Restaurant in Haan, Germany
Michelin-recognised value in an unlikely postcode.
EssensArt in Haan is the strongest value case for Michelin-recognised dining in the area: Chef Tom Köffers holds a Michelin Plate for both 2024 and 2025, Google reviewers rate it 4.9 from 224 visits, and the price sits at €€. Book it for a special occasion when you want quality assurance without the spend of Germany's starred rooms.
Yes — EssensArt is the strongest case for serious dining in Haan, and at the €€ price point it delivers Michelin-recognised quality that most diners in this postcode would have to drive an hour to find elsewhere. Chef Tom Köffers has held a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, which is meaningful: the Plate signals food quality that Michelin reviewers found worth flagging, even without full star elevation. For a special occasion dinner where you want assurance of quality without the four-figure bill that €€€€ venues demand, this is a compelling option.
EssensArt sits on Bachstraße in Haan, a town of around 30,000 in the Bergisches Land region between Düsseldorf and Wuppertal. The address alone tells you something: this is not a city-centre showcase restaurant angling for tourist footfall. That positioning tends to produce a particular kind of dining room — one that prioritises regulars, keeps the atmosphere calm, and lets the food do the talking rather than the décor. For a date night or a milestone dinner, that suits most guests better than a louder, more performative city venue. The physical setting is compact enough to feel considered rather than cavernous, and the international cuisine framing under Köffers means the menu is not constrained to a single regional tradition.
Google reviewers rate EssensArt at 4.9 from 224 reviews, which is a high-confidence signal. A score of 4.9 with that volume is genuinely difficult to sustain and suggests consistent execution across many sittings rather than a spike driven by a handful of enthusiastic regulars. Combined with two consecutive Michelin Plates, this is a restaurant that appears to be performing at a stable, high level right now.
If you are planning a birthday dinner, anniversary, or a business meal where the setting needs to do some work for you, EssensArt fits the brief at a price that does not require a difficult conversation. The €€ tier in Germany for a Michelin-recognised restaurant typically means you are spending meaningfully less than at star-holding peers , often by a factor of two or three , while still eating food that has passed an external quality threshold. That ratio is the core of the value argument here. For special occasions, the absence of a flashy city address is a feature rather than a drawback: the room will be quieter and the service more attentive than it would be in a high-footfall urban spot.
The international cuisine label means Köffers is not locked into a single format. That flexibility is useful for groups with varied palates, and it tends to make a restaurant more reliably enjoyable across multiple visits rather than feeling like a single-occasion destination. If you are bringing guests who are not adventurous eaters, an international kitchen is safer than a highly conceptual tasting-menu-only format.
No delivery or takeout information is confirmed in EssensArt's public record, and given the Michelin Plate positioning and the restaurant's evident commitment to the in-room experience, it would be worth contacting them directly if off-premise dining is your priority. As a general principle, kitchens operating at this quality level and price point are designed around table service: sauces, plating, and timing that work at the pass do not always survive a 20-minute transit. The 4.9 Google rating is built on in-restaurant visits. If you are considering EssensArt primarily as a takeout option, that is probably the wrong framing , book a table instead and get the experience the rating reflects.
Reservations: Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which means you are unlikely to need to plan weeks in advance , but for a Friday or Saturday special occasion, booking a week or two ahead is sensible. Budget: €€, meaning you should expect a per-head spend that sits well below the €€€€ tier of Germany's star-holding restaurants. Dress: No formal dress code is confirmed, but a Michelin-recognised room in Germany at this level will generally suit smart casual. Getting there: Haan is accessible by car from Düsseldorf (roughly 20 km) and Wuppertal (roughly 10 km); check current public transport connections if arriving without a car. Address: Bachstraße 141, 42781 Haan.
For more dining options in the area, see our full Haan restaurants guide. If you are planning a longer stay, our Haan hotels guide covers accommodation options, and our Haan bars guide is worth checking for pre- or post-dinner drinks. You can also browse Haan wineries and Haan experiences to build out the visit.
