465 Best Restaurants in Germany

In a cozy wood-paneled room with a colorful mural of Berlin scenes along the wall and a sleek open kitchen, Austrian chef Sebastian Frank puts a creative spin on dishes from his native country. Vegetables (along with touches of meat and fish) become the stars of the show with innovative cooking techniques and a judicious use of herbs, many grown on his roof terrace, in a choice of five- or eight-course menus; each dish pairs perfectly with unique wines primarily from Eastern Europe.

In a historic brick building in the charming suburb of Kaiserswerth, this Michelin-starred restaurant, with its elegant wood-paneled dining room and artfully presented gourmet French dishes, is worth the trip. Diners can order the prix-fixe menu or à la carte, with or without wine pairings.

For more than 30 years, this simple restaurant has been serving traditional dishes accompanied by potatoes cooked every way imaginable. The potato-and-broccoli gratin and the potato pizza are excellent, as are the Hessian potato pancakes with toppings including mushrooms, smoked salmon, or a fried egg. For dessert, try potato strudel with vanilla sauce. The charming decor includes colorful art deco dishes and lamps.

This lovely restaurant, hidden in a courtyard off a quiet residential street, is both elegant enough for a special occasion and homey enough to be a favorite local haunt. Local ingredients are used whenever possible on the inventive menu, and the restaurant is best known for its slow-cooked meats for two: choose pork or lamb, along with fresh vegetable-focused side dishes.

Chef Florian Stolte creates beautiful dishes using international ingredients with an Asian twist in this one-Michelin star restaurant in the Traube Tonbach hotel. You won’t often find creative options such as Faroe salmon with miso and myoga (Japanese ginger) and lobster with cauliflower and ponzu in these parts of Germany, all served up in an informal atmosphere and paired with inspired wines or non-alcoholic choices.

Under the tracks of the elevated U2 subway line is Berlin's most beloved sausage stand. Konnopke's is a family business that's been around since 1930 and, though there are several options on the menu, this place is famous for its currywurst, which is served on a paper tray with a plastic prong that can be used to spear the sauce-covered sausage slices; with French fries and a pilsner, this is one of the quintessential Berlin meals.

This eatery makes culinary art from the Japanese snack, kushiage, breaded and fried skewers of meat, fish, and vegetables, accompanied by an array of colorful dipping sauces. The Kushinoya team uses a special cooking process to deep-fry the doughy exteriors of the skewered ingredients without letting them get oily, and offers at least 30 different skewers daily, using fresh, local ingredients. There's an interesting selection of beer and sake to go with your meal. Make sure to save room for the Japanese desserts, too.

An 18th-century complex is the home to the Bassermann-Jordan wine estate and an elegant restaurant, which has one Michelin star. Choose a six-, seven- or eight-course menu from the selection of Mediterranean-influenced Asian dishes, or order à la carte; and select a wine from more than 500 bottles from all over the world, including every vintage of Bassermann-Jordan wine since 1870.

A proud owner of a Michelin star since it opened its doors in 1978, Landhaus Scherrer continues to be one of the city's best-known and most celebrated restaurants. The focus is on the use of organic, sustainable ingredients to produce classic and modern German cuisine with international touches, and unsurprisingly, the accompanying wine list is exceptional.

This inviting French restaurant, whose owners are from Alsace, emphasizes elegant, imaginative dining in a modern setting with floor-to-ceiling windows and an expansive courtyard, perfect for alfresco dining in summer. Dishes combine luxurious ingredients such as scallops, lobster, pigeon, and truffles with richly flavored sauces featuring red wine, bone marrow, orange, or juniper.

There are a number of fine Italian restaurants around the city, but this is certainly one of the best, with excellent, often experimental meat and fish dishes and lovely pastas that are slightly more budget-friendly. Be sure to reserve a table in good weather so you can sit on the charming patio in the back.

In their namesake restaurant on a side street in Kreuzberg, Dutch chefs Lode van Zuylen and Stijn Remi combine ingredients primarily from small producers in interesting ways—expect lots of dry-aged and cured fish and meat—in regularly changing four- or seven-course tasting menus. With a minimalist aesthetic inside, the focus remains on the beautifully plated food, along with the large wine list with lots of natural selections from across Europe.

Many say the M Steakhouse serves the best steak in Germany, all of it imported Nebraska prime beef. Prices are in line with the quality of meat, and the sides complement the dishes perfectly, but if you're looking for non-meat options, you won't find them here. A set of steps leads down into the restaurant's beautifully lit outdoor patio, a perfect setting for a private romantic dinner. The main dining room inside is warm, welcoming, and intimate. The same restaurant group operates Surf 'n Turf a few blocks away, with similar prices and ambience, and seafood dishes in addition to the steaks.

