The German-Russian friendship might be going through rough times, but Roter Platz (“Red Square”) is the place to celebrate our ties!

Here, it seems the USSR never ceased to exist. Ukrainians drink with Russians and Germans join in. Lenin is watching the crowd from the corner and the walls are covered in –of course- red. With lots of Russian memorabilia on the walls and newspapers in Cyrillic printed on the tables, there is lots to look at and discover.

Roter Platz is like a chameleon: While during the week you can have the right ambience for a nice dinner for two, on weekends it is rather noisy and has the vibrant atmosphere of a pub full of students and loud music. Try both!

On weekdays, come for dinner. Since we are at Zülpicher Platz, right in the student quarter of town, the food is affordable. It is authentic (of course, the cook is Russian!) and tasty. My favorite: Grilled Georgian cheese with delicious pomegranate sauce (Suluguni). But there are plenty of Russian standards to choose from.

However, most people come for drinks. It is “Baltika”-beer that Roter Platz is mostly known for. You can try the variations from strong and dark Baltika 7 to light Baltika 3. Or choose from the long menu of cocktails and vodkas. There are about 50 different vodkas from cranberry and honey to pine and pepper.

In summer, you can sit outside and watch the students dive into Cologne’s night life.