BUSINESS CASUAL

With booming dining and design scenes Frankfurt is now moving beyond its stiff reputation as merely a financial hub

- DIANA HUBBELL

Clockwise from top left: Ample outdoor dining in Römerberg, part of Frankfurt's Old Town; The Florentin's courtyard contains The Garden, an idyllic restaurant; a char tartare with radishes from Michelin-starred restaurant Sommerfeld; Sommerfeld's lightfilled, Bauhausinflected entrance; all smiles on the scene at Club Michel, where bistro and bar service give way to music late at night

FRANKFURT HAS LONG BEEN something of a tough sell. Berlin holds strong as one of Europe’s reigning artistic and nightlife capitals. Munich boasts easy access to fairy-tale castles and the Bavarian Alps. Yet Germany’s financial nerve center has struggled to shrug off a reputation so stodgy it earned the nickname Bankfurt. More than 60 million travelers pass through its airport each year, yet, historically, few bothered venturing into town unless on their way to a board meeting.