13 Best Restaurants in The Rhineland, Germany

One of Germany's finest dining experiences awaits in the restaurant of Waldhotel Sonnora, an elegant country hotel in the forested Eifel Hills. The eight-course tasting menu is a tour-de-force of classic yet inventive French cooking, with the chef transforming truffles, foie gras, and caviar into mouthwatering creations. There are also subtle nods to local food culture throughout, as well as extensive use of local game. The standard menu costs an eye-watering €339 per person (plus €175 for wine pairing), and there are plenty of opportunities for supplements. Unusually, you can also order à la carte, though you may weep when you've seen the bill with the cost of just one main course.

Wiesbaden's most interesting vegan restaurant is all about plant-based Latin American food. Expect everything from enchiladas to empanadas, chilaquiles to chicharrón. Tucked away in an arcade between Marktplatz and Wilhelmstrasse, it can be easily found by simply following your nose—or the hip, young crowds.

Sitting at one of the low wooden tables in this rustic spot on the first floor of the Rathaus, surveying the marketplace through the wavy old glass, you can dine well on solid German fare. In warm weather, the terrace provides great views of the Dom.

More than a wine bar (though the wine selection is outstanding), this small restaurant offers a wide-ranging menu of small and medium plates to share. While the theme is \"German tapas,\" the food displays influences from Asia and Turkey, making this a good destination if you are looking for a light bite with your wine or a full meal. Regardless of whether you get the delicious beet carpaccio, Japanese-style fried chicken, sardines on toast, or Iberico ham, or one of the many other offerings, you won't go away hungry. And you can choose a delicious Moselle wine to go with your food.

Chef Benjamin Kriegel earned a Michelin star for his innovative cooking, experimenting with unusual combinations of flavors and textures using mainly locally sourced ingredients. The five- or six-course menu of small plates changes with the seasons; recent highlights included marinated and smoked Bavarian char with borscht aspic, sour cream, and fermented white cabbage.

Great care is taken over the light, seasonal international dishes that make up the three-course menus here. Every dish is made with fresh, carefully chosen ingredients and served with the estate's wines. Choose to dine in the Kavalierhaus (Squire's House), which dates back to 1650, in the orangery, or (during summer) on the flower-lined terrace facing the garden. The restaurant, which closes early for dinner at 8 pm, is part of the Schloss Vollrads complex, a five-minute drive north of town.

On the top of the Rochusberg, and on the road to St. Roch Chapel, this unusual-looking building is home to an excellent little café-restaurant that serves the town's best-value lunch buffet. The salads, soups, main courses, and desserts are all tasty and wholesome, with many of the dishes based on Hildegard of Bingen's own theories of nutrition. The Sunday buffet is even more elaborate, though more expensive. If you're just looking for a drink or a snack, you can stop in any time for coffee and cake; there's a substantial selection of local beers and wines, too. Save time to explore the ever-changing exhibits on Hildegard and her teachings, and to take a stroll around the medicinal medieval herb garden. There are hotel rooms available if you want to stay a little longer.

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.

Chef Roland Gorgosilich and sommelier Florian Richter continue the culinary traditions that have made this stylish and intimate art nouveau house one of the Rheingau's top restaurants. The menu showcases dishes with pan-European influences, with produce varying from Breton lobster to Galician veal, while the wine list focuses on the finest local estates for whites, along with Old and New World estates for reds. The main restaurant's painted ceiling creates an atmospheric setting for the multi-course meals (opt for the four-, five-, or six-course menu), while in warmer months, diners can enjoy the gorgeous parklike garden. Overindulged? Stay in one of the 18 elegant rooms and suites here.

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. 

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.

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.

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.