170 Best Restaurants in Germany

Heidelberg's oldest (1863) coffeehouse has always been a popular meeting place for students and professors, and offers traditional Swabian food, pastries, and ambience. A historic change is that the café no longer produces café founder Fridolin Knösel's Heidelberger Studentenkuss. This iconic "student kiss" is a chocolate wrapped in paper showing two sets of touching lips—an acceptable way for 19th-century students to "exchange kisses" in public. They are now being sold exclusively in Knösel Chocolatier, a small, charming shop, owned by the Knösel family, just down the street.

A small chocolate and macaroon shop is attached to this ornate café specializing in breakfast, light lunches, and sweet cakes. It's a centrally located place that's perfect for people-watching and indulging in the German coffee-and-cake tradition.

Reminiscent of a traditional coffeehouse, this café has been offering all types of sweets and pastries, along with breakfast, lunch, and dinner since 1915. Open daily, it's on a quiet, tucked-away street that's steps from the main shopping area, Zeil. In warm weather, there's a lovely outdoor garden.

Ice cream sundaes towering with whipped cream and cones toppling under the weight of generous scoops are just a few of the frosty delights to be had at one of Miltenberg's cherished institutions. Located in the town's central square, you can take a cone to go or linger in on the ample terrace and watch the world go by.

This currywurst stand in Kreuzberg has a cult following and just about any time of day or night you'll find yourself amid a crowd of cab drivers, students, and lawyers munching on currywurst mit Darm (with skin) or ohne Darm (without skin). Go local and order your sausage with a big pile of crispy fries served rot-weiss (red and white)—with curry ketchup and mayonnaise.

The 100-plus-year-old Kreuzberg stalwart has managed to stick around thanks in part to its most famous dish, which is still just about all it serves: a crispy, fried half chicken. The rest of the menu is short: coleslaw, potato salad, a few boulette (meat patty) options, and several beers on tap; for "dessert," look to the impressive selection of locally sourced brandies and fruit schnapps.

Known for having one of the best breakfasts in Berlin (think avocado toast and toasted brioche with berry preserves), the filtered coffee at Distrikt is far from an afterthought, with beans chosen from some of Europe's top roasteries. Tea lovers aren't left out with a fine selection from Kreuzberg's Companion Coffee & Tea, served up with a scrumptious choice of cakes.

So small it's easy to miss, this former dairy shop now offers a limited but fine selection of Italian fare, with a menu of fresh antipasti and pasta that changes daily. The high wooden tables and counters fill up fast at this lunch-only spot, so arrive early for the quieter, cooler window seat or take your food to go.

Though Berlin’s awash in Neapolitan pizza places, this sweet neighborhood spot bucks the trend with innovative topping combinations on a soft yet chewy sourdough crust. Sophisticated seasonal pizzas, such as charred broccoli and buffalo mozzarella or bacon with cauliflower and Swiss chard, please kids and adults alike, while the fine selection of cocktails, wine, and beer gives the adults even more to appreciate.

An absolute must when in Miltenberg, this 425-year-old traditional guesthouse, owned by the Faust brewing company, is an architectural gem and a great place to try out authentic German food and the best in Bavarian beer. Diners (and drinkers) sit at long tables under high beamed ceilings with traditional murals and arched stone doorways, but there are a few little niches with private tables and a large outdoor terrace with lovely views of the town. Generous portions of weinerschnitzel, traditional bratwurst, and sauerkraut with potato purée are accompanied by one of ten beers and ales on tap. There are also plenty of smaller dishes and desserts, or you're perfectly welcome to just stop in for a beer.

For more than 30 years, this simple restaurant has been serving traditional dishes accompanied by potatoes cooked every way imaginable. The potato-and-broccoli gratin and the potato pizza are excellent, as are the Hessian potato pancakes with toppings including mushrooms, smoked salmon, or a fried egg. For dessert, try potato strudel with vanilla sauce. The charming decor includes colorful art deco dishes and lamps.

Under the tracks of the elevated U2 subway line is Berlin's most beloved sausage stand. Konnopke's is a family business that's been around since 1930 and, though there are several options on the menu, this place is famous for its currywurst, which is served on a paper tray with a plastic prong that can be used to spear the sauce-covered sausage slices; with French fries and a pilsner, this is one of the quintessential Berlin meals.

This cozy Mitte spot has two different spaces: the bustling and sometimes drafty front room with high tables where walk-ins are seated, and a darker, more romantic back room for those who remember to reserve ahead—as you should. The short but well-thought-out menu includes small and large antipasti plates of grilled vegetables, olives, cheeses, and meats, as well as unusual pastas like a tagliatelle with crawfish in a lemon-mint sauce, or one with pine nuts and balsamic-roasted figs. Chestnut-filled ravioli with pears is a favorite in winter. The lunch menu, with an appetizer and a pasta dish for only €8.50, is a great deal, especially for the area.

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; Tuesday to Saturday finds 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.

In the renovated Ehemalige Jüdische Mädchenschule (Old Jewish Girls' School), this deli-style café serves delicious versions of Jewish deli standards along with regularly changing vegetable-based salads and mains. The space, with wood floors and tables and low, deep purple banquettes, is trendier than any traditional deli.

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. 

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.

One of Berlin's original third-wave coffee joints, this tiny café in the heart of Mitte’s gallery district serves up superlative hand-brewed coffees (always served black) and espresso drinks with trendy add-ons like oat milk, alongside a small