478 Best Restaurants in Germany

This small restaurant, which offers communal dining at large wooden tables, serves authentic Bavarian cuisine at fair prices: try the schweinebraten (pork filets with sauerkraut), or the turkey medallions in cream sauce. Ideally located between the Franziskaner-Kurgarten and the Kurpark, it has a quiet, comfortable atmosphere both inside and out on the fair-weather terrace.

On an industrial Kreuzberg street, Richard isn't relying on foot traffic to bring in customers; but everyone who knows about it raves. The unassuming facade hides an elegant white interior with stained-glass windows, an intricate, carved wood ceiling, and modern paintings. The food, which is French influenced, is equally elegant: try the appetizer of clams, mussels, and octopus, a simple but perfectly prepared dish of polenta with mushrooms and black truffles, and excellent mains like venison or roast suckling pig. You can order à la carte or choose one of the prix-fixe options.

On a small winding street in an area between Kreuzberg and Schöneberg known as Rote Insel (Red Island) because of its location between two S-bahn tracks and its socialist, working-class history, this neighborhood institution was an early advocate of the slow-food movement. The current owners continue to focus on high-quality ingredients in their tasty selection of pizzas, salads, and pastas.

When the Bundestag was still in town, this Bonn institution used to be cited in the press as frequently for its backroom political dealings as for its Lombardy-influenced food. Locals, prominent and otherwise, still flock to the restaurant, in an 18th-century house in the suburb of Kessenich. The style is pure Italian farmhouse, with stone walls and exposed beams, but the handmade pastas often stray from the typical, as in the salmon-filled black-and-white pasta pockets in shrimp sauce.

It would be difficult to find a better spot in town than this handsome seafood restaurant to watch big boats cruise by while satisfying your appetite for fresh lobster, sashimi, bouillabaisse, Scottish salmon, Dover sole, and oysters. Its ample sun terrace sits just above the Elbe, while the large open-plan dining room has ceiling-high windows facing downstream toward the city and the Elbe Philharmonic Hall.

This trendy lounge with an eclectic menu focusing on seafood—with a few Asian touches, such as Thai curry soup, as well as German and more international dishes—has become a beloved institution thanks to its oversized patio. Although the food is noteworthy, this is really a place to see and be seen.

A menu that includes sandwiches, soups, salads (plus several vegetarian choices), as well as a simple steak and chips is served in this half-timbered building on Steinau's main street, just a short walk away from the museum and castle. The dining room is homey and rustic, with plain tiled floors, wooden tables, and chairs. It's open non-stop from mid-morning to dinner, with afternoon options including tea and cake, or a cool glass of beer in the garden. Popular with locals and visitors, it fills up fast in the summer months, so reserve a table or be prepared to wait.

\n Döner kebab aficionados love this bright, casual spot for the delicious food—the fact that it's in the middle of the city and open 24 hours a day is an added bonus. The friendly staff expertly carve paper-thin slices of perfectly cooked meat from the enormous, revolving spit; if you like things spicy, ask for the red sauce.

Located on leafy Hohenzollernplatz, this family-owned takeaway spot specializes in house-made Greek and Georgian street food; try a pita burger or stuffed flatbread—all available in meat and vegetarian versions.

Along the Landwehr Canal, this charming half-timber former customs house turned Rutz restaurant’s little sister has a cozy interior with arched windows inside and an expansive outdoor terrace in summer. Chef Florian Mennicken, who trained at Michelin-starred Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer and Facil, prepares hearty German classics, accompanied by a wonderful selection of wines from both Germany and across Europe.

On the edge of a canal and beneath the arches of the elegant Alster arcade, this popular Syrian meze restaurant enjoys superb views of Hamburg’s town hall. While it specializes in lamb, including homemade lamb sausages, Saliba’s menu also caters to vegetarian and vegan diners with offerings of falafel and eggplant dishes.

Sansibar is the island's most popular restaurant where a diverse clientele—basically everyone ever on Sylt—often make it a rambunctious night out by imbibing drinks with no regard for the morning after under the bar's maverick logo of crossed pirates' sabers. To get a table for dinner in the high season, you must reserve at least six weeks in advance. No lunch reservations are taken.

In a city that still sometimes struggles to get sushi right, Sasaya's concept can seem groundbreaking: simple, authentic Japanese food in an equally comfortable, no-fuss atmosphere. Don't expect sushi to be the center of the menu, though—the focus is on reasonably priced small plates made for sharing, including pickled vegetables, seaweed salad, and crispy pork belly. The best seats are the tables by the windows, where long, low couches let you recline languidly during your meal.

