148 Best Restaurants in Germany

With sepia-toned murals of merrymaking above the dark-wood wainscotting, this Apfelwein classic succeeds in being touristy and traditional all at once, and it's a genuine favorite of local residents. The kitchen produces the same hearty German dishes as other nearby taverns, only better. Cider is served in large quantities in the noisy, crowded dining room with many large, communal tables. Reservations are recommended on weekends. Warning: it serves no beer! The family also operates a hotel upstairs.

Steps from the Altes Schloss, the building dates from 1565, but the menu is modern, offering both pastas, traditional Swabian specialties and vegetarian dishes. In a nod to Bavarian neighbors, the menu also offers Weisswurst, or veal sausages, but only on weekends. The Käsespätzle, or noodles with cheese, served with a salad, is enough for lunch or a light dinner, especially when combined with Opfenschulpfer, an airy bread pudding topped with vanilla sauce. There are daily beer and wine specials featuring local and regional producers. It's popular with local office workers for its location, service, and good prices.

The most famous of Leipzig's restaurants is actually two restaurants: one that's upscale, international, and gourmet (down the stairs to the right) and a rowdy beer cellar (to the left) specializing in hearty Saxon fare, mostly roasted meat dishes. Goethe immortalized one of the vaulted historic rooms in his Faust, and Bach was a regular here because of the location halfway between the Thomaskirche and the Nikolaikirche.

On the edge of Tempelhofer Feld, this cozy, minimalist farm-to-table restaurant has a daily changing menu featuring vegetable-focused ingredients paired in creative ways, such as chilled pea soup with cherries and almond, and gnocchi with pistachio pesto. Snag one of the few tables up-front or, better yet, try for a seat near the counter facing the open kitchen or at the communal table in the back, especially if you come with a group—you’ll likely want to order everything off the short but appealing menu so everyone can have a taste.

Sitting at one of the low wooden tables in this rustic spot on the first floor of the Rathaus, surveying the marketplace through the wavy old glass, you can dine well on solid German fare. In warm weather, the terrace provides great views of the Dom.

Beautiful ceilings painted with vine motifs, exposed beams, wooden wainscotting and an old tile stove make for a gemütlich (cozy) atmosphere. This small restaurant fills up fast, not least because of the Swabian specialties which dominate the menu and fresh, regional ingredients. Save room for dessert, especially the house-made Schwäbische Apfelküchle (Swabian apple cake) with vanilla sauce. There's also a children's menu.

This lovely restaurant, hidden in a courtyard off a quiet residential street, is both elegant enough for a special occasion and homey enough to be a favorite local haunt. Local ingredients are used whenever possible on the inventive menu, and the restaurant is best known for its slow-cooked meats for two: choose pork or lamb, along with fresh vegetable-focused side dishes.

One of the best restaurants in town is known for its innovative Bavarian cuisine based on regionally sourced seasonal ingredients. Young chef Steffi Bauer changes the short but appealing menu, which features local fish, meat, and veggie dishes, about every two months and also offers a daily special.

This restaurant is one of the finest in the city, and it's vegetarian to boot, along with a selection of vegan dishes. The delightful holiday from meat here brings an eclectic choice of skillfully prepared antipasti, quiche, pizza, gnocchi, pasta, curries, and stir-fries, plus excellent wines, all served in an airy, high-ceiling room.

“To Hell” is in a building dating back to AD 900—claimed to be the oldest in town. With an extensive selection of Franconian wine and a delicious house beer, you'll have a nice late evening experience. In summer be sure to reserve a table in advance, including for the outdoor Biergarten (beer garden).

The kitchen at this much-loved little bistro in Eimsbüttel officially opens for business at 7 pm, but Vienna opens its doors early in the afternoon for those wanting an espresso or aperitif from their tiny bar. Early arrivers might still be asked to share a table in the dining room or outside in the courtyard, but given the lovingly prepared sausages, fresh fish dishes, and hearty desserts coming out of the kitchen, it will matter little to most.

This welcoming Italian spot serves excellent traditional homemade pastas as well as a variety of meat and seafood dishes, including Sicilian prawns in a spicy tomato sauce. The atmosphere is casual but the service is top-notch, and the owner, Guido, and his friendly bulldog, Malesh, are always on hand to greet guests.

