Societea – lunch in Sittard

Reader Recommendation…

“There’s a delicious lunch place in Sittard that I wasn’t sure if you’d tried…Societea. Lovely tea room with delicious soups, sandwiches as well as big food. They offer a high tea which I’ve tried and don’t recommend- 16E for not a lot of food, but the rest of the menu is really reasonable. The desserts look like heaven and all the tea and coffee is served with a chocolate truffle and a shot of whipped cream drizzled with caramel. That sold me on the place!”

Societea & More
Molenbeekstraat 6-10
6131 EG Sittard
046-4513427

Hours:
Mon: 10.00-20.00
Tues – Sat: 9.00-20.00
Thurs: 0900-21.00
Sun: 10.00 – 20.00 (sales Sundays only)

http://www.societea.nl/Pages/index.aspx

Food and Beauty in Aachen

Cafe Liege
www.cafe-liege.de

Aachen Stores:

Missio Haus
Anton-Kurze-Allee 4

Mayerschen Buchhandlung
Buchkremerstraße 1-7

Aachen-Brand
Marktplatz 5

Don’t be put off by the photo… this is one that I decorated. Theirs look much better. The point is that the cake at Cafe Liege are made by Belgian chefs who make cakes their way and with 1/3 less sugar than the German cakes. Not only beautiful, but these cakes are absolutely delicious. It’s true that you’ll want another piece. They have several cafes in Aachen and franchises in other towns that you can discover on their website. They also cater and do special orders.

Malu Wilz
http://www.malu-wilz.com/

This is a store that any woman who likes makeup will absolutely flip for. Malu Wilz has created her own product line full of color, a fantastic skin car line, and products that can camouflage as well. The ladies who work there are very friendly and speak English well too. It is definitely worth stopping by. Malu just won an international lifetime achievement award in her field, so if you happen to meet her, you are kind of meeting a celebrity!

Cafe zum Moren

Note: At some point in the not horribly far future, I will add a photo to this post. For now, I am still moving between two computers which has left my photos all floating around somewhere in the Twilight Zone. Alas, if I can’t find a good photo, I may just have to go back, right?

Cafe Zum Mohren
Hof 4; Aachen
0241-35200
Open: 1000-2000 Mon – Sunday except New Year’s Eve and Day, Christmas, and Easter.

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum… you get the picture. Starbucks is known and reliable. Cafe Middleburg serves delicious lunches and has my next birthday cake, but this place definitely has it’s niche in my cafe line-up.

This place puts Starbucks to shame. Where in most German bakery/Cafe’s, you’ll have the traditional 5 coffee options, here you’ll find 41 coffee options on the menu some traditional, some with syrups, some with liqueurs, and others with ice cream. Not only coffee, you can also choose from 20+ different hot chocolate options, 15+ tea options, Gluehwein, Grog, and all the normal sodas and juices (oh, and beer… can’t forget that!). So, you really got the drinks covered here. And they are good. Very good.

For munchies, this is a challenge. Again – choices – and they’re good. The problem will be timing. You can’t go in at 0900 and get a hot slice of quiche no matter how good it sounds. For savories, you have to wait until 11. But, Cafe Moren, set in a beautiful white 350 year-old building does have a HUGE ice cream menu, a great selection of Belgian cake specialties, Brataepfels, and delicious apple strudel, Reisfladen (an Aachen specialty – delicious with cherries and whipped cream), and several other cakes including ice cream cakes made to order.

The prices? Good. Two of use had fancy coffees and generous slices of desserts for just less than 12Euro.

How to get there? Face the Rathaus, then take the street to the left that starts down the hill towards the Dom. Veer to the right, then take the second street on the left. It should lead you to a small open square near the Covent museum. The Cafe is in an old white building on your left as you enter the square. If that fails, ask someone or take a walk with your GPS.

Cafe Louis – Heinsburg

The fact that there is no photo with this post is testament to the great desserts that come from Cafe Louis. I tried pieces of 4 different flavors of cake and enjoyed them so much that I never even thought of taking a picture. And, I’m not the only one. I saw guests walk by with 4 desserts or more, take them to their tables, and devour them completely.

Cafe Louis provided the dozens of cakes, pastries, and donuts that were enjoyed at the CSA Carnival party at the Officer’s Club on Friday night. The variety was amazing and the flavor was as good as it gets. If you like chocolate, you’ll enjoy their chocolate mousse cake, but from fruit, to cream cakes, berliners and apple krapfen, it’s all delicious – delicious enough to drive to Heinsburg just for a large slice of cake.