North of Bernkastel in Zeltingen, this upscale restaurant is in the riverside Weinhotel St. Stephanus. Once part of a 19th-century manor house, the handsome dining room is a lovely setting for enjoying refined regional cooking with a hint of the Mediterranean. Diners can also sit out on the terrace overlooking the Mosel, while pre- and post-dinner drinks can be enjoyed in the rustic brewery cellar.

If Klösse (dumplings) are a Thuringia religion, this restaurant is their cathedral. Thuringia's traditional Klösse are at their best here, but be patient—they're made to order and can take up to 20 minutes. The dumplings come with just about every dish, from roast pork to venison stew, and the wait is well worth it. Pay attention to seasonal and holiday specialties, like roast goose in November.

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.

The name means \"gourmet owl,\" and, indeed, the chef caters to gourmets in the 19th-century Palais Walderdorff complex opposite the cathedral. In the evening, the menu is à la carte and truffles are a specialty, along with excellent fish. Wines from top German estates, particularly those along the Mosel, are featured along with an extensive selection of reds.   Come at lunch for a great value, three-course set menu, including a glass of wine and coffee that is cheaper than the cheapest main course at dinner.

Set in the middle of Old Town, this tavern has been serving beer inside an ancient half-timber house since 1405. The food is standard German brewhouse fare—think bratwurst, beef brisket, or pork shoulder, all drowning in beer sauce—but the real reason to come here is to sample the Aecht Schenkerla Rauchbier, a dark beer brewed with smoked malt. It's an acquired taste (something akin to liquid ham), so the best strategy is not to sip and enjoy, but to take large gulps. And if you can polish off the first half-liter, you'll be a fan for life. Expect a queue to get inside at weekends and during high season.

Forget the fast-food options at Zoo Station. Instead, follow the train tracks to the back of the taxi and bus queues, where you'll enter Tiergarten and within 100 yards come upon the best hideaway in the area: Schleusenkrug. In warmer weather you can order at the window and sit in the beer garden or on the back patio, watching pleasure ships go through the lock. Inside is a casual restaurant with a changing daily menu.

At the back of the Schlosskirche, this restaurant's four dining rooms are tucked away in a basement with 16th-century stone walls and barrel-vaulted ceilings. The kitchen specializes in German dishes, such as Kümmelfleisch mit Senfgurken (caraway beef with mustard-seed pickles).

At this Schloss Johannisberg restaurant you can sit on the patio, in the restaurant, or the glassed-in terrace, which affords a spectacular view of the Rhine and the vineyards where the estate's wines originate. The regular menu includes several meat dishes, with a smattering of fish and vegetarian options, but it's the seasonal specialties that really stand out. Depending on the season, look out for wild garlic soup, white asparagus with schnitzel, and duck with cabbage and potato dumplings.

Located beside the boat dock on Herreninsel (home to King Ludwig II's famous palace), this century-old-hotel-turned-beer garden and restaurant provides gorgeous views across the lake. The food is hearty and traditional, the portions are large, the prices are reasonable, and the service is friendly; what's not to like?

This café, on a busy street between the Stadtmuseum and Viktualienmarkt, is as Bavarian as you can get, though it serves neither typical great slabs of meat nor Knödel. The fryers are turned on in the morning for Viktualienmarkt workers until the late afternoon; at midday, lines of people wait for helpings of freshly cooked Schmalznudel, a selection of doughnut-type creations, from apple to sugar-coated to plain, that are served hot, either to take away or eat in the café with a cup of coffee.

If you've developed a taste for Weissbier, this Munich institution—beautifully restored to something approaching how it would have looked when first opened in the 1870s—is the place to indulge. The tasty wheat beer from Schneider, a Bavarian brewery in existence since 1872, is served with hearty Bavarian dishes by famously straight-talking waitresses.

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.

Serving guests since 1930, this charming little gem features walls decorated with antique farm equipment; the place settings include antique German silver utensils. The specialties here is grilled meats, house-smoked pork, house-brewed beer, and Swiss Raclette, which is served in an old shed behind the restaurant (advance reservations required). Plus there is live music on weekends.

About a five-minute drive from the Franz Keller winery (and owned by the same family) this charming Michelin-starred restaurant and hotel serves up a mix of luxe international ingredients (such as Canadian lobster) and more local fish, meat, and veggie choices. Try the five-course set menus with wine pairings or the signature truffled chicken for two to four people—just come with a healthy appetite as the portions are substantial.