We were planning to breakfast in Hamburg, but a wrong turn, followed by a detour due to road works, saw us in an uninviting industrial zone. McDonalds, Burger King, and KFC were available, but frankly, a sandwich at an Autobahn gas station seemed more appealing. We decided to press through to Lübeck, which was only 40 minutes away.

Fortunately, I knew exactly where I wanted to have coffee in Lübeck. Café Niederegger is the best-known gastronomical institution in Lübeck. It is famous for its marzipan, and if they did not do breakfast, two helpings of cake would have done pretty fine in my opinion too.

Strolling from the parking lot at the edge of the old town, I was first struck by the town being more compact than I imagined and then overwhelmed by the size and beauty of the Marienkirche. Disappointment was certain to follow and sure did. I spotted Café Niederegger and sure, it was open too. I cannot recall what I had expected but it was not this–-a very modern-looking building, straight lines, a bit square, very sachlich; in fact, it was very typically no-nonsense North German.

The café is spread over two floors but with two strollers, we decided to stay on the ground floor, where our arrival promptly halved the average age of patrons. Baby Becks slept through the whole meal, and Toddler Becks knows how to behave in cafés. Despite this, I was pleasantly surprised by how kind the server (Frau Stauffenberg, according to the bill) was toward the child, even before she had a chance to show off her social skills.

I need not have worried about Niederegger’s menu–-they do breakfast, and they do it very well. We ordered two €6.70 breakfasts, which saw a combination of breads, toasts, bacon, and eggs appear that I cannot imagine purchasing for less than €10 in any similar place in Frankfurt. The rest of the family was delighted with their hot chocolates at a very reasonable €2.05 each. I, however, insist that lacing my hot chocolate with marzipan was worth the additional €0.65 splurge.

Niederegger did not invent marzipan, but it is this company more than any other that is responsible for marzipan being so popular in Germany. Its products are top-notch, and a wide range of chocolates, coffees, alcohol, and sweet combinations are available. We foolishly decided to purchase some wares after strolling through the town, just to find the shop so packed in the early afternoon that we decided to forgo the real Niederegger experience. A branch close to the Holstentor was less crowded but the selection was much smaller and I ended up purchasing just a small liqueur for myself and a tin of marzipan chocolates for our neighbor, who was taking care of our mail. Once back home, I had little trouble convincing myself one night that not everyone likes marzipan and ended up having to give her a jar of strawberry jam instead!