bahn from urbanrail.net.

I did not eat at the restaurant, because when I finally arrived, my buds had just finished up their meal. However, they all gave their food rave reviews. Please add a comment about this restaurant if you've eaten there...

Now reunited with the gaggle, we headed off to an apfelwien place. I wish I could remember the name exactly, but it was something like Apfel Suss. It just up the street a little further from Shoneberger (away from the U-bahn station) and on the opposite side of the street. You enter a narrow hallway and follow it to an open air eating area.

Apfelwein, translated apple wine, is perhaps and acquired taste. To me, it basically tastes like fermented apple juice. You can have it straight up or "sauergespritzter(with spritzer). This is simply apfelwein with tonic water added. Just order a bottle of "wasser mit gas" (water with bubbles, or tonic water), and add it to taste (usually about 30%) with your glass of apfelwein. There is also a variant of that called sussgespritzter (sweet spritzer) which is basically a sprite or 7-up added to the apfelwein. It's not bad, although it does up the sweetness factor a tad. Try them both and see which one suits your fancy.

By this time, I was getting hungry, so I ordered the classic German dish, Jaegerschnitzel ("Hunter's Schnitzel", thin veal fried, with a dark mushroom sauce). The Jaegerschnitzel dish at this restaurant was phenomenal! Whether it was really that good, or whether I was just that ready to eat, I can't really say, but I scarfed it all down none the less.

We topped off the night at a bar called Sugar, which is back next to the first restaurant (Shoneberger). A nice little bar with chic modern ambiance.


At the conclusion of festivities, going back to the Marriot was not complicated. Take the same U4 train, but in the opposite direction. Be sure to get off at the Festhalle/Messe stop. The most important thing to plan for is the time of the last train. The U-bahn ceases operations at 1am, so the last train will come by a little bit before that. Ask the concierge to look up the train schedule for the last U4 to catch. Depending on the day, the last two should be at 12:21 and 12:41am. We were there at 1230AM and made the last train. Don't miss it or it'll be a fairly expensive cab ride back to the hotel. When you exit the tepee structure thingie at the Festhalle stop, look for a strassenbahn that headed your direction. If there's one coming, you can save a few minutes of your trip by hopping on a getting off at the next stop which is the Marriot. If there is no train coming, it's probably quicker just to walk (weather permitting).

There you have it! Give Bornheim a shot. It has a quaint friendly atmosphere that get's you out of the big city of Frankfurt for a few hours.