478 Best Restaurants in Germany

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, as well as for extended dinner hours on \"Street Food Thursdays\"; from Tuesday to Saturday, you'll find 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.

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 six-course menu is served each evening (dietary restrictions can usually be accommodated) and everything—from the bread and butter through vegetable, meat, and dessert courses—is gorgeously presented and delicious.

Traditional Japanese cuisine meets Western-style fine-dining culture at this excellent restaurant on the northern edge of the Altstadt. The stars of the show here are the spectacular sashimi and sushi, expertly prepared and beautifully presented, but expect all manner of Japanese treats, from miso soup to gyoza dumplings. You can enjoy them all in the dimly lit, bare-walled restaurant or out on the street terrace.

Owner and chocolate maker Kristiane Kegelmann also works as a sculptor, which accounts for the minimalist gallery-like look of this modern Austrian-German restaurant close to bustling Savignyplatz. Dishes tend toward locally sourced ingredients from small producers, best sampled in the seven-course or smaller four-course tasting menus (vegetarian versions available, as well as à la carte options), ideally combined with their fabulous natural wine pairings.

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.

Chef Gal Ben Moshe creates updated Levantine cuisine—a mix of Israeli, Lebanese, Syrian, and Greek cuisine—at his sophisticated restaurant on an unassuming side street off Kantstrasse. The six-course tasting menu, which also comes in a vegetarian version, lets you sample interesting ingredients such as jameed (dried yogurt) and baharat (Middle Eastern all-purpose spice) combined with top-notch meats and seafood.

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 city's finest fine-dining option sees Michelin-starred chef Maximilian Schmidt focus on a fusion of European (especially French, German, and Scandinavian) and Asian cuisines. Choose between a three-, five- and eight-course evening tasting menu featuring inventive, seasonal creations like pike perch with fermented paprika and chawanmushi (egg custard) with bacon, or come for a good-value (and considerably cheaper) three- or four-course lunch. Although set in an 800-year-old Altstadt building, the decor is chic modern minimalism; all hardwood floors, featureless walls, and dim lighting. There's a lovely boutique hotel here, just in case you don't want to move after dinner.

The conservative decor belies the artistry on offer at this Michelin-starred restaurant from Germany's most famous celebrity chef. Upscale Berlin-inspired cuisine, influenced by dishes from Tim Raue's childhood, or Asian-fusion cuisine, combining Japanese, Thai, and Chinese flavors and techniques, can be sampled in seven-course tasting menus for dinner or four- to seven-course tasting menus for lunch (with vegan versions on offer); 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).

This excellent little French restaurant is housed in one of Burgstrasse's most charming half-timber houses. Expect fancy twists on traditional and regional dishes on the five-course main menu (available to order for two people or more), with optional paired wines. Alternatively, order à la carte from the meat, fish, or vegetarian menus—or ask for the seasonal specialties. Note that the restaurant closes between lunch and dinner.

At first glance, this restaurant doesn't look particularly promising—a small part of a large cinema complex on the edge of town, with an uninviting terrace overlooking a busy street—but the fact remains: this is the best burger joint in Bayreuth. The beef patties are excellent, and there are topping options galore, from the classic (like cheddar and bacon) to the adventurous (like goat's cheese and fig sauce). There are chicken and veggie burgers, too, along with a choice of sides. Start your meal with a small salad, loaded nachos, or mozzarella sticks, and end it with a syrupy pancake, apple crumble, or a chocolate brownie.

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. \"Inspirations\" tasting menus of seven or eight courses make the most of ingredients like trout, chicken, or venison (vegetarian options are available) and combine unusual items like black radishes and mushrooms, or asparagus and wild violets; you can also opt for a smaller, though no less appealing, menu of six courses with drink pairings included.

If you tire of heavy German fare, get thee to this superb Vietnamese-Thai restaurant on a charming cobbled street by the river. The handsome dining room and pretty outdoor terrace overlooking the river are always packed, and once seated you'll find copious versions of their beloved specialties: shrimp or vegetable pad Thai, seafood or chicken curry loaded with fresh veggies, fragrant Thai sticky rice wrapped in coconut leaves. There are also beef and fish dishes as well as plenty of vegetarian options.

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.