Cafe Louis
Conditorei and Partyservice
Stiftstrasse 15-17; Heinsburg 52525
Tel: 02452-2828

Muenchhausen Erzaelkaffee in Gangelt

Münchhausen Erzählkaffee

Markt 8

52538 Gangelt

Tel. 02454 – 935799

http://www.erzählkaffee.de/

Öffnungszeiten: Tues-Fri: 1300-2200

Sat and Sun 1000-2200

Monday: Closed

Open just for a few months now, the Erzaelkaffee in Gangelt is already a big hit. Set in a beautiful old building with bells in the top right off the B56, it’s a great place for breakfast or a small snack with friends.

Furnished and decorated beautifully, with nice lighting and small things for sale, you’ll enjoy the ambiance of this place. The upstairs is even prettier than the downstairs and it’s there that you’ll be able to entertain if you want to have a group event. Priced reasonably, the cake slices are so generous, you can easily split them. The coffee is also very good. The breakfast buffet is nice, but doesn’t quite offer as much as the cafe in Beeck, so for a large breakfast, Beeck is still the place to go.

But, if you aren’t looking for a big meal and would enjoy the ambiance perfect for a slice of cake and a cup of coffee with friends, this place is perfect. You’ll enjoy it’s beauty. The people who work there are very nice and do speak a bit of English.

My neighbor had a family birthday there with about 20 people. They all sat upstairs for about 3 hours and had soup, cake, and coffee. She raved about it – absolutely loved the setting, the food, and the service. Having gone there myself now, it really would be a great place for meeting or small event. Call ahead if you’d like to plan something so that they can prepare. They will also come up with a menu and set per/person price if you’d like.

Middelberg Konditorei Cafe & Confiserie

Just when I thought I’d had the best German cake around, I found a bakery that has topped them all!

In Aachen, this cafe set on the corner of a small street right off of the Markt makes the absolutely best cake I’ve eaten since moving here. With various cakes and chocolates make on the premises, you are sure to find something that you like. I had a chocolate mousse cake with berries on top – the best mousse ever with the perfect chocolate intensity – it will be my next birthday cake.

I was just here again recently early before the shops were opening and found that Middelberg has an amazing breakfast buffet. It looked delicious and the prices seamed reasonable too! The downstairs has just a few seats, but go upstairs. There are several rooms as you walk back. Looks deceivingly small, but isn’t.

Middelberg
Konditerei – Cafe – Confiserie
Rethelstrasse 6
Aachen 52062
Tel: (aachen prefix?) 39167
Email: cafemiddelberg@aol.com

Open: M-F 0900-1830; Sat 0900-1800; Sun 1030-1800

(Rethelstrasse runs parallel to the market square just between
Buchelstrasse and Kramerstrasse)

ALL YOU CAN EAT BREAKFAST!!!

Beautiful location, delicious food, quiet atmosphere, tempting cakes… and, of course, a fabulous breakfast buffet. This is one of my favorite breakfast cafes and it’s only 10 minutes outside of Geilenkirchen. Go to the website and click on Speisen for meals and prices.

Beecker Bauern und Erzaehlkaffee
Zum Schlackenberg 37
52511 Geilenkirchen-Beeck

Tel: 02453-383875
Web: www.bauernkaffee.de

Open Mon-Fri 0900-1900; Sat and Sun 1000-1900

Breakfast Served: Mon-Fri 0900-1200; Sat and Sun 1000-1300

This place is open 7 days a week (amazing, here) and provides an absolutely delicious all-you-can-eat breakfast for only 7.50E.

Eggs scrambled, soft-boiled, or sliced hard boiled…
Breads and rolls both white and seedy, toasted or not…
A huge assortment of cereals along with milk, quark, and various yogurts…
Jams, jellies, and nutella…
Juices, coffee, hot cocoa…
Fresh fruit including the best honeydew I’ve had this year…
Three trays of cheese including some nice brie and a wonderful gouda…
Several large trays of sliced deli meats and a tray of very good teewurst and liverwurst…
A tray of fresh sliced vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, etc…

It’s all delicious… top that off with the fact that this place has a non-smoking section and that it’s beautifully decorated with fun, inexpensive things that are also available for purchase… and you’ve got yourself a cafe to go back to again and again. Yum!

The staff have limited English ability, but are very friendly and helpful and will try to communicate with the English that they do know. There is plenty of room for large groups, but reservations are recommended. Whether you are two people or twenty, it is best to call ahead at this point. They are becoming very well known and the food is so delicious that every day is crowded. Go early and do call ahead if possible so you don’t have to be turned away. If they are completely booked, go to Immendorf to the Landcafe. It’s not as big a breakfast, but it’s a nice alternative that is close to Beeck.

