Höfchen Chinesisches Restaurant — Restaurant in Frankfurt

Finally! A Chinese restaurant where the elegance of interior design does justice to the quality of the food. Quite a few design choices appeal to me. Allow me to name a few highlights (with delightful nostalgia):

⭐️The chairs. Note the curved splat (the vertical center piece of the back support) and the curved crest-rail (the top horizontal piece of the back frame). The unique shape of the crest-rail earns the chair its nickname, the Official Hat Chair, for its resemblance to the winged official’s hat worn during the Ming dynasty. ⭐️The eight-immortals table. The type of square table that traditionally seats two on each side is designed to seat 8, hence the name, Table of Eight Immortals. My grandparents had a worn out one whose age nobody could tell. Seeing a roomful of such tables was an emotional moment for me. ⭐️The long wooden benches. The simplicity and humbleness of the benches stand in contrast to the elevated status of the Official Hat Chair. They give a nod to the name of the restaurant, Höfchen.

⭐️In German, Höfchen is a generic term for any little court or yard. The Chinese name, Xiao Yuan Ba, however, is richer in its cultural connotation. It immediately places the kitchen in the southwest region of China, in the Chengdu area. The word Yuan Ba is simply not used in my hometown area in the Southeast or anywhere in the North. Not even in provinces squarely in the South. The name calls to mind a sun-drenched outdoor space surrounded by rustic walls and full of jolly sounds of eating, drinking and casual banter. A...

This was one of the best and most authentic Chinese food I've tried so far in Europe. The dishes are flavorful and spicy. I have tried fried chicken with 2 chilli signs, it had the right amount of spiciness and hotness. If you're not used to eating spicy food I would suggest going for one chilli level only, otherwise don't let the 3 chilli levels scare you, it's not that hot. The chicken was very soft and perfectly cooked, the vegetables were tasty and not overcooked. It was served with a lot of Sichuan pepper. In my opinion, portions are really large and suitable for sharing between 2 people. You can also have the rest of the food packed if you want to. Toilets are available but I didn't get to use them so I can't comment on that. The staff were not particularly friendly and they ignored us multiple times when we wanted to pay. We didn't have a reservation, but the restaurant was getting quite busy at around noon so I would suggest to make a reservation first. It would have been nice if they had a German or English Menü as well, only the title of the dish is in German but the rest is all written in...

No, they are unfriendly. I am Chinese and I walked in alone afterwork at 1810. There were half of the tables still empty. They saw me came alone, let me order but told me I must pack to go as all the tables are reserved at 1900 and I must pay by cash or Wechat, it was never the case when I walk in with another non-Chinese, we can always pay by card! I ordered anyway but they force me to pack it home. I tried to ask the male manager in a friendly manner as he seems to be the owner but he never reply and pretend did not hear me eventhough I asked several times. I organized some big events years before but will never do so as this attitude by judging people by number is horrible! And this attitude by treating Chinese so unfriendly and rude and with no respect at all shocks me by all means. Especially, this a Chinese treating another Chinese badly in front of all people from other country is so humiliating! Dont go there unless if U have a Foreign face, they discriminate their own kind,...