This cozy Mitte spot has two different spaces: the bustling and sometimes drafty front room with high tables where walk-ins are seated, and a darker, more romantic back room for those who remember to reserve ahead—as you should. The short but well-thought-out menu includes small and large antipasti plates of grilled vegetables, olives, cheeses, and meats, as well as unusual pastas like a tagliatelle with crawfish in a lemon-mint sauce, or one with pine nuts and balsamic-roasted figs. Chestnut-filled ravioli with pears is a favorite in winter. The lunch menu, with an appetizer and a pasta dish for only €8.50, is a great deal, especially for the area.

Thanks to the efforts of local activists, this century-old market hall was saved from becoming a chain supermarket and instead turned into a center for local food vendors, chefs, wine dealers, and brewers. From Monday to Saturday, a large and rotating variety of food and drink is on offer for lunch and all afternoon; Tuesday to Saturday finds the weekly market with tempting food products for sale, from fruits and vegetables to bread and fish (with an expanded market on Friday and Saturday); and the space also hosts a dazzling array of rotating events, so it's best to check what's on before heading there.

In the renovated Ehemalige Jüdische Mädchenschule (Old Jewish Girls' School), this deli-style café serves delicious versions of Jewish deli standards along with regularly changing vegetable-based salads and mains. The space, with wood floors and tables and low, deep purple banquettes, is trendier than any traditional deli.

Intimate and effortlessly cool, this pint-size modern restaurant specializes in prix fixe menus showcasing creative plates using both local and European ingredients with an Asian touch, served alongside expertly mixed cocktails or inspired wine choices. Snag one of the tables if you’ve come with a group, but it’s most fun to sit on a bar stool near the kitchen where you can chat with the friendly staff and feel like a part of the action.

One of the best restaurants in town is known for its innovative Bavarian cuisine based on regionally sourced seasonal ingredients. Young chef Steffi Bauer changes the short but appealing menu, which features local fish, meat, and veggie dishes, about every two months and also offers a daily special.

Düsseldorf has one of the largest Japanese communities outside of mainland Japan, and Naniwa is a standout in the heart of the Japanese Quarter. Lines can stretch down the block, but service is quick and worth the wait for traditional soup and noodle dishes. 

The locavore obsession is taken seriously at this trendy spot that uses only the most local ingredients in the simple but sublime preparations that come from the open kitchen and are served at a long, shared counter. One 10-course menu is served each evening (dietary restrictions can usually be accommodated) and everything—from the bread and butter through several vegetable, meat, and fish courses—is gorgeously presented and delicious.

This restaurant is one of the finest in the city, and it's vegetarian to boot, along with a selection of vegan dishes. The delightful holiday from meat here brings an eclectic choice of skillfully prepared antipasti, quiche, pizza, gnocchi, pasta, curries, and stir-fries, plus excellent wines, all served in an airy, high-ceiling room.

Owner Jörg Müller, considered by many to be the island's leading chef, serves haute cuisine in the gracious and friendly setting of an old thatch-roof farmhouse, which doubles as a small hotel. Restaurant "JM" offers outstanding dining with a seasonal menu that incorporates a diverse locally sourced selection of produce and fish.

The perfectly crafted and creative haute cuisine at the Michelin-starred Reinstoff, prepared by renowned chef Daniel Achilles, focuses on both rare and traditional German ingredients but gives them an avant-garde twist and often playful presentations. Diners choose either five-, six-, seven-, eight-, or nine-course menus (à la carte is only by special request), either with or without wine pairings, and the relaxed but professional service and quietly refined atmosphere make this one of the most enjoyable dining experiences in the city. It's expensive but worth it. The wine selection is heavy on European wines.

The conservative decor belies the artistry on offer at this Michelin-starred restaurant from Germany's most famous celebrity chef. Upscale Asian-influenced cuisine, combining Japanese, Thai, and Chinese flavors and techniques, can be sampled in either classic or seasonal seven-course tasting menus for dinner or four- to eight-course tasting menus for lunch; pair your food with splendid wines from one of the most comprehensive lists in Berlin.

“To Hell” is in a building dating back to AD 900—claimed to be the oldest in town. With an extensive selection of Franconian wine and a delicious house beer, you'll have a nice late evening experience. In summer be sure to reserve a table in advance, including for the outdoor Biergarten (beer garden).

The narrow, unassuming facade of the only three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Berlin, tucked away on a sleepy stretch of Chausseestrasse, belies the elegant interior and stellar food you'll find inside. "Inspiration" tasting menus of six or eight courses make the most of ingredients like lobster, trout, or veal and combine unusual items like black radishes and mushrooms, or asparagus and wild violets; you can find more casual and heartier fare at the Weinbar downstairs.

This dark, wood-panel restaurant dating back to 1535 is the city's old Mariners' Society house, which was off-limits to women until 1870. Today locals and visitors alike enjoy freshly brewed beer and great seafood in church-style pews at long 400-year-old oak tables.

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.  The prix-fixe menu is available for both lunch and dinner