Sparsely decorated, with a collection of handmade bowls behind the counter, the focus at this Japanese izakaya is solely on the food; there are just 10 seats around a small counter where you can watch chef Shiori Arai at work. The 13 to 15 exquisitely presented seasonal courses fuse local German ingredients with Japanese technique and can be paired with a small but smart selection of sake for some of the most authentic Japanese cuisine in town.

On a quiet residential street on the outskirts of the Altstadt, and hidden from view in summer by an ivy-covered patio, this restaurant feels like a true escape—befitting its laid-back name, Beach House. The regularly changing menu focuses on high-quality seasonal ingredients prepared in an elegant, yet no-fuss fashion. 

Recently reimagined as a trio of restaurants under one roof, Tantris, which has been around since 1971, has smartly broadened its range of modern French culinary offerings. There's the classic Restaurant Tantris, with its pricey prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus of haute cuisine (around €300 per person); Tantris DNA, featuring an upscale à la carte lunch and dinner menu; and Tantris Bar, serving cocktails and a short menu of French favorites like beef tartare.

Every weekend from spring to autumn, in decent weather, the main lawn at Preussenpark in Wilmersdorf fills up with Southeast Asian families (mostly Thai, but some Vietnamese, Malaysian, and Indonesian) who set up cooking equipment and prepare authentic delicacies like beef noodle soup, skewered fried meat, and spicy green-papaya salad. Come with a picnic blanket, cash, and a lot of napkins, and stay for the afternoon. Sundays in summer are especially popular.

Tucked onto a charming, leafy street, this quirky Michelin-starred restaurant decked out in green jungle wallpaper and wood floral details, with a cozy outdoor terrace, focuses on the \"experience\" of their food, serving up beautiful and interesting dishes using unusual ingredient combinations. Diners enjoy a seasonally changing seven-course tasting menu, and vivacious co-owner Ilona Scholl will happily suggest (and encourage) whimsical international wine pairings to match.

The kitchen at this much-loved little bistro in Eimsbüttel officially opens for business at 7 pm, but Vienna opens its doors early in the afternoon for those wanting an espresso or aperitif from their tiny bar. Early arrivers might still be asked to share a table in the dining room or outside in the courtyard, but given the lovingly prepared sausages, fresh fish dishes, and hearty desserts coming out of the kitchen, it will matter little to most.

This welcoming Italian spot serves excellent traditional homemade pastas as well as a variety of meat and seafood dishes, including Sicilian prawns in a spicy tomato sauce. The atmosphere is casual but the service is top-notch, and the owner, Guido, and his friendly bulldog, Malesh, are always on hand to greet guests.

Housed in a former wine cellar that dates from 1893 in one of the alleys off Fressgass, Vinum specializes in regional wines by the glass or bottle to accompany a regional prix-fixe menu. The burnished brickwork and low lighting adds to the charm. The wine-themed decor includes such items as glass bowls filled with wine corks.

One of several restaurants run by the team behind the five-star Hotel Bareiss, this hiker's hut is more moderately priced than many of the town's more famous Michelin-starred gourmet restaurants, but the quality of the regional specialties served remains high. It's the perfect place for coffee and cake or a simple lunch, and it's also open for dinner on Sunday; atop a 700-meter-high (½ mile) hill near hiking trails, it has loads of outdoor seating from which to enjoy the natural surroundings.

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.

Come to this Bornheim favorite for the delicious selection of tapas, paella, and other Spanish specialties. The dark interior has wooden tables brightened by fresh-cut flowers and candles, making it a good spot for an intimate dinner. In summer you can dine outside, German style, at long tables.

The name of Bautzen's best Sorbian restaurant (indeed, its best restaurant of any type) means \"vault\" or \"arch.\" Very popular on Sorb holidays, Wjelbik uses exclusively regional produce, fish, and meat, and the cooking is a bit lighter than typical Saxon fare. The restaurant is in a 600-year-old building near the cathedral.

Celebrated Michelin-starred chef Martin Fauster, formerly of Munich’s Restaurant Königshof, shows off his prowess with modern German cuisine at this charming restaurant in Freiburg’s Altstadt. Choose from a five- or six-course tasting menu or order á la carte, with such dishes as yellowtail with mussels, corn, and curry or pigeon with mole and pumpkin.