Restaurant in Erkelenz, Germany
One Michelin star, off the obvious route.
A Michelin-starred modern cuisine restaurant on Rurstraße in Erkelenz, Troyka has held one star continuously since at least 2024 under chef Steven Fair. With a 4.9 Google rating across 565 reviews, it sits at the top of the Rhineland's fine dining tier — a serious address in a town that few serious diners have put on their radar yet.
The common assumption about Erkelenz is that serious fine dining belongs elsewhere — Düsseldorf, Cologne, somewhere with a skyline. Troyka corrects that. With back-to-back Michelin stars in 2024 and 2025, a 4.9 on Google across 565 reviews, and a White Star recognition from Star Wine List, this is a destination restaurant that happens to sit in a mid-sized Rhineland town, not a restaurant that punches above its weight by local standards. If you are willing to travel for food, Troyka earns the trip.
Chef Steven Fair runs a modern cuisine kitchen at €€€€ pricing — expect a tasting menu format at a price point consistent with one-star dining in Germany, which typically runs from around €120 to €180 per person before wine. The White Star recognition from Star Wine List signals that the wine programme is taken seriously; pairing is likely available and worth factoring into your total budget.
The atmosphere at Troyka reads as composed and considered rather than loud or theatrical. At this price tier and recognition level, the room tends toward quiet formality in the evening , low noise, deliberate service pace, a setting that works for conversation. If you are planning a celebration dinner or a business meal where the environment needs to carry the occasion, that profile fits. Solo diners should note that a kitchen of this calibre in Germany often accommodates counter or bar seating, though the specific configuration at Troyka is not confirmed in available data.
This is where the practical decision gets interesting. At Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany, the lunch service is frequently the stronger value proposition: a condensed menu at a meaningfully lower price, the same kitchen, and a room that is easier to book. If your primary goal is experiencing Steven Fair's cooking at the most accessible price, lunch is the answer , and it tends to be less difficult to secure than a Friday or Saturday dinner slot.
Dinner at Troyka is the full occasion format. If you are marking an anniversary, a significant birthday, or want the extended tasting menu experience with a wine pairing across several hours, dinner delivers the complete version. The trade-off is booking difficulty: a two-star-adjacent reputation (consecutive Michelin stars attract diners from the wider region) means weekend dinner tables move fast. Book a minimum of three to four weeks ahead for weekday dinner; five to six weeks for weekend slots is safer. Lunch mid-week is your leading chance at a shorter lead time.
Autumn and winter are the strongest seasons for this style of cooking. Modern cuisine at the €€€€ tier in Germany typically anchors menus around game, root vegetables, and fermentation-driven preparations in the colder months , the kind of technically intensive cooking that justifies the price and showcases what a kitchen at this level does leading. Spring menus built around asparagus and early alliums are also a strong draw in the Rhineland specifically, where white asparagus season runs roughly April through June. If you can align a visit with either window, the seasonal logic adds an extra reason to book.
Erkelenz sits roughly between Düsseldorf and Aachen, accessible by road and rail. For diners travelling from Cologne or Düsseldorf, this is a viable evening out rather than an overnight trip, though staying locally removes the pressure of a late return. Check our full Erkelenz hotels guide if you want to make a night of it. The town itself is not a destination , Troyka is. Plan your visit around the restaurant, not around the city.
For more on eating and drinking in the region, see our full Erkelenz restaurants guide, bars guide, and experiences guide. If you want to compare Troyka against other serious German kitchens before committing, Vendôme in Bergisch Gladbach and Victor's Fine Dining by Christian Bau in Perl are the relevant benchmarks at a comparable award level. For further reading on the broader German fine dining tier, Aqua in Wolfsburg, Schanz in Piesport, and Waldhotel Sonnora in Dreis are worth your time. If you are visiting Germany's larger cities before or after, JAN in Munich, Restaurant Haerlin in Hamburg, and CODA Dessert Dining in Berlin round out the picture. For a contrast in format, Schwarzwaldstube in Baiersbronn remains the classic French reference point in Germany. Internationally, Frantzén in Stockholm and FZN by Björn Frantzén in Dubai operate in a similar modern cuisine register if you want a wider frame of reference.
Yes, particularly if you are comparing against other one-star kitchens in the region. Consecutive Michelin recognition in 2024 and 2025 combined with a 4.9 Google score across 565 reviews suggests the kitchen is consistent, not just occasionally impressive. At €€€€ pricing, you are paying in line with comparable German one-star tasting menus. If the format suits you, the value case is solid. For comparison, Bagatelle in Trier operates at a lower price tier if budget is a constraint.
No dress code is specified in available data, but the price tier (€€€€) and Michelin recognition in Germany conventionally signal smart casual as a floor , collared shirts and clean trousers for men, equivalent for women. Erkelenz is not Düsseldorf or Munich, so the room is unlikely to be fashion-forward, but arriving underdressed at a one-star dinner would be conspicuous.
