478 Best Restaurants in Germany

The front bar area and a cozy dining room are usually filled with chattering locals and the occasional dog peeking out from under the table (pets are allowed in unexpected places in Berlin, including many restaurants). The house specialties include Viennese classics like Wiener schnitzel and apple strudel, along with a few \"modern\" Austrian dishes, but look for surprises, too, on the seasonal weekly menu, which is full of interesting ingredients and unusual combinations.

In her airy, brick-walled shop, ice cream maker extraordinaire Gabrielle Jones whips up small batch ice cream, sorbet, and frozen yogurt in tempting flavors like lemon and blueberry jam, whiskey and pecan, peanut butter and glazed bacon, matcha and white chocolate, and salted butter caramel. There are also locations in Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg.

Giving a gastropub's twist to traditional Franconian fare, including Sauerbraten and wursts, this restaurant is a draw for its private-label wines. While sampling local game and fish specialties, you can buy a bottle of wine to take home directly from the waitstaff.

The restored Art Nouveau house dates from 1908 has a pleasant Viennese-style coffeehouse upstairs—the best views are had from up here—and a noisier and more active café downstairs. Riquet is a company that has had dealings in the coffee trade in Africa and East Asia since 1745, as indicated by the large elephant heads adorning the facade of the building.

This friendly restaurant offers a mix of regional and international dishes, all fresh and full of flavor. The small but excellent menu includes items such as octopus, shrimp, and scallops on pumpkin three ways, and delectable desserts such as crème brûlée with apricots, vanilla ice cream and tonka beans.

Enjoy traditional German fare and regional sausages in a charming café located in a historic building. Kanzlei offers a cozy atmosphere with a blend of modern and traditional decor. On a nice day, grab a beer and have a eat right on the market square.

Kiel has been a center of German brewing since the Middle Ages, when industrious citizens brewed around the clock for export and visiting merchant seamen. In this brauhaus you can try the Kieler Original and other north German beers in pitchers, or order Kiel beer in large wooden barrels to tap yourself at the table.

This kiosk-style restaurant at Reichenau's yacht harbor provides an ideal lunch, drink, or snack stop when wandering the island. In good weather, you can sit outside and watch the boats come and go. It's also a perfect place to try the Bodensee specialty Zanderknusperle (crispy battered pike-perch bites)—fresh out of the lake.

This restaurant embodies the idea of “think global, act local” and brings American food to your table through its menu, which is inspired by Creole and Cajun cuisines in Louisiana. Kitchens's concept is rooted in travel experiences and culinary adaptation in an elegant environment. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, and anyone can also enjoy cocktails on its rooftop bar Moon 46 overlooking the HafenCity.

If sausages and sauerkraut are getting a bit tedious, head towards the Gartenstadt for some healthier options. This family-run restaurant, part of the Hotel Europa, combines local Franconian ingredients and produce with a modern and international flair. The flavors are distinctly German but enhanced with international nuances; think sesame-crusted trout fillet with celery purée, or home-smoked duck breast with a walnut dressing.

Kleibls has bright and modern decor in the heart of the historic Old Town, with an updated menu of traditional Bavarian and Swabian favorites. Everything is house-made, from the pastas to the ketchup. Operated by Thorsten and Andrea Kleibl, there's also a small shop where you can buy their sauces and spice mixes. 

This massive old stone-and-half-timber house has been standing since 1533, making it Bamberg's oldest brewpub. The cuisine is simple, filling, and tasty, with items including schäuferla (pig shoulder) with dumplings and sauerkraut, and Jägerschnitzel (\"Hunter's Schnitzel\") with mushroom cream sauce. Klosterbäu brews a fine Rauchbier, but its renowned brown ale is the reason to come; they've been making it here since the very beginning. There are almost as many seating options as there are items on the menu: choose between the brewery restaurant, the \"Braun-Bierstübla\" (Brown Beer Hall), the Schwemme courtyard, the stepped terrace, or the beer garden; private groups can also dine in the tithe barn or vaulted cellar.

The quiet, walled, rose-filled wine garden, run by the nearby Weingut J. Koegler and adjacent to their \"weinhotel\", is a wonderful town-center spot to enjoy their fine wines alongside classic Italian delicacies, including freshly-prepared pizzas. If you fall for their liquid produce, you can purchase bottles at the on-site shop.

Fresh fish and wild game are the specialties at this elegant yet homey restaurant around 2 km (1½ miles) south of the Old Town in Günterstal. Interesting dishes include rabbit in hazelnut sauce with baby vegetables, as well as salmon in saffron foam with a Riesling risotto.

