The Best Restaurant in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, Germany

Background Illustration for Restaurants

Enterprising young managers and chefs are well established in the East, so look for new, usually small, trendy restaurants. People in the region are extremely particular about their traditional food (rumor has it that one can be deported for roasting Mützbraten over anything other than birch). Some new creative chefs successfully blend contemporary regional German with international influences. Medieval-theme restaurants and "experience dining," complete with entertainment, are all the rage in the East, and, despite being often quite kitschy, warrant at least one try. As the region slowly rediscovers its tremendous beer heritage, microbreweries and brewpubs have sprouted up in almost every city. Pubs are a good bet for meeting locals.

Strandgut Bio Restaurant

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You can be sure that nary a toxin or additive will pass your lips at this organic outpost set in a handsome house on the banks of the Elbe, where diners can stroll by the gardens that provided their salads and veggies or dine on the lawn and watch the boats glide by. Fresh, seasonal, no GMOs, and humane treatment are a few of the exacting standards for your meal; the others are great taste, plentiful portions, and a pleasing presentation for dishes like Ayervedic tabbouleh with grilled veggies and pear-chutney chili, baked oyster mushrooms and lime-cucumber-avocado salad, cod fillet with a butter parmesan crust, or sea bream risotto.