this wonderful unique restaurant is definitely my favorite in germany & possibly in all europe - no kidding. it features organic vegetarian fare as well as organic wine, beer, cider & other beverages. i myself am not vegetarian, so this is not the criterion for my rating, but after all the schweinfleisch-heavy menus you find in germany, what a relief it is to discover zodiac
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the food is as fresh & made-to-order as you can find & is not only delicious, but food that makes you feel better as soon as you begin eating it. the super-welcoming proprietor mo is of iranian origin ( i'm pretty sure the staff is comprised of mo's large family), so the cuisine is probably persian at its core, but cannot be defined exclusivlely as such.
i've had 5 meals at zodiac, & everything i've tried there is good. yesterday i had the delicious ratatouille made with roast vegetables, the freshest tastiest taboulleh you can imagine (always order the taboulleh) & a pizza with feta, spinach & olive, all of which a friend & i shared along with a cider & a weitzenbier & the bill was 36e, so as you see the price is surprisingly reasonable. i'll also recommend any of the soups, by the way.
always call & reserve first, as you never know when the place will be swarming with neighborhood patrons - it is certainly popular. the ambience is calming, with low lighting & lots of green vines climbing everywhere. the service is very good, but the food being individually prepared comes out in its own time. once you're seated, you won't be rushed in any way. the kitchen is in full view of the dining room & you won't hear food processors whirring (i'm pretty sure they don't use them) or even loud conversation. & if you're not able to be seated that night, you can order a pizza from the adjacent take-out window.
i tour professionally, & whenever i hit essen zodiac is the first place i go. i'll be here a total of 6 days this trip, & i'll definitely dine at zodiac at least one more time. thank you mo & crew & i'll definitely be seeing you soon! read more