The atmosphere is right out of One Thousand and One Nights at this restaurant near the train station, with belly dancers perform every Saturday night and urge patrons to join in. The Middle Eastern menu is largely vegetarian and heavy on garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Save room for dessert, either baklava, flaky pastry layered with honey and nuts, or amar eilden, apricot pudding dotted with raisins. Those who are so inclined can retire to the lounge and smoke flavored tobacco from a water pipe.

The sophisticated, Michelin-starred French nouvelle cuisine and attentive staff here are a hit with upscale locals. The restaurant, which is named for the woodcock, has been in operation just outside the Old Town by the Westpark since 1981. 

If you like to walk and hike, consider heading to the Stadtwald (city forest) and then eating a meal at this half-timber lodge where locals go for the friendly service and hearty German cooking. A bit off the beaten path, the trip will take 20 minutes, but you'll be rewarded with wild game and steak options.

Hidden away in a courtyard off a busy Neukölln street, in a space that used to contain an old launderette (hence the Italian name), Lavanderia Vecchia offers a prix-fixe-only Italian menu that includes two appetizers, a pasta or risotto primi, a meat or fish secondo, and dessert (vegetarian versions also available), accompanied by a half-bottle of wine and followed by coffee and a digestif; à la carte options, as well as three- to five-course menus, are available at lunchtime only. The white-painted industrial space is decorated with vintage kerchiefs strung along old wash lines.

Run by five well-known, award-winning Hamburg restaurateurs, this culinary hotspot lies in the heart of the Hanseviertel quarter. The blend of individual food kiosks and food market not only offers food and drink from all over the world but also a bar area and a stage where music, comedy, and other events take place. 

Expect high-quality Italian cuisine with the occasional Spanish influence at this historic restaurant: think beef cheeks in red wine sauce with fried pimentos, or black risotto with grilled garlic prawns and aioli. The charming interior is all rough wooden beams, pristine white tablecloths, and painting-covered walls, with evening meals often accompanied by live jazz. The name, rather unfortunately, means \"Empty Sack.\"

Step into the Deep South at this hip barbecue and soul food joint, decked out like an old-school American diner, with an open kitchen turning out slowly smoked meats including baby back ribs and short ribs in house-made barbecue sauce. There are also fine renditions of such southern staples as shrimp with creamy cheese grits, plus a host of tasty sides like cornbread and mac 'n' cheese.

This small restaurant and wine bistro is a favorite of both locals and visitors. The menu, dramatically different from those of its neighbors, focuses mostly on seafood, including lobster. The fish and shellfish are prepared in a variety of styles, but the strongest influence is French, as is also the case with the lamb Provençale, one of the nonseafood specialties. For dessert, try the vanilla ice cream with warm raspberry sauce. There's an extensive choice of regional wines by the glass. Reservations are strongly recommended on weekends.

This popular restaurant, located on the corner of one of Berlin's prettiest streets, serves locally sourced dishes like Brandenburg wild boar, lake trout, or venison on stylish long wooden tables to an equally stylish crowd. The unfussy German standards are favorites with local gallerists and shop owners, and on warm weekend nights the place opens up to the street, beckoning passersby with the cozy sound of clinking glasses and the low hum of conversation.

Pop by for a coffee, aperitif, cocktail, and vegan bites and baked goods at this funky art-filled university café and bookstore near the Brandhorst and Pinakothek museums. It also hosts regular evening events such as Comedy Nights.

Named after the famous Berlin film director Ernst Lubitsch, this sophisticated restaurant attracts an equally refined crowd with its hearty local fare (and lighter international options) that's hard to find these days. Dishes like Königsberger Klopse (German meatballs in a creamy caper sauce), baked eggs in mustard sauce, and Wiener schnitzel are examples of the home-style German cooking, plus there are frequently rotating seasonal specials.

Brewing Braunbier (a hoppy, top-fermented beer) has been a Quedlinburg tradition for several centuries, and this brewpub offers both locally made beer and food to go with it. The Lüdde brewery traces its history to 1807, when Braunbier breweries dotted the Harz Mountains, and it was the last surviving brewery when it closed its doors in 1966, reopening after German reunification. It remains the only Braunbier brewery in Quedlinburg.

Head down the straw-covered stairs in front of Clara restaurant, and you'll find yourself transported to the Middle Ages. The Luther Keller offers simple but tasty medieval cuisine in a candlelit vaulted cellar.

Madam Anna Ekke is a super nice location for all-day dining: cozy inside, there's also a seasonal terrace for warm summer nights. The menu includes variety of cakes and tapas, ideal for a quick snack in-between meals or even for a big shared meal in the evening. The bar, Frau Bartels, is just a couple of steps away for those who don't want to go home just yet.