478 Best Restaurants in Germany

For proof that Wedding is on the rise, look no further than this tiny, trendy restaurant, which serves high-end, beautifully presented bar food and local beers.

The unusual round space has a central horseshoe-shape bar and wraparound banquettes. The menu varies, but usually includes a well-respected burger that comes with barbecue sauce, onion rings, and shoestring fries; the miso-glazed salmon with seaweed salad and the kimchi pancake topped with vegetables are also standouts. A small list of cocktails and one dessert round out the short menu.

Young professionals mix with students at this lively restaurant, a symphony in red and orange in an ode to the 1970s, whose 13 different breakfasts are a big draw: the Vorstadt Classic includes bacon and eggs, rolls, and several other kinds of bread, along with a plate of salami and homemade jam. Quick daily lunch specials are a good value, while the atmosphere at dinner is relaxed, complete with candlelight. There is another location in Altstadt at Maximilianstrasse 40 (089/2554–7010).

The Watzke microbrewery operates two brewhouses with the same beer and hearty menu in the city center. The location directly across from the Goldene Reiter statue of Augustus the Strong is the more pelasant for outdoor dining and people watching. The other location is at Dr.-Külz-Ring 9.

This brewpub first started brewing beer in 1516, and still does, including a dark Hefeweizen (wheat beer) rarely found outside Germany. The menu leans toward traditional Bavarian and Swabian favorites including wurst, goulash, and schnitzel. There's also an extensive selection of local wine and cider, and a lovely outdoor beer garden to enjoy it in warm weather.  This is also a guest house with some simple rooms above the restaurant.

High ceilings, chandeliers, and traditional wooden furnishings help shape Wiesbaden's answer to a Bavarian beer hall, with a good selection of draft and bottled Weihenstephaner beers to match. The classic Bavarian food comes in very generous portions, from the best crispy Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle) in town—worth ordering in advance as they only make a set number each day—to schnitzel, fried chicken, and sausages with sauerkraut and fried potatoes.

This wine estate's tavern and hotel, Boppard's oldest, is full of smiling faces: the wines are excellent, the food is simple and hearty, and the welcome is warm. Old chestnut trees shade tables in the courtyard. If you'd like to visit the cellars or vineyards, or have a wine tasting, ask the friendly hosts.

Hunting scenes and trophies line the wood-paneled walls of this cozy wine restaurant, named after the patron saint of hunters and built in 1689. Expect hearty portions of fresh, traditional fare such as Wildschwein Würstchen, or wild boar sausages. This beautiful building is right on the corner of Florinsmarkt and Gemüsegasse.

Munich's oldest wine tavern serves upscale food as well as superior wines in its two nooks: the wood-panel restaurant and the weinstube (wine bar). The menu is excellent, from classic Wiener schnitzel to fish to modern interpretations of Bavarian and Austrian dishes.

This charming restaurant, six generations in the same family, is furnished with antiques. The cuisine (courtesy of the chef, Simon Nauels) presents a seasonally changing menu of modern versions of German classics, demonstrating that there's a lot more to the country's cooking than wurst and sauerkraut—a specialty is a hearty sirloin steak with a mustard crust and served with truffled mashed potatoes. The restaurant also offers a full vegetarian prix-fixe menu (Das Tante Anna Menü).

This tiny, historic wood-paneled pub close to the river is a favorite with locals young and old, who come to enjoy glasses of regional wine with traditional Mainzer snacks such as Handkäse (a sour milk cheese marinated in vinegar and caraway). 

This half-timber wine bar's fine selection of German wines, and light, crispy Flammkuchen (a flambéed tart with bacon, onions, and crème fraîche) is a welcome break from traditional German dining. Just up the street from the Old Town's main marketplace, it's a busy spot, popular with patrons of all ages. with a little terrace for a view down the hill.

The Esel (donkey) lends its name to this wine pub serves homemade Palatinate pork specialities. The excellent menu is dictated by the seasons, and the ingredients—from cheese and meat to fruit and vegetables—are all sourced locally.

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.

A lively little wine bar in the middle of the Old Town enchants you with its lovely terraces and courtyard. Excellent local wines and simple seasonal meals are served before a cozy fireplace in the huge barrel-vaulted cellar.

