hi jmags,

as well as restaurants in the Altstadt, you might be interested in some of the ones that the Neustadt has to offer. there is for example a czech brewery not very far the other side of the main bridge which has the sort of menu you are after, and I'm sure you would find others.

also it's a very interesting area which would definitely be worth a couple of hours exploration, perhaps before having a meal over there.

another thing you might be interested in which we greatly enjoyed is the Stadtmuseum - http://www.museen-dresden.de/index.php?node=stadtmuseum

so much interesting information about the history of the town and a lot about the post war era which we found fascinating.

finally, don't miss a boat trip - don't do what we did and fail to find out what time the boats are and then find out we'd missed the last one! [though you have 3 days, whereas we had less than one!]

Paulaner is ok - typical Bavarian fare - it's close to the Hilton.

There's another traditional German brew pub right next to the Frauenkirche - the name slips me right now but if you sit outside you're in the shadow of the church. Maybe it's the Augustiner - is that what you're thinking of? If so it's pretty good. Also has traditional Bavarian & Saxon dishes.

If you tire of German food there are several restaurants in the small building directly out the front door of the Hilton - Ontario and Piazza Nove. Both are pretty good. Pizza at Piazza Nove is good and pretty cheap.

There's also a bakery in the lower level of that little mall that makes fantastic croissants. For quick takeout there's a good sushi place there too. Go in there right around 8am when they open rather than paying the Hilton buffet prices.

I'm not familiar with any Schmidt's downtown. There's a Schmidt's Hellerau on the outskirts of town that I used to like. I believe it went through an ownership change a while back and last time there it was not as good.

In the Neustadt I like La Casina Rosa on Alaunstrasse. It's not walking distance but you can catch a tram easily. The Hilton isn't great for trams - you need to walk about 10min East to the synagogue stop on lines 3 or 7, or 10min south to the Altmarkt for 1,2,4. or the same distance west for lines 4,8,9.

To get to Schiller garten you take line 12. That requires either a connection or a little longer walk to Pirnaisher platz.

see dvbag.de for a map.

FYI, the Hilton has a very nice workout facility - Precor treadmills and bikes, weights, machines, etc. Nice pool & saunas - separate or mixed depending on the time of day, so be aware of the protocol before you enter.

Also, you can rent bikes at the Hilton - they're a very good way to get around town and explore a little further than having to walk or take tram.

For a fun place with good beer and traditional german food try Hausbrau im Ballhaus Watzke
which is across the bridge in Neustadt. Next to the golden Augustus the Strong statue.

Yes, J62, it's Augustiner in the shade of Frauenkirche. The owner changed a few months ago - it's now worth a recommendation. But there's another one in the Steigenberg hotel block - Freiberger, more local food/beer, also good.

Pizza at Piazza Nova is also one of my favourites.

There is no Schmidt's downtown but they do run the "Alte Meister" - more touristy than Schmidts, of course, and prices are a bit higher. J62, sorry about your bad experience at Schmidt's, but there was no owner change recently and my experiences with them are constantly fabulous. It's too far in the outskirts for the original poster anyway, it seems to me.

La Casina Rosa is my favourite Italian restaurant in town beside Villa Marie (which is next to Schillergarten, walk under the bridge).

Ballhaus Watzke is in the outskirts, has a very nice beergarden, easy to reach by tram 4, 9 - they have a restaurant across the bridge at Golden Horseman statue and also opened another one at Dr.-Külz-Ring between Karstadt department store and Altmarkt Galerie shopping mall (roughly). Pretty good local food, but I am one of the few people who don't like their beer.

Forget Augustusgarten. I think the food is crap, the beer is ok, though. In that area I can recommend the Elbsegler beergarden, belongs to the Westin Bellevue hotel.

Lila Soße in the Neustadt district is an 'In' place at the moment, no personal experience, though. Well, it got a rave in the New York Times, so it must be good, eh?

My recommendation would be Villandry - definitely. Unfortunately closed on Sundays. Reservation highly recommended - their garden in the back is lovely. Take tram #8 from Theaterplatz to Louisenstraße, walk along Königsbrücker Str. for about 2 or 3 minutes, then turn right into Jordanstraße.

Looking forward to your report!

Oops, just saw you'll be here in August. Avoid La Casina Rosa - the Italian owners and their regular staff are on vacation back home then and seasonal staff is hired. Ugh. My one and only bad experience there (two years ago).

I had the great good fortune to spend a month in Dresden in late 2011. I ate very well (and for a LOT less than meals cost in Switzerland!). A big yes for Winzerstube for fish and for Saxon wine choices.

Winzerstube zum Rebstock: http://www.winzerstube-zum-rebstock.de/

And for Villandry: http://www.villandry.de/ Also in the Neustadt, a short walk from the Louisenstrasse stop on trams 7 or 8. More expensive than Winzerstube, but a more "serious" restaurant. If I could only eat at two restaurants in Dresden, those would be my pick.

However, don't miss an opportunity to have coffee and pastry at Coselpalais. I went to the Coselpalais several times, but mostly around 2:30 pm for coffee and pastry. to just drop in. http://www.coselpalais-dresden.de/

IMHO, Kurfürstenschänke is better than Paulaner etc but only for one dish: the trout with almond crust. http://www.kurfuerstenhof-dresden.de/en/menu.html

One other place I really liked and went to repeatedly was Ricky's Quan sushi bar. Good Asian cuisine, the best I found in Dresden during my stay and very moderately priced. OK, the sushi wasn't up to Pacific Northwest standards, but if we had this restaurant here in Basel, I'd be there on a regular basis.
http://www.rickysquan-sushibar.de/

Hi FoFoBT! I miss the chocolateries in Basel ... Schiesser e.g. But the chocolate shop at Neumarkt has another shop at Schlossstraße now, in the Swissotel block, and their chocolate ice cream is to die for.

Don't let the weight watchers know you had pastry at Coselpalais, LOL! Yum ... I might go there again.

Not a fan of sushi, though.

Totally forgot about Weinstube zum Rebstock, sorry. Thumbs up. Lovely garden, yummy wine and food.

I also liked the Bistro am Markt in Neustadt. I popped in their one evening when it was raining (when it SHOULD have been snowing ) and had their pasta with steak pieces and cherry tomatoes. It was a simple dish that I liked so much I've prepared it at home several times.

Ricky's also has a good Thai and Vietnames selection. Usually, these "combo platter" Asian restaurants totally screw up one (or all) of the various cuisines, but I was really happy with everything I ate there. Fresh, tasty and cheap -- what's not to like

Coselpalais had so many good pastries it was hard to choose, but I ended up having the "Prater" raspberry, sponge and buttercream cake most often. I didn't have lunch, so that's how I justified the caloric splurge.

I didn't realize Dresden had a bagel bar I stocked up at Bagel Brothers in Leipzig. Next time! http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187399-d1852563-Reviews-New_York_Bagel_Bar-Dresden_Saxony.html

Either December 2012 or 2013, DH will be doing his four weeks at the Goethe Institut and I'll come for the last two weeks just to enjoy Dresden and environs again.

ingo, you took us by streetcar to a wonderful "german" hunting lodge type place which was fab. is it still there?

Thanks everyone for the replies!!