Restaurant in Düsseldorf, Germany
Book early. The star is earned.
1876 Daniel Dal-Ben earned a Michelin star in 2025 and books out fast — plan 4-6 weeks ahead minimum. Chef Daniel Dal-Ben runs an intimate set-menu restaurant near Düsseldorf's zoo, combining French, Italian, and Japanese influences in a room that Michelin describes as elegant and almost intimate. At €€€€, it is one of the city's most considered creative dining options.
Getting a table at 1876 Daniel Dal-Ben is genuinely hard. This is a small restaurant near Düsseldorf's zoo with a Michelin star earned in 2025, and word has spread fast. If you are planning a visit, treat this as a 4-to-6 week advance booking situation at minimum — possibly longer on weekends. The question is whether the effort is justified. Based on a 4.9 Google rating across 149 reviews and the Michelin inspector's own note that you should "allow plenty of time, as you may be treated to additional courses," the answer is yes, provided you are comfortable with a set-menu format and a leisurely pace.
The room is described by Michelin as "chic and elegant" and "almost intimate" — which translates practically to a small seat count and close-set tables that reward conversation rather than spectacle. This is not a grand dining room designed to impress on arrival; it is a considered space where the scale works in your favour if you are eating with one or two people and want to be absorbed in the meal. The atmosphere is inviting rather than formal, and the front-of-house team is noted specifically for being attentive and well-trained, which matters in a room this size: good service in an intimate setting amplifies the experience, poor service compounds every minor irritation.
The location on Grunerstraße, close to the zoo, places 1876 away from the Altstadt restaurant cluster, so this is a deliberate destination rather than a walk-in option. Factor that into your planning if you are combining it with other Düsseldorf stops. For context on the broader dining scene, our full Düsseldorf restaurants guide covers the city's options across price tiers.
Daniel Dal-Ben's cooking sits in creative territory that pulls from French and Italian foundations with Japanese accents introduced selectively. The Michelin citation singles out a dish of cannelloni with smoked eel, Caprese foam, and pumpkin seeds as a representative example of the kitchen's approach: contrasting textures and flavour registers resolved into something coherent. Herbs and flowers are used throughout, integrated into dishes rather than applied as decoration. The "Cicchetti 1876" starter has become a set-menu constant, suggesting it earns its place every service.
This is creative cooking in a disciplined register , not boundary-pushing for its own sake, but not conservative either. If you have eaten at places like Zwanzig23 by Lukas Jakobi in Düsseldorf or further afield at JAN in Munich, you will recognise the ambition level. Dal-Ben's distinguishing quality, based on the Michelin notes, is balance: the Japanese accents serve the dish rather than signalling creativity for its own sake.
The venue record does not include a standalone drinks list or bar programme details, so specific cocktail or wine recommendations cannot be made here. What the Michelin citation does confirm is a well-trained front-of-house team, which in a restaurant at this price point and format typically means a wine programme taken seriously , pairing suggestions will likely be offered as part of the set-menu experience. If a standalone bar or pre-dinner drinks space matters to you, verify directly with the restaurant before booking. For Düsseldorf's wider bar scene, our full Düsseldorf bars guide is a useful starting point.
For a first visit, a midweek dinner is the most practical choice. Weekends at starred restaurants in German cities fill first, and midweek slots give you more flexibility on table time without the pressure of back-to-back seatings. The Michelin note about additional courses suggests the kitchen likes to extend the experience when the room allows it, and that is more likely on a quieter night than a packed Friday. Lunch service availability is not confirmed in the current data; check when booking. If you are planning a broader Düsseldorf trip, our full Düsseldorf hotels guide covers accommodation close to the restaurant district.
Price range: €€€€. Cuisine: Creative, with French, Italian, and Japanese influences. Location: Grunerstraße 42a, 40239 Düsseldorf, near the zoo. Booking difficulty: Hard , book 4-6 weeks out minimum for weekday tables, longer for weekends. Format: Set menu with potential additional courses. Atmosphere: Intimate, attentive service. Google rating: 4.9 (149 reviews). Award: Michelin 1 Star (2025).
For comparable experiences in Germany, Schwarzwaldstube in Baiersbronn, Aqua in Wolfsburg, and Vendôme in Bergisch Gladbach operate in the same starred tier. Internationally, if the French-Italian-Japanese fusion register interests you, Arpège in Paris and Quique Dacosta in Dénia are worth knowing. For dessert-focused creative dining, CODA Dessert Dining in Berlin is a different proposition but comparably ambitious. Closer to Düsseldorf, Victor's Fine Dining by Christian Bau in Perl is the regional benchmark for multi-star ambition if you want to plan ahead.
