478 Best Restaurants in Germany

This sleek establishment at the Palmengarten is accessible either from the botanical garden or from the street, offering fresh-baked pastries throughout the day and a limited prix-fixe lunch menu that changes daily. It closes at 7 pm. The Palmengarten also has the Linden Terrace for snacks in season, and the elegant and pricey Restaurant Lafleur for dinner.

Cologne's main pedestrian shopping street is practical but uninspiring—some even say ugly. This café is an airy, artsy oasis with outdoor terrace seating and a view of the 14th-century Antonite church. The food is international with an emphasis on the Mediterranean, and includes many organic, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. The selection of cakes is divinely German, and there's a jazz dinner every Saturday. Three enormous, delicate chandeliers, made entirely of plastic waste, provide lighting.

This café has the most spectacular view in town—and Marburg is famous for its panoramas. Both an outdoor terrace and a glassed-in terrace take full advantage of the site. It's all very \"Viennese coffeehouse traditional\" here, with piano music on weekends. The house-made cakes and chocolate creams are hard to resist.

The restaurant on the ground floor of the Städel art museum changes from a casual bistro at lunch to an elegant restaurant open until midnight. Lunch features pastas and panini, or a three-course prix-fixe business lunch. The dinner menu changes every two months to take advantage of seasonal items such as chanterelles, but always includes German favorites such as schnitzel and a few international favorites. The café is open between lunch and dinner for coffee and pastries.  The same company operates café locations at the Frankfurt airport.

Locals flock to this stylish corner brasserie serving hearty staples of French rural cuisine with a Rhineland twist.

This extension of the Louis C. Jacob Hotel consists of a relaxed Bistro, a wine bar, and a more formal Brasserie that boasts a large bay window with excellent views of ships gliding up the Elbe. But it's the brasserie that stands out, offering a unique take on French dishes with seasonal northern German ingredients as well as local fish delicacies.

This popular place, with two floors and a large terrace on Marienplatz, has an international range of dishes, from kebabs and curries to pastas and local specialties. You can also enjoy coffee, cakes, or an aperitif.

Tucked into a courtyard behind the bflat jazz club, this elegant restaurant benefits from fresh ingredients, expert cooking, and an enticing exotic tea list. It has a lovely location; the outdoor space is adorned with paper lamps and canopies. You'll find the usual suspects, like fresh summer rolls and skewered meats with peanut sauce, but there are also some excellent original dishes, like the pickled Vietnamese eggplant and the rice "burger" with smoked tofu and lotus root. Brunch is served on the weekends.

This restaurant in the historic, elegant Kaisersaal edifice is the jewel in Erfurt's small gourmet crown. Thuringia native chef Christopher Weigel has worked in top restaurants around Germany and developed his own minimalist style. Here he is pursuing his vision of a gourmet restaurant: a cozy, service-oriented oasis in which to enjoy delicious international dishes with a Thuringian accent. Using local producers, Clara serves delicious four- to seven-course menus from a list of 10 dishes.

Hamburg’s highest restaurant and bar awaits you on the 23rd floor of the \"Tanzende Türme” (Dancing Towers) skyscrapers, dazzling with floor-to-ceiling views over the city, excellent cocktails, and creative crossover cuisine cooked in an open kitchen. The culinary focus here is on a variety of different steaks and cuts of meat.

The narrow, blink-and-you-miss-it ramen joint Cocolo has had it right for years; the noodle kitchen is packed almost every night of the week and has gained a devoted following—and it doesn't take reservations, so prepare to wait in line. Tasty pork-based broths come in flavors like creamy tonkotsu with pork belly, salty shio with smoked chicken, or rich niboshi shoyu with fish stock, pork, and veggies.

Known for its friendly service and cozy atmosphere, this restaurant offers a variety of German and British dishes, making it a popular spot for both locals and tourists. It’s particularly well-rated for breakfast and lunch​.

Cox has delighted guests with its nouvelle German cuisine for years, and with a cool, dark interior and red-leather banquettes reminiscent of a French brasserie, it remains one of the hippest places around. Friday and Saturday night sees its two large rooms swell with diners, and consequently service can slow a little. However, dishes such as truffle ragout fin of calf's tongue served in a puff pastry patty, and a friendly, knowledgeable staff, easily compensate.

