After making my way through Spremberger strasse to soak in the Saturday night summer atmosphere, I finally reached the southwest corner of the Altmarkt, the Old Town square whose central vast space is taken over by open-air restaurants, ice-cream parlours and bars. A stone’s throw from the Market Fountain and the Apothecary Museum on the south side of the square, Restaurant Mosquito occupies a huge premises whose distinct yellow painted facade stands out amidst a row of impressive historical buildings.
When I was there, the Altmarkt was one big venue of outdoor night partying. But nowhere was this more pronounced than in the open-air space taken over by Restaurant Mosquito for summer entertainment. On the adjoining elevated stage-like platform, a live percussion band was beating hard on the drums to accompany the high-pitched amplified voice of a solo singer who sang non-stop to South American music. The 40 open-air tables laid out with colourful tablecloths were packed with diners who were enjoying both the food and the atmosphere. Nothing could stop me from looking around trying to find a table. However, when this seemed impossible, I had no further choice than to make my way inside and take one of the empty tables near one of the restaurant’s bay windows.
From here, it was not possible to see the floodlit stage but I could still enjoy the deafening tango music and the outside atmosphere enhanced by the clapping of hands and tapping of feet. Who could remain seated when samba music took over the exuberant scene outside? Diners left their tables and twisted unceasingly amidst moving beams of colourful spotlighting.
I was soon presented with the menu, a 10 page colourful booklet displaying long lists of tapas, tortillas, paellas and unusual main dishes, mostly consisting of chicken, grilled meats and sausages. There were no vegetarian dishes however, except a couple of heavily sauced salads. The wine list featured numerous German wines mostly produced from the vineyards in Saxony together with a whole page of South American wines imported from Chile and Argentina. A couple of imported red vintages from 1999, obviously for the well off only, completed the list. The menu finished off with a list of unusual strong cocktails, mostly a mix of alcoholic drinks and exotic fruit concentrates.
After starting off with a dish of excellent tapas, I waited eagerly for the main, a specialty dish of frango estufado consisting of spiced chicken braised in wine. Rightly sauced and rightly peppered, tasty and appetising, I couldn’t resist scraping the leftover gravy with a slice of bread. After the last drop of Muller-Thurgau went down my throat, I ended with an amaretto-based cocktail flavoured with avocado juice.
Those who crave for spicy South American food will find at Restaurant Mosquito the best and most varied choice in this part of Germany. However, it’s not only the food that makes Mosquito the most popular restaurant in Cottbus. The party-like vibrant Saturday night atmosphere beats all, even the food.