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.

From the owner: Von Jänner bis November findet jeden letzten Freitag im Monat unser österreichischer…read moreSpezialitätenabend mit großem Buffet statt. Alle Infos aus unserer Homepage.

AMAZING! I went for my birthday and had a bonus 50% off my meal :) we did the all you can eat…read moreoption. So many bases (noodles, rice), veggies, proteins, etc to choose from, so there really is something for everyone. The spicy garlic sauce is HOT. Way spicier than I anticipated but very yummy. Second round I got Thai curry, and was disappointed in the sauce. Cocktails were delicious and so was the starter soup: coconut lemongrass. It was served with curry bread and some kind of dip. We also got the homemade raspberry sorbet which was super yummy. I definitely will be back to try out more sauces and flavor combinations! The service wasn't amazing, but the restaurant was packed so I'm not deducting a star since everything else was great.

It was at Mongo's that I discovered the wonderful, delicate taste of crocodile. I was a bit…read moreskeptical about trying Mongolian barbecue in this small city in Germany, but after so many business trips during which I ate only bratwurst and schnitzel, it turned out to be a welcome change. We were a group of ten and so made reservations (though it seems that reservations are a must for groups of any size), and most of us picked the winning formula: a 25€ all-you-can-eat buffet. The drinks were extra, and we shared a bottle of red wine (not amazing) and each had cocktails (these were good). The self-service bar had everything you could think of, from the typical bean sprouts and mushrooms to okra, jalapeño, pineapple, different types of noodles, seafood, and then meat. I wasn't expecting to see crocodile, camel, kangaroo, turkey liver, and ostrich among the choices (hello sustainability?), but I was curious to try them. Once you pile your bowl with these raw ingredients, you set it on the counter before the chefs and in a few minutes it arrives, steaming hot, on your table. We ate and ate and then ate some more, but at some point we had to stop. The benefit of the buffet is that you can try so many different flavors and toppings, but quickly I found a favorite: a noodle-heavy, vegetable-heavy bowl with lots of crocodile and chili garlic sauce (my fellow diners also seemed to prefer this sauce to the others. It was genuinely garlicky, but if it isn't spicy enough, you can add more chili on top of it from the small chili bar across from the main serving station). I would come back to Essen just to eat here again. I haven't found anything like it in Paris!

From the owner: iPad Bestellung , Sushi und Teppanyaki Gerichte in all you can eatread more

Most of the food was cold, and a very limited buffet. I did not try the made-to-order stir fry…read more For a buffet, ~€25 per person is rather outlandish. I guess this place is great if you want to drink all you can drink beer.

This is one of the very best restaurants I've ever been to in my life. It's an experience that few…read moreplaces can rival because it's about the people and the food and the atmosphere. The food is exquisite! Frau Uli is a fantastic chef and the meals are prepared and presented simple and perfectly. There is no pretense, it's wonderful steaks, beautiful tasty salads and potatoes to die for... All in good proportions and at a very fair price. Uli is a perfect host! Wonderful stories and friendly, he is an expert at putting his guests at ease. He knows his Rums and Scotches (and all liquors I'm sure), it's a real treat to have him select an after dinner digestif. Without Uli this would just be a fantastic place to eat but it's so much more! The restaurant is in a wonderful old German building, I'm assuming an old guest house. I could write a 1000 words and I still could not do it justice, go and enjoy!

This is one of my favorite dining experiences anywhere in the world, much less Germany!…read more Our host (though I forget his name) was one of the most genuine people I've ever met and has a beautiful skill at establishing rapport with his customers. The food was delicious and I felt that I was dining in the house of a longtime friend who took great care in her offerings.