We took a river cruise along the Danube and a 'must stop' is in Passau Germany. In reading through…read moreliterature, about 500,000 people visit this small city that has about 50,000 full time residents. To say the least, this city is overrun with tourism. There are groups walking around everywhere, listening to their tour guides holding up the plastic 'lollypop' of all shapes and colors.
Not far from the main square, we found a reasonably quiet street with a wonderful coffee shop and restaurant. Anton has two entrances, but we learned that they serve the same food. We actually came here twice in our day in Passau. We chose to sit inside for coffee and pastry and later, outside for lunch.
The coffee and chai tea that we were able to enjoy along with the absolutely most extraordinary apple strudel were excellent. The staff were very helpful, guiding us to select what's best in the bakery. The atmosphere was comfortable. Clearly, nearly everyone here is a tourist, but it didn't have the feel of a tourist trap.
We asked around and several people suggested that we return here for lunch. And so we did just that. Sitting outside we had the chance to watch the many tours and tourists walk by. The main downside was that it's legal to smoke outside in the EU, not inside. And there was a group of smokers several tables away. Not terrible, but could be better.
For lunch we enjoyed the soup of the day, spinach dumplings and clams in pasta along with a side salad. Everything was very fresh, well seasoned, and truly delicious. As we had dessert and coffee earlier, we elected not to have them again.
There are likely several good restaurants in Passau. This is the one we chose and we were very satisfied. One last suggestion, if you are in the city after about 5 PM, all of the tours and most tourists have left. If you choose to walk at this time of the day, you can really enjoy the beauty without the people walking everywhere around you.
