I know there aren’t a whole lot of recommendations here, but this is me manifesting that I get to return to this beautiful city sometime soon for a good cup of coffee.

To my knowledge, all of these places (or at least most of them) use RECUP, a German system where, with a deposit of €3 or so, you take a reusable plastic cup to-go, and you can either refill the cup at another participating coffee shop or return it for your deposit back. In my opinion, this is a genius system and I think more countries or areas should adopt this system. I’m generally not a fan of Germany’s draconian waste management laws, but this one I found to be a great scheme. The cups can also serve as a currency almost, as I noticed a local leaving their cups for the janitors of our building, so they can return them and collect the deposits. I love it, let me know what you think.

The Coffee Gang

Starting with my favorite on this list, The Coffee Gang (or Kaffee Gang) is a fantastic spot to sit and chill with a cup of their delicious coffee. The shop has tons of character, with inside and outside seating, and the staff is super friendly.

It also has a very centralized location, right on the edge of Hohenstaufenring, so sitting on their patio offers tons of great people-watching opportunities. I spent the better half of a day watching a group of German construction workers putting up a new telephone pole just a few feet away, and it was quite the spectacle.

Habitat Coffee

This is a snug little corner coffee shop in a quiet neighborhood with lots of outside seating and it’s a great place to spend a morning on a weekend – such a great place that even with all of its outside seating it still sometimes fills up. At least, that’s how it was on the Saturday when I went. However, there is little-to-no indoor seating, so be aware of that when you come here on one of those scorching hot A/C-less summer days.

Moxxa Cafe

If you’re in the Mulheim part of Cologne, this is the best place (and one of the only places) I could find for coffee. They have a really nice patio, delicious coffee, and great staff. This shop is tucked away in what I’d call the academic district of Cologne, near a Turkish neighborhood, in the less popular part of the city, but that doesn’t distract from the fantastic quality of coffee they have.

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That’s all I have for now, but trust me, when I go back to Cologne I will make a part two with way more recommendations. These are just a few great spots for coffee in Cologne, and I can’t wait to find some more gems.

Let me know in the comments if there are any coffee places you recommend and, as always, safe travels!