Housed in a former wine cellar that dates from 1893 in one of the alleys off Fressgass, Vinum specializes in regional wines, by the glass or bottle to accompany a regional prix-fixe menu. The burnished brickwork and low lighting adds to the charm. The wine-themed decor includes such items as glass bowls filled with wine corks.

It's one of the more formal Mainz wine taverns, yet Schreiner still attracts a mixed, jovial clientele who come to enjoy excellent local wines and delicious, refined takes on regional German cuisine, often with a Mediterranean twist. During periods of warm weather, you can sit in the garden .

For more than 200 years, this wood-panel inn has been a favorite of students attracted by filling yet inexpensive selections; locals, because the food is the typical Swabian fare their mothers made; and out-of-town visitors, who love the old-fashioned atmosphere. Nearly everything is served with homemade Spätzle, the ubiquitous noodles so popular everywhere in Germany. In summer try to get a seat at one of the sidewalk tables,

For more than 350 years Forelle (Trout) has stood over the small, clear River Blau, which flows through a large trout basin right under the restaurant. In addition to the variations of trout, including smoked and tartare, there are pasta dishes and excellent venison in season. On a nice summer evening, try to get a table on the small terrace. You sit over the river, with a weeping willow on one side, half-timber houses around you, and the towering cathedral in the background.

Sample Frankish bratwurst cooked over a wood grill and other regional dishes in this converted mill alongside the Main River. Sit outside on the terrace above the river for the best views of the Alte Mainbrücke and the Festung Marienberg.

Speyer's oldest beer garden, a 15-minute stroll through the gardens behind the cathedral, is a popular, leafy spot to pass the afternoon. There's a good selection of beer, and the portions of rustic, regional fare are enormous. There's a good selection of vegetarian choices too. If you're hungry, try one of the grilled steak dishes, served—rather nontraditionally—with fries.

On a side street, this guest house restaurant serves standard local cuisine but attracts a crowd thanks to its evening steak menu. The interior is traditional Bavarian and the family-run establishment has friendly personnel.

Located in Wismar's oldest patrician house and regarded as one of the most attractive, authentic taverns on the Baltic—and correspondingly busy—this eatery focuses on Mecklenburg's fish, game and poultry dishes, such as the traditional Mecklenburger Ente (Mecklenburg duck). The duck is filled with baked plums, apples, and raisins, and served with red cabbage and potatoes.

This wonderfully charming medieval half-timber house (1368) is Bacharach's oldest one standing and a favorite setting for films and photos. It doesn't disappoint with its food and wine, either: the kitchen uses the freshest ingredients possible and buys meat and game from local butchers and hunters, serving up local classics such as Rieslingrahmsuppe (Riesling cream soup) and Reibekuchen (potato pancakes) in addition to the seasonal specialties.

Tucked behind a wooden portal on a cobblestone street, this vaulted sandstone "cellar" (it's actually on the ground floor) feels very cozy, but equally inviting is the Tuscan-style terrace, with its citrus, olive, palm, and fig trees. The regular menu includes rustic regional dishes as well as Mediterranean-inspired options.

At this Bierstube dating from 1698, you can dig into regional dishes like Zwiebelrahmrostbraten (onion meat loaf) at low wooden tables next to the tile stove. Pewter plates and beer mugs line the walls.

A lively brewery with charming beamed ceilings located inside the Hotel Maximilian, this is an upscale meeting place for locally sourced Bavarian specialties. Dishes change on a weekly basis and include wild game in season.

Taste the "Divine beer of the Vikings," a malty cold-fermented amber lager, at Schleswig's only brewery. While the Luzifer Restaurant offers typical brewpub fare, it is the small Viking twists, like roast meat served only with a knife and horned glasses that make this place worth a visit.

All over Germany, no beer brand has become so closely associated with Hamburg (and especially St. Pauli) than Astra. In addition to its main industrial brewery, the brand recently opened a new microbrewery and restaurant directly on the Reeperbahn. Here, they offer IPAs and other specialty beers that can only be enjoyed there as it is produced in much smaller batches. A full menu featuring everything from finger food to lobster make this a great starting point to a legendary evening on the Kiez.

More than 400 years of tradition are embedded in this old tavern, hidden away behind huge wooden doors on a back street. A surprisingly varied menu includes local favorites such as suckling pig and marinated pot roast, as well as good fish entrées, all at reasonable prices.