Book well ahead , this is not a walk-in restaurant. Expect a tasting menu format rather than à la carte, modern cuisine technique at a serious level, and a wine list that earned White Star recognition from Star Wine List, meaning the programme is worth engaging with rather than skipping. Arriving expecting a casual bistro would be a misread; this is a destination kitchen that requires some planning.
Possible but not confirmed as specifically configured for solo diners. At this price point and format, a tasting menu for one is a legitimate and often underrated experience , you get the full kitchen output without the social overhead of managing a group. The question is whether Troyka has counter or bar seating; that information is not in the current record. Contact the restaurant directly before booking as a solo diner.
Erkelenz does not have a deep bench of €€€€ dining options, which is part of why Troyka has regional pull. For comparable one-star modern cuisine in the broader area, ES:SENZ in Grassau and Schanz in Piesport are worth considering if you want to explore the wider German fine dining map. See also our full Erkelenz restaurants guide for broader local options at lower price points.
Yes , this is close to the ideal use case. A Michelin-starred kitchen, a wine list with formal recognition, a setting that trends quiet and considered in the evening: the elements align well for a celebration dinner or significant date. Book dinner rather than lunch for the full occasion format, and allow for a wine pairing to make the most of the White Star-recognised list.
At €€€€ with consecutive Michelin stars and a near-perfect Google score, the price is justified by the evidence. The stronger question is whether it is worth the travel from your location. From Düsseldorf or Aachen, yes , the journey is short enough that this functions as an evening out rather than a special trip. From further afield, combine it with an overnight stay and use our Erkelenz hotels guide to plan accordingly.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Troyka | Troyka is a restaurant in Erkelenz, Germany. It was published on Star Wine List on December 16, 2021 and is a White Star.; Michelin 1 Star (2025); Michelin 1 Star (2024) | €€€€ | — |
| Aqua | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Schwarzwaldstube | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| CODA Dessert Dining | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Tantris | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
| Vendôme | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | €€€€ | — |
Comparing your options in Erkelenz for this tier.
For a Michelin-starred tasting menu in Germany at the €€€€ tier, Troyka delivers serious cooking that earns its star on merit, not location prestige. The case for booking is stronger if you treat the drive from Düsseldorf or Cologne as part of the plan rather than an obstacle. If you want a comparable format closer to a major city, Vendôme in Bergisch Gladbach or CODA in Berlin are the natural alternatives, but neither offers Troyka's out-of-the-way-find quality at a regional price point.
One-star restaurants in Germany at the €€€€ price range typically expect guests to dress accordingly — think business casual at a minimum, with most tables arriving in smart evening wear. The venue data does not specify a dress code, but arriving in anything too casual at this price point is likely to feel out of place. When in doubt, err toward a jacket for men and equivalent effort for women.
Troyka holds a Michelin star (2024 and 2025) under chef Steven Fair, operating in Erkelenz — a smaller city roughly between Düsseldorf and Aachen. First-timers should plan the visit as a destination meal, not a casual drop-in: book well in advance, budget for €€€€ pricing, and expect a tasting menu format rather than à la carte. The address is Rurstraße 19, 41812 Erkelenz if you're planning the route.
Modern cuisine tasting menus at Michelin-starred restaurants can work well for solo diners, particularly at a counter or smaller table setup, though the venue data does not confirm counter seating at Troyka specifically. Solo diners at the €€€€ tier should check table availability directly, as some one-star kitchens in Germany prioritise two-tops or larger groups during peak service. If solo fine dining is your regular format, CODA Dessert Dining in Berlin is explicitly counter-friendly.
There are no direct Michelin-starred competitors within Erkelenz itself — Troyka is the standout at this level in the immediate area. For regional alternatives in NRW, Vendôme (three stars) in Bergisch Gladbach and Aqua in Wolfsburg represent higher tiers of ambition, while Tantris in Munich is the reference point for legacy German fine dining. If you're weighing a trip to Erkelenz against staying in Düsseldorf or Cologne, the honest answer is that Troyka is the reason to make the detour.
Yes — a consecutive two-year Michelin star (2024, 2025) under chef Steven Fair makes this a credible choice for a milestone dinner, particularly for guests who want a serious meal without the full theatre of a three-star room. The €€€€ price point signals occasion dining, and Erkelenz's quieter setting can suit couples who prefer atmosphere over city-centre noise. Book early: one-star restaurants at this price tier in Germany typically fill weekend sittings two to four weeks out.
At €€€€, Troyka is priced at the ceiling of one-star dining in Germany, which means the value question is real. The two consecutive Michelin stars (2024, 2025) confirm that the cooking justifies the category, but the location in Erkelenz means you're also paying for a meal that requires a deliberate journey. If you're comparing value across German one-stars, lunch service at restaurants like Tantris or Schwarzwaldstube can offer better price-to-plate ratios. Troyka earns its price if the destination-dining format works for you; it's harder to justify as a casual splurge.
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