Outside: Hidden down an alley. Inside: Clean and…read morecomfortable. Food: Authentic Chinese Cuisine Service: Fast and Friendly Price: ~$15 per person Dong Bei Lou (North East Tower) Is a hidden gem in the city of Essen. If you like authentic Chinese cuisine, stop reading this and just go! This charming Chinese restaurant is tucked away down a kind of alleyway that you would be likely to miss if you weren't looking for it - but you SHOULD be looking for it. I visit Essen every year for the Spiel board game convention and there are a lot of mediocre and crowded restaurants near the convention center. Dong Bei Lou is both fantastic and seemingly off the radar so it checks a couple wonderful boxes there! The servers (and owner) were welcoming to us on each of our visits and the food, servers family style as is the Chinese custom, was mouthwatering on every occasion. One thing to note is that many of the dishes are spicy, and not the standard "white people spicy" you get at more westernized chinese restaurants. Expect Sichuan red chili and numbing black peppercorns in some of the dishes and do avoid the things that they warn you are spicy if you do not like spicy food. Otherwise, you cannot go wrong on this menu. Vegetable dishes were cooked to perfection and flavored well. Meat dishes were tender and savory. The beers were cold and the food was hot. What more could you ask for. What's that? You want to fill out your authentic Chinese dinner experience by concluding with K-TV? No problem! There is a Karaoke booth in the bar area - so step in after your meal and sing your heart out. Truly, Dong Bei Lou is one of the best Chinese restaurants I have experienced outside of Asia. Check. This. Place. Out.

The Chilli House is located on the more quieter part of the Rüttenscheider Straße. The setting is…read moresimple and rustic, all dark wood which makes the restaurant a little too dark for my taste. They service is normally efficient but not overly friendly. When it's packed, it can get slow! The menu is huge, they serve all kinds of different Asian food including Thai, Chinese and Japanese. I came here for lunch and they have a lot of different good value sets. Just be prepared that the food is not authentic Asian. The names of the dishes may sound like that but they are not. If you understand this, you may have a decent meal. It is very popular amongst locals but I will not return if I don't have to.

My favorite place in Essen, one of the best Thai's I know globally ! Very good value. Try the…read moreNoodle soop with Pork and Ramen.

warnung why you…read moreshould not eat in this restaurant no mongolischer grill, untasty and dry sushi and the smallest chinesische buffet!!! 1. all written in their website are lies . the prices and what they are offering for. they don't offer the grill but charge you for the whole amount with grill. 2.when arrived only half of buffet is open. no grill , no seafood , dry desserts 3.very small amount of foods selection. 4. fried foods are super dry , no taste and not fresh 5. waitress doesn't speak english or german . she's super unfriendly too. 6.food was not worth of the money. 7. drinks are expensive. 8. they don't collect plates on the table. 9. they don't ask how's the food or how you are. they just walk around you like you're a ghost. 10. when you try to explain something to them, they don't listen. they just give you unfriendly face and leave . 11.they don't have corona rules. 12. the dessert was dry and taste expired. 13.they don't resolve problems . they leave you unsatisfied. please save your money somewhere else where it is worth. we will never again visit this restaurant. it was a big mistake. we were already in different kind of buffet restaurant and this was the worst experience. taste bad, dry, not fresh and old. do not eat its not worth it!

Unperfekthaus is a truly unique venue. A multi level creative artistik space, complete with…read morecouches, studios, multimedia rooms, wifi throughout, and buffets for dining and drinking. It would take you days to explore and find all the nooks and crannies of this very cool place. But in any case, you will be relaxed and enjoy yourself. A variety of time based tariffs including all you can eat and drink plans. Crowd varies dramatically based on time of day and day of week, but will always be the crème of Essen's artistic crowd. Check it out!! http://www.unperfekthaus.de/e/

Unperfecthouse is one of the coolest places I have visited anywhere in the world. It is part bar,…read morepart hang out, part art gallery, part bar, and all you can eat buffet serving everything from traditional German food, to Latin food, and Vegan/Vegetarian offerings. I was with a large group from the Uni-Essen and we had the party room on the second floor. The other plus was that the "all you can eat" came with all the beer you can drink as well. This was a cool place to have a party for sure. Now it was mainly university folks but young kids came in and ate, drank beer, surfed the Internet, played music and there are many rooms in this sprawling place to eat, mingle, and basically hang out. The Men's bathroom is famous for its scrolling films on the walls. The website lists all sorts of other things going on in this mixed-use-space, but after hanging out here, drinking a few good beers, and eating all sorts of amazing cheap food, I have to say I was happy our hosts brought us here. All I can say is wow. Now, I have no idea what it is like if you are a solo traveler who happens to be in Essen, but I think it would still be a great bet for a place to eat (take your time) have a few beers, check the email with the free wi-fi, and take advantage of this unique space. If I had the money I would open a place like this in the USA. Think Warhol's Factory without all the creepy people and with good food.