Directions: My GPS wants to take me through Geilenkirchen, but unless you live in Geilenkirchen, that way is very curvy and will take you longer. I take the 221 south towards Aachen, past Ubach-Palenburg, and past the left hand turn-off for Immendorf. Eventually, you’ll come to a left-hand turn for Beeck. Turn left, go about 2 minutes down the road to a round-a-bout and turn right. Follow the road as it curves around. Once you hit the main town, you’ll turn right and follow that road straight as it narrows and goes by a corn field… then you’ll turn left and run into the place. There are small signs for it once you get to Beeck.

Cafe Curioso

Cafe Curioso
Erkelenzer Strasse 16
Dremmen
Tel: 02452-930727
Cafe Open: Saturday and Sunday 1000-1900

Das Atelier: Antique Shop
Open: Mon-Thurs 1400-1900, Sat 1000-1900

Eclecticism at its best, Cafe Curioso mixes it up – from the truly beautiful to the strangely tacky adorning what feels like some one’s living room to the cramped upstairs with treasures hidden among the antiques, here you can dine, shop, and on the best days, enjoy soulful blues that will put you right down on Bourbon street like you were back ‘in the day.”

For antiques, I’ll stick to Tongeren though you will find treasures here if you dig enough. But, go to a Blue’s Night… you’ll get a dose of atmosphere and curiosity mixing a memory you won’t soon forget.

For food… the quiche and cakes are delicious and I’ve heard… that the breakfast is difficult to beat.

Das Cafe

Thanks to an anonymous reader who informed me that Das Cafe has recently closed.  If you see something new and fun sprout up in it’s place, please pass it along.    Thank you.

Haus Immendorf

Haus Immendorf
LandCafe and Backerei
52511 – Immendorf

Tel: 02451-9153435
info@landcafe-immendorf.de
www.landcafe-immendorf.de

Mon- Sat: 0700 – 1900 (closed on Tuesdays)
Sun: 0800 – 1900

Reservations suggested for large groups

Breakfast is served until 1230 all days. Bakery items and beverages are available all day. After 1230, there is a soup of the day and a meat/cheese/bread plate.

The place: Behind the pond is the large cafe with plenty of indoor seating where you can still be a part of the outdoors with their large windows. When weather cooperates, you can also sit outside in clean, well-cared-for patio furniture. All the place is clean. The bathrooms are very nice. Off to one side, outdoors, is a play structure for children with two swing, a sandbox, a slide, and a tall tree-house that is a lot of fun, but could be scary for very little ones. My three-year old does well there.

The food: The menu is small. Don’t go expecting a large American breakfast. But, the German breakfast is excellent. I usually order the bauern-fruestuck which includes 2 breads, meats, cheeses, jellies, a coffee or tea, and orange juice all for around 5 euros. If you order the same meal with others, they’ll bring out a larger basket with assorted breads – usually a broetchen and a sliced bread for each. The meat and cheese tray will also be assorted. Larger breakfasts include more of the above and also an egg. Remember, the breakfast is only available until 1230 and they really stick to that. Anytime of day you can try one of the delicious baked item they serve. The himbeertortchen (raspberry tart) is filled with a very light custard in a light, flaky, sugared crust. All the desserts are delicious and, you can also have delicious home-made ice cream seasonally (May-Sept – usually).

If you want “real” food after the breakfast time, they do offer a daily soup. The 4 Euro “wurst oder kase” plate is good. You can have sliced bread with an assortment of deli meats, cheeses, or a combination. About 5 open faced sandwiches came on a plate with lettuce and cucumbers on the side. It was enough to share when we had dessert also. As opposed to the breakfast which is all served separately for you to assemble, the cheese or meat plates come assembled with a generous heaping of butter spread on each slice of bread. Too much for me. If I were to get that again, I’d ask for it “ohne butter” — without butter.

To go or not to go: Go, definitely as long as you don’t need a super-sized meal. This place is nice for a group of ladies socializing. It is great for breakfast, coffee, or cake. It is nice for families together who don’t need a huge meal and groups with children. The portions are good and I am always filled up, so don’t think by my comments that you can’t get filled up here, but steak and potatoes, it’s not, so do go, but adjust your expectations accordingly.

Kids? YES! They have a playground. They have ice cream and hot chocolate and kids breakfasts served with nutella! This place is VERY kid friendly and if you sit outside where the kids can run off and play within view, you may even enjoy a peaceful adult conversation! Kids will also like peering over the little fence to watch the ducks and turtles in the pond.

Take home: The bakery is excellent, so before you go, grab some breads or dessert items. You won’t be sorry!