Living in K-Town (Kaiserslautern, Germany)

Author: debgilmre
Date of Trip: April 2005

For many of you, this will be a short trip just checking out the sights, but for others, you will be living here for two to four years. I hope to share things that will make your tour the best it can be.

Broadway Kino
Broadway Kino is one of the few movie theaters in Germany that shows films in the original language. Broadway has a website where you can check out what is playing and when, and they give you a phone number that you can call to make reservations in advance. You can visit them at http://www.broadwaykino.com/. They have a snack bar which sells popcorn, candy, nachos, and drinks. The drinks are rather small; they are served in the original bottles, so you might want to get a couple of them before you go in. They also sell beer at the snack bar, which is something they don’t have in the American theaters.

In the times we have visited Broadway, there have never been more than a handful of people there, but it is kind of nice to have the movie theater all to yourself.

Normal prices for adults are 7.50 euros and 5.50 for kids. They do have specials, which can be found on their website. Tuesday is “Broadway Bargain Tuesday”. All shows are admission price E4.60 for adults and students and E3.60 for children until age 11 and handicapped.

Thairama Restaurant
Thairama is my favorite Thai restaurant in Kaiserslautern. It is family owned, and they have a wonderful atmosphere. The owners are great with kids of all ages and the restaurant is immaculate. They have a large fish tank that my son just loves. The quality of food has always been excellent, and we have being enjoying dinner here for almost 13 years.

On a normal night, we usually start off with appetizers–my son and I have the spring rolls, which are the best in Europe in my opinion, and my husband usually has the pork rolls with a peanut sauce.

For our main meal, I usually have a shrimp dish. They have two that I really like one is shrimp in the earthen pot with glass noodles and the other one is shrimp in coconut sauce which is very spicy. My husband, if not having the shrimp too, has the duck, which is fried and very crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside. My son usually has the “normal” chicken, which is chicken cut up in a sauce, and he really enjoys this too. This all comes with rice.

The portion sizes are very large, so we usually don’t do dessert. If we do, we just have the leeches and my son will have ice cream. Normally, our bill is somewhere between 50 and 60 euros, which would be about 65 or 70 U.S. dollars. This is for everything: drinks, appetizers, and main courses for three people.

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The owners speak English, and the menu is also in English. They have a large selection to choose from. They also accept most major credit cards.

Cantina Mexicana
So you want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo or hear a mariachi band play, but you’re strapped for cash? No problem. Head on down to the Cantina Mexicana right here in Kaiserslautern. The ambience in Cantina is authentic and inviting. It is a great place to relax and unwind. A kid’s corner allows the little ones to play and enjoy themselves while mom and dad sit back and enjoy a little uninterrupted conversation and dinner in peace.

The portion sizes are very large, and the quality of the food is excellent.

Normally you don’t really need a reservation. Even though they are packed most of the time, they are very adept at getting people in and out without making you feel rushed. I would suggest that if you want to go between 6 or 7pm on Friday or Saturday, you might want to call ahead for reservations.

Cantina offers smoking and non-smoking rooms, a covered outdoor patio area during the spring and summer, and a party room that can accommodate up to 80 guests. The staff speaks both English and German, and they accept most major credit cards.

Visit their website at www.cantina-mexicana.com.

India Palace
Never judge a book by its cover. The location of the India Palace is not one that would inspire you to just stop in as you walk by. We were coaxed in by a coupon that we had received, and found that the India Palace was a great surprise. The atmosphere elegant and inviting, and we were seated immediately. The menu is written in both English and German, and it has a large selection to choose from. Everything sounded so wonderful, it was difficult to choose what we would try. We finally selected the menu number four and were very satisfied with our choice.

The portion sizes were large enough that we split a meal for two people between three adults. This is a place that you can feel comfortable taking the kids or having a romantic dinner alone with that special someone.

The service was great, and the staff spoke English. Check out their web site at www.indiapalace.de. They accept most major credit cards.