An intimate atmosphere in a 350-year-old house with a sunny terrace near the city's baroque quarter complements the gourmet menu, which focuses on using regional, in-season ingredients in its traditional German dishes. An extensive wine list ensures you'll always have the right glass to go with your locally caught trout or grilled steak.

This bright-red lightship served in the English Channel before it retired to the city harbor in 1989 and became a landmark restaurant, guesthouse, and pub. Local favorites such as Hamburger Pannfisch (panfried fish with mustard sauce) and Labskaus (a mixture of corned beef, potato, onion, beet, and gherkins) are on the ship's extensive menu, along with Argentine steaks and rack of lamb.

In a city full of Turkish restaurants, Defne stands out for its exquisitely prepared food, friendly service, and pleasant setting. Beyond simple kebabs, the fresh and healthy menu here includes a selection of hard-to-find fish dishes from the Bosphorus, such as acili ahtapot (spicy octopus served with mushrooms and olives in a white-wine-and-tomato sauce), as well as delicious meze and typical Turkish dishes like \"the Imam Fainted,\" stuffed eggplant with tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and pine nuts.

Located in an old merchant house decorated with oil paintings featuring 19th-century sailing ships, this small and elegant seafood restaurant is a Hamburg classic. It's one of the best places to get traditional dishes such as Hamburger pannfisch (fried catch of the day in a wine-and-mustard sauce) at a very reasonable price.

Just off Bernkastel's main square, Der Ratskeller serves uncomplicated regional food to be enjoyed at an outside table with a view of the action, or inside among vaulted arches, bare brick walls, and leaded windows. The regular lunch and dinner menus are full of standard German fare—schnitzels, rump steaks, salads—but the seasonal menus deliver plenty of tasty surprises, from white-asparagus dishes in spring and early summer to hearty roasted goose, duck, and game in winter.

This small family-run establishment overlooks the Nikolaiturm, one of the towers of the city's wall. The restaurant offers good solid Silesian fare.

Venture beyond the grand exterior of this 19th-century bank building and you'll find yourself in an elegant bar and brasserie lighted by opulent chandeliers set in a ceiling supported by handsome black columns. Diners can feast on steaks, goose, and sashimi at white-clothed tables or out on the restaurant's spacious, sunny terrace.

You're guaranteed a warm welcome from Florian Kreller and the team at this historic building full of cozy niches and exposed beams. Local dishes are the specialty here, with emphasis placed on fresh, local, seasonal ingredients. Vegan and vegetarian options are available alongside the schnitzel and sausages. If in doubt, opt for the \"Winzer-Carpaccio\" (\"winemaker's carpaccio\"), a perfect accompaniment to the wine.

Part of the centuries-old complex of buildings ringing the town castle, this ancient and popular hostelry is a great place to enjoy the view from the large dining room and tree-shaded terrace.

Sure, it's a bit of a tourist trap, but then again, how often do you get the chance to eat in the world's biggest wine barrel? The two-story \"giant cask\" is divided into various rooms and niches with rustic wood furnishings, but you can also sit outside to enjoy the restaurant's regional wines, regional specialties, and international dishes.

This friendly Apfelwein restaurant offers typical decor, with traditional wood paneling and coat hooks on the wall. It's popular with locals, who come for regional favorites, including dishes with the ubiquitous Frankfurter green sauce, but also a rarity: beer. Save room for appelkranzen, battered and fried apple rings dusted with cinnamon sugar and served with ice cream.

Gelato fans shouldn't miss a visit to this ice cream shop opposite the Liebfrauenkirche. Natural ingredients and inventive (and occasionally slightly baffling) flavors, from \"cold eggnog\" to \"English soup,\" make this place hugely popular. Prepare to stand in a long line, though the service is generally quick and efficient.

At this elegant restaurant inside a centrally located townhouse filled with contemporary art, the short but smart menus focus on regional ingredients prepared with a contemporary flair. Depending on the season, you might find local fish, Königsberger Klopse (German meatballs in white caper sauce), or veal cheeks with mushroom ragu.

It's loud, it's busy, and the small selection of high-quality beer is brewed on-site in a labyrinth of vaulted cellars. The menu offers regional snacks as well as hearty Bavarian fare, from Schweinehaxen (pork knuckle) to pork schnitzel. You can take a tour of the brewery for €7.90 per person (arranged in advance).