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Kochsternstunden 2026: Little Frank really big

Cooking star lessons winner
Award ceremony for the Kochsternstunden (Image: Michael Schmidt - www.schmidt.fm)
From: Ulrich van Stipriaan
petit frank wins the Kochsternstunden 2026 in Saxony - record numbers, 50 restaurants, 14,889 menus and 9,802 ratings.

The 16th Kochsternstunden have been decided: Frank Ollhoff from "petit frank" stood at the top of the winners' podium twice - as best service staff and (together with his head chef André Fröbel) as best restaurant.  For those who had a déjà vu: it was the same in 2024. From February 6 to March 15, 2026, 50 restaurants in Dresden, Chemnitz, Leipzig and the surrounding region invited their guests to taste and rate specially designed menus. A total of 9,802 votes were cast, more than ever before 

The small French restaurant, which has been taking part for 15 years, was followed in second place by "finesse by Elvis Herbek", also based in Dresden. The restaurant was the winner of Kochsternstunden 2025 and, now in its seventh year, is also an established name in the competition. Third place went to a newcomer, "GIOIA" from Radebeul: chef Dennis Pentzold made it onto the podium at his first attempt.

Just behind them were two other Dresden establishments. Restaurant Heiderand, which was awarded a Michelin star last year, achieved a place for the first time in its second participation, finishing in fourth place. Fifth place goes to Mario Pattis with his restaurant "Feine Kost", which is also taking part for the second time and is now among the best for the first time.

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In addition to culinary performance, service was also traditionally recognized. Following Frank Ollhoff in first place (he came second last year) are Sandro Gärtner from the Lößnitztalschänke in Radebeul, who was honored for the first time, and Nicole Hieke from "finesse", who took first place last year.

Pop-up restaurants form a separate category, which run outside the official evaluation but enrich the competition conceptually. This year's best pop-up format was the "Dinnertable + Lounge" by Verena Leister in Dresden, which last took part in the Kochsternstundenin 2020.

Patron of the competition, Saxony's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Barbara Klepsch, expressed her satisfaction with the development. She emphasized that this year's edition had surpassed all previous records and underlined the importance of the event as a flagship for Saxony as a location for culture and tourism. The great response was clear evidence of the appreciation of quality craftsmanship and culinary creativity in the region.

The figures also support this finding. A total of 14,889 menus were sold, which corresponds to an average of 297 menus per restaurant. The Dresden Stresa Restaurant was once again the top seller with 932 menus sold. Project manager Anne Zeumer from the DDV Media Group speaks of another record year: 45 restaurants had already sold 11,390 menus in 2025, and this result has now been significantly increased once again. The number of ratings submitted also remains at a consistently high level compared to the previous year.

The basis for the rankings was once again the Spectos rating system. Categories such as service, culinary skills, creativity, drinks, ambience and value for money were taken into account. The greatest weight was given to the taste of the menu. In addition, a quantity bonus was included in the evaluation, which takes into account the number of menus sold. 

Info: kochsternstunden.de

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Ulrich van Stipriaan
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