Bastian’s — Restaurant in Cologne

This is my first time visiting Köln. I went here after the Kölner Dom Mass service and I was getting a little hungry. The Google map shows a 4.4 rating and had nearly 3000 reviews. For the record, I do speak a little German.

I wanted to try their German bakery. Initially I just wanted to grab a Brötchen and a pretzel to go. But I realized I could also have a seat and enjoy them.

I ordered an ice coffee, a bread roll, a pretzel, some Gouda cheese and butter for the bread. In total, that costs me 16,70 €. In the end, the waiter came up and asked if I would like to tip him.

I didn't know the tipping culture in Germany that well. I wasn't going to tip since what I had was already overpriced. And the waiter wasn't exactly helpful when I had hard time choosing different Brötchen. (But the girl at the bakery section was super helpful, so I should have tipped her instead)

I also didn't want to come across as rude. So in the end, plus the tip, was 18,00€. After the breakfast, I told my German friends what happened. They all think I shouldn't have tipped since the waiter demanded for it, and the meal was quite expensive.

I was looking forward to some German bakery experience for the first time. And I know I could have done more research but for a bakery house with overwhelming positive reviews. I did not expect a service like this.

Unfortunately, I don't think I will come back again, nor recommending it to any...

Very nice for brunch/lunch. Fantastic looking cakes and nice lunchtime menu. My partner had the baked potato and I had the tart Serrano. The tart was delicious and served with a nice side salad. The baked potato came nicely done and the accompanying mushrooms were delicious. The service was excellent and they brought my partner a menu in English (although it didn't have the cheaper table-water on it which was on the German menu for some reason). The menu didn't have anything specifically gluten free and when we asked we were told nothing was guaranteed to be gluten free and they told us where we could find a cafe that did have gluten free if we wanted to, however many of the dishes didn't have gluten containing ingredients so we risked it anyway and everything was fine (my partner is very very sensitive to gluten), I guess being a bakery they just can't guarantee there has been no cross contamination. Very nice place would definitely return if we are in...

Two friends and I visited the café at lunchtime today. Unfortunately, we experienced particularly poor service from a dark-haired waiter. There was no greeting, my vegetarian friend was only greeted with an unnecessary remark and the ordering process was also mediocre. When I discovered a small, sharp-edged shard in my Greek yoghurt with honey and fruit by biting on it and told him about it, he asked me: "Yes, and what can I do about it?" No apology, no asking if everything was okay with me and no offer to bring me a new yogurt without any broken pieces. It was only when my friend pointed this out to him that he brought me a new yoghurt. We were absolutely stunned and never experienced anything like it. When I paid the full price for the yoghurt (over €11), there was also no conversation and for me it was the first time that I couldn't leave a tip. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed and cannot...