Also worth knowing in the Düsseldorf area: Agata's and LA VIE by Thomas Bühner round out the city's serious dining options. Our Düsseldorf experiences guide and Düsseldorf wineries guide are useful if you are planning a longer stay.
The menu is set, so ordering in the conventional sense does not apply. The kitchen determines the progression. The Michelin citation highlights the cannelloni with smoked eel, Caprese foam, and pumpkin seeds as a strong example of Dal-Ben's approach, and the "Cicchetti 1876" starter is a regular fixture. Trust the set menu and flag any dietary requirements when booking rather than trying to customise on arrival.
At €€€€ pricing with a 2025 Michelin star and a 4.9 Google score across 149 reviews, the value case is strong by Düsseldorf standards. The Michelin note specifically mentions the possibility of additional courses, which at this price point is a positive signal about generosity rather than a warning about pacing. Compared to Im Schiffchen at the same price tier, 1876 offers a more intimate room and a more personal creative vision. Worth it if you are comfortable with a full set-menu commitment of two or more hours.
Bar seating is not confirmed in the current data. The restaurant is described as intimate and small, which may mean counter or bar seating exists, but this cannot be confirmed without checking directly with the restaurant. Call or email ahead if this matters to your booking, particularly if you are dining solo. For Düsseldorf bar dining more broadly, our full Düsseldorf bars guide covers alternatives.
Plan on 4-6 weeks minimum for a weekday table, and 6-8 weeks for Friday or Saturday evenings. The restaurant earned its Michelin star in 2025 and is small, so demand is currently running ahead of supply. This is not a walk-in venue under any realistic circumstances. If your dates are fixed and recent, check for cancellations , small restaurants at this level sometimes release tables within a week of the booking date.
The room is described as intimate and small, which makes large group bookings unlikely. Groups of 2-4 are the practical sweet spot. If you are planning a group of 6 or more, contact the restaurant directly to confirm capacity and whether a private arrangement is possible. At €€€€ per head, a group dinner here is a significant spend, so confirm all logistics including dietary requirements and any minimum spend before committing. Jae or Im Schiffchen may have more flexibility for larger parties at the same price level.
Yes, with caveats. The intimate atmosphere and attentive service make solo dining comfortable in principle, and a set-menu format suits solo diners well since there is no pressure to navigate a long à la carte list alone. Confirm whether counter or bar seating is available when booking, as a single seat at a counter is often the leading solo position in a small restaurant. The unhurried pace and potential for additional courses also suits solo diners who want to make an evening of it rather than eat and leave.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1876 Daniel Dal-Ben | €€€€ | — |
| Im Schiffchen | €€€€ | — |
| Jae | €€€€ | — |
| Nagaya | €€€€ | — |
| Zwanzig23 by Lukas Jakobi | €€€€ | — |
| Setzkasten | €€€€ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
The kitchen runs a set menu format, so ordering à la carte is not the format here. The Cicchetti 1876 starter is a confirmed fixture on the menu and a reliable anchor for the meal. Michelin specifically cites the Cannelloni with smoked eel, Caprese foam, and pumpkin seeds as a strong example of Dal-Ben's approach — expect creative contrasts rather than safe classics. Budget time: additional courses are often added beyond the printed menu.
At €€€€ with a 2025 Michelin star, yes — provided you want cooking that moves across French, Italian, and Japanese influences rather than a single focused cuisine. The value case is strongest if you appreciate technique-led, chef-driven menus where the kitchen decides the direction. If you prefer à la carte control or a single strong cuisine identity, this format may frustrate rather than reward.
The venue record describes a small, intimate room rather than a bar-dining setup, and no bar counter seating is documented. This is a sit-down tasting menu restaurant, so walk-in bar eating is not a realistic option. Book a table.
Book as early as possible — four to six weeks ahead is a sensible baseline for a small Michelin-starred room in a major German city. The restaurant is described as intimate, which means seat count is low and demand following the 2025 star will have tightened availability further. Weekends will fill before midweek slots, so targeting Tuesday through Thursday gives you the best chance of a near-term booking.
The room is described as small and almost intimate, which makes large group bookings structurally difficult. Parties of two to four are the practical fit for this format. If you are planning a group of six or more, check the venue's official channels to confirm capacity — but at €€€€ per head across a tasting menu, the logistics and cost add up quickly, and a private dining room is not confirmed in the venue record.
The intimate room and attentive front-of-house described by Michelin suggest solo diners are not an afterthought here. A tasting menu format is actually well-suited to solo visits — the kitchen controls the pacing, so you are not waiting on a group. That said, confirm when booking whether counter or single-seat options exist, as the room layout is not fully documented.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