EssensArt sits at €€ with two Michelin Plates. The comparison set , Schwarzwaldstube in Baiersbronn, Aqua in Wolfsburg, Vendôme in Bergisch Gladbach, CODA Dessert Dining in Berlin, and Tantris in Munich , are all €€€€ venues with Michelin stars. The price gap is the first thing to reckon with: if your budget is the deciding factor, EssensArt is the clear answer. If you are willing to spend at the top tier and can travel, those venues offer star-level ambition that EssensArt does not claim to match.
Within the region, JAN in Munich and ES:SENZ in Grassau are worth considering if you are building a broader Germany fine-dining itinerary. For something closer to EssensArt's accessible positioning, Bagatelle in Trier and Marcel von Winckelmann in Passau are relevant comparisons for international-leaning menus at sub-star price points. For international cuisine benchmarks outside Germany, TRB Temple Restaurant Beijing shows how the format can perform at its ceiling.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| EssensArt | International | €€ | Easy |
| Schwarzwaldstube | French, Classic French | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Aqua | Contemporary German, Italian/Japanese, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Vendôme | Modern European, Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| CODA Dessert Dining | Creative | €€€€ | Unknown |
| Tantris | Modern French, French Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown |
Comparing your options in Haan for this tier.
EssensArt is a Michelin Plate restaurant on Bachstraße in Haan, run by chef Tom Köffers, serving international cuisine at the €€ price point. The location in a town of around 30,000 between Düsseldorf and Wuppertal means you are travelling for the food, not the neighbourhood — plan accordingly. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) confirm consistent kitchen standards, which is the clearest signal a first-timer can use. Booking is rated easy, so you are unlikely to be shut out on short notice.
EssensArt is a reasonable solo option given its Michelin Plate recognition and €€ pricing, which keeps the financial commitment moderate for a single cover. International cuisine format tends to translate well to solo dining, as portions and pacing are typically calibrated per guest rather than around shared plates. No specific counter or bar seating is confirmed in the venue record, so call ahead if solo counter preference matters to you. For solo diners who want more urban energy around them, Düsseldorf's dining scene is 20-odd minutes away.
Booking difficulty at EssensArt is rated Easy, so a week's notice is generally sufficient for midweek visits. For Friday or Saturday evenings, especially if you have a fixed date for a birthday or anniversary, booking two to three weeks out removes the risk. No online booking link or phone number is confirmed in the public record, so check EssensArt's current channels directly when you are ready to reserve.
Tasting menu availability and pricing at EssensArt are not confirmed in the current venue record, so a definitive answer would require checking with the restaurant directly. What is confirmed: two Michelin Plates at the €€ price range, which suggests the kitchen operates at a level where a tasting format, if offered, would represent strong value relative to comparable Michelin-recognised restaurants. If tasting menus are central to your decision, contact EssensArt before booking.
Within Haan itself, Michelin-recognised alternatives do not appear in the public record, which is part of what makes EssensArt the default choice for serious dining in the town. For a broader comparison, Vendôme in nearby Bergisch Gladbach operates at a significantly higher tier and price point. If you want to stay in the Bergisches Land area with Michelin assurance, EssensArt is the practical anchor; if you want to escalate the occasion, Düsseldorf or Wuppertal expand your options considerably.
Yes — two Michelin Plates at €€ pricing makes EssensArt a strong special-occasion choice when you want the dinner to carry some weight without the cost of a starred restaurant. The Bachstraße address in Haan is not a destination neighbourhood, so if atmosphere and setting need to do significant lifting, manage expectations accordingly. For occasions where the quality of the food is the priority over a buzzy urban room, EssensArt fits the brief well.
At €€, EssensArt is worth the price. Two consecutive Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025 confirm the kitchen meets a recognised standard of quality, and the €€ tier means you are paying considerably less than you would at most other Michelin-acknowledged addresses in the wider region. The trade-off is location: Haan requires a deliberate trip rather than a spontaneous visit. If you are driving in from Düsseldorf or Wuppertal with a reservation in hand, the value case is clear.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
