19 Best Restaurants in Heidelberg and the Neckar Valley, Germany

Steps from the Altes Schloss, the building dates from 1565, but the menu is modern, offering a mix of 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, including for breakfast.

Heidelberg's oldest (1863) coffeehouse has always been a popular meeting place for students and professors, and offers traditional Swabian food, pastries, and ambience, and a seniors menu with smaller portions at a lower price. A historic change is that the café no longer produces café founder Fridolin Knösel's Heidelberger Studentenkuss. This iconic \"student kiss\" is a chocolate wrapped in paper showing two sets of touching lips—an acceptable way for 19th-century students to \"exchange kisses\" in public. They are now being sold down the street at Knösel Chocolatier, a small, charming shop, owned by the Knösel family.

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.

Little more than a hole in the wall, this former cooper's workshop has been transformed into a candlelit pub. No matter when you go, it seems to be filled with people seated around the wooden tables (so dinner reservations are a necessity). The menu features regional specialties from Baden and the Pfalz, such as schäufele (pickled and slightly smoked pork shoulder); leberknödel (liver dumplings); and plenty of schnitzel varieties.

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,

The \"Red Ox\" has been run by the same family for more than 175 years. Many of the rough-hewn oak tables here have initials carved into them, a legacy of the thousands who have visited Heidelberg's most famous old tavern. Mark Twain, Marilyn Monroe, and John Wayne may have left their mark—they all ate here, and Twain's photo is on one of the memorabilia-covered walls. Wash down simple fare, such as goulash soup and bratwurst, or heartier dishes like Tellerfleisch (boiled beef) with regional German wines or local Heidelberg beer. Come early to get a good seat, including for the live piano music from 7 pm Thursday through Saturday nights, and stay late for the Gemütlichkeit (easygoing friendliness).

This is a popular American-style steakhouse chain which ages its own beef. There are some 50 outposts in Germany, including two in Stuttgart. There are daily lunch specials, including burgers, ribs, and vegetarian chili. Dinner focuses on T-bones, rib-eyes, and filet mignon. Portions are large, except for the children’s menu. Save room for dessert, including a Belgian waffle with powdered sugar and cherry compote and New York-style cheesecake. Reservations are essential on weekends.

The motto here is \"Wurst and Bier are friends,\" and there’s plenty of both consumed in this popular brewpub. Paulaner is a Munich beer, so you’ll find traditional Bavarian fare, including Weisswurst, on the menu along with Swabian favorites such as house-made Maultaschen (meat-filled ravioli). There's even an Austrian dessert, Kaisershmarrn, named for the ruler who loved pancakes cut in small pieces and mixed with fresh fruits and whipped cream. Tables upstairs are quieter.

This Baroque dining room inside the famous Heidelberg castle specializes in ente von Heidelberg (roast duck), but there's always something new on the seasonal menu. Whatever you order, pair it with a bottle from the extensive selection of international wines. Less pricey is the adjacent Backhaus, which has rustic furnishings and a nearly 50-foot-high Backkamin (baking oven). Light fare as well as coffee and cake are served indoors and on the shaded terrace. You can sample rare wines (Eiswein, Beerenauslese) by the glass in the shared wine cellar, or pick up a bottle with a designer label depicting Heidelberg. Reservations are essential for terrace seating in summer.

Family-owned and -operated, the historic eatery serves such favorites as the Vorspeisenvariation (a medley of appetizers), local fish, and goose that keep people coming back. Garden tables have a castle view. A meal here is a perfect start or finale to the concerts held on the monastery-castle grounds in the summer. A prix-fixe menu is available for both lunch and dinner, and there are vegetarian options.

Saddle of lamb and sautéed liver in honey-pepper sauce are specialties here, as are seasonal preparations with asparagus and mushrooms. The menu changes every six weeks. The wine list focuses on old-world estates, particularly clarets. The elegant art nouveau interior is done in shades of red with dark-wood accents, and a quiet courtyard offers alfresco dining in summer.

Traditional Italian fare is on offer here, including antipasti, pasta dishes, pizzas, and special daily offerings. The restaurant is in a central location in the main square, and in warm weather you can opt for a table outside on the cobblestones—perfect for people-watching with your meal.

Named for the old German word for cousins, Vetter is owned and operated by two cousins, serving updates of both traditional Swabian and Mediterranean cuisines.  The menu changes daily, featuring seasonal produce and local meats and fish. 

It's worth elbowing your way into this bar for the brewed-on-the-premises beer. Try the Dunkles Hefeweizen, or dark wheat beer, which is not produced as widely as the lighter version. As with most German brewpubs, there's a full menu, too, including a long list of wurst dishes and schnitzels, and even an American style platter of chicken wings with chili sauce.

There are three adjoining eateries here: the Weinstube for a glass of good Swabian wine with a snack, the Restaurant for a full meal at lunch or dinner, or let yourself be tempted by the good-looking cakes from their own bakery in the Konditerei/Café.

One of Germany's top chefs, Vincent Klink, and his wife, Elisabeth, are the down-to-earth, cordial hosts, offering artfully plated cuisine using locally grown ingredients in the ever-changing menu wherever possible. House specialties, such as saddle of lamb with a potato gratin and green beans or the Breton lobster with basil potato salad, are recommended. Her floral arrangements add a baroque touch to the otherwise quiet interior. The wine list is exemplary, and reservations are essential.

Founded in 1398 and in this location on Heidelberg's Hauptstrasse (main street) since 1778—so you know they are doing something right—the White Swan specializes in regional fare. The menu includes several versions of Maultaschen (traditional Swabian ravioli) and local mushrooms and asparagus are featured in season. Unlike most German restaurants and pubs, which serve one local brew, there are a dozen on tap here; the most popular are Klosterhof and Heidelberger.

A 17th-century grain mill has been transformed into this romantic restaurant in the heart of the Altstadt (Old Town). The dark wooden beams add to the warm atmosphere. In summer, try to arrive early to get a table in the idyllic courtyard. You can opt for a three-course or four-course prix-fixe menu. Reservations recommended.

This lively old tavern dates from 1703 and is inextricably linked with Heidelberg's history and university. Young and old alike crowd around the wooden tables in the wood-panel room, decorated with historic photos and maps, and piano music adds to the din Wednesday through Saturday nights. From salads and pasta to hearty roasts and steaks, there's a broad selection of food, and beer is served from 7:30 am until closing. Upstairs are modern, pleasantly furnished guest rooms.