Daily soups and stews, hearty fare, cold snacks, and fresh, regional cuisine are served with wines from the Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt estate. The Tagesgericht (daily special) and Aktionsmenü (prix-fixe menu) are a good bet; Das Beste der Region (the region's best) is an ample selection of local hams, cheeses, fish, and breads, served on a wooden board for two.

A five-minute drive south of Bingen town center—you'll need to cross over the Drususbrücke, Germany's oldest medieval stone bridge, to reach the west side of the Nahe River—this charming restaurant and wine bar is a longstanding local favorite. Expect refined country cooking with seasonal house specialties including Geschmorte Schweinebacken (braised pork cheeks) and Winzerschmaus (a casserole of potatoes, sauerkraut, bacon, cheese, and herbs), alongside wines produced by the Rumpf family. Sit inside the light and airy 1790s house or outside on the large, wisteria-draped suntrap of a patio.

Offering casual dining with white-table linens quality, the Weinstube offers a multicourse prix-fixe menu for lunch and dinner that features local seasonal products. They have both vegetarian and vegan offerings alongside fish, game and house-smoked meats.

Behind a group of lush, potted plants and a sign on a pink-and-white house reading \"Bier und Weinstube Tenne\" is Petersilie, a traditional wine tavern in the heart of the town on the Römerplatz. The menu offers both homey Pfälzer fare and international cuisine, from Saumagen (stuffed pig's stomach) to chili con carne.

Wines, fine spirits, and regional delicacies are offered in the former premises of the family-owned distillery. Don't miss a chance to sample their fruity Muskateller wine, and you might also want to pick up a bottle of their fresh red or white Pfälzer Traubensaft (grape juice) as a tasty souvenir.

The Bastian family (also owners of the vineyard Insel Heyles'en Werth, on the river island just north of town) runs this cozy tavern in a half-timber house dating from 1421. The \"wine carousel\" is a great way to sample a full range of wine flavors and styles (11 wines) alongside light snacks that include delicious Wildsülze (game in aspic), with potato salad, sausages, and cheese.

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.

Ski lifts are a rare sight in Hamburg and North Germany, which is known for its flat landscape, but they are part of the decoration of this bistro serving Alpine delicacies. The menu includes an excellent selection of cheese and German favorites such as Käsespätzle (egg noodles) but this restaurant is best known as a great place to have a proper breakfast.

Fresh fish from the lake is a specialty at this traditional restaurant near the New Castle, which has been in the Benz family for four generations. You can pair the day's catch with white wine from their own vineyard. A popular entrée is badische Ente (duck with bacon and apples in a wine-kirsch sauce). Reservations are recommended.

This 19th-century vaulted brick cellar has rustic wood furnishings and cozy niches perfect for settling down for an evening of hearty Pfälzer and wider German food. The restaurant has long been a promoter of the global Slow Food movement, and its dishes, created using locally sourced ingredients, include Blutwurst (blood sausage), Maultaschen (large ravioli), and Tafelspitz (slow-cooked rump cap of beef, with horseradish sauce).

Wirtshaus describes a kind of bar-restaurant serving traditional Bavarian food and beer, and this one, with its great vaulted room lined with beer steins, has been doing so since 1901. It has a combination of fantastic service and outstanding local dishes, including Hofente (roast duck) and Schweinsbraten (roast pork), but the real specialty, and for which it is renowned, is Knödel (dumplings), which come in spinach, cheese, and beet varieties.

Although there's a full menu of Chinese dishes at this nondescript local favorite, it's the jiaozi you want: juicy, perfectly wrapped dumplings with vegetable, pork, or lamb fillings, to be dipped in a sour black vinegar and spicy chili paste. Start with addictive appetizers like tofu with crispy shrimp, cucumber with garlic, or Kaofu—silky tofu skins with bean sprouts and soybean—then dive into the dumplings, which can be ordered in batches of 20 or 40.

This self-described \"Franconian nostalgic inn\" harks back to the 17th century, when the local Wirtshaus (inn-pub) was the meeting place for everyone from the mayor's scribes to the local carpenters. Beer and hearty traditional food (with a hint of Mediterranean influence) are shared at wooden tables either in the rustic interior or out in the shady beer garden. If it's on the menu, opt for the freshly caught trout fried in almond butter.

Located a little to the west of the center, by the banks of the Rhine, this house brewery serves a good range of classic German dishes such as meat loaf with Spätzle (egg noodles) as well as regional specialties. Service and decor are bright and cheery, and you will be surrounded by copper vats and oak barrels as you dine.