4 Best Restaurants in Erfurt, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia

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.

Serious and uncomplicated Thuringian regional cuisine, including the best dumplings in Erfurt, is served in this simple restaurant. All of the dishes (and the secret dumpling recipe) come from Grandma Käthe's cookbook, which relies heavily on seasonal and regional ingredients.

Head down the straw-covered stairs in front of Clara restaurant, and you'll find yourself transported to the Middle Ages. The Luther Keller offers simple but tasty medieval cuisine in a candlelit vaulted cellar.

Beer lovers rejoice: Erfurt has six brewpubs, among which the Golden Swan is by far the best. The house beer is a pleasant unfiltered Kellerbier, and the constantly changing seasonal menu is a step above normal brewpub fare. The restaurant and its beer garden are in the best-preserved segment of the original pigment factories on the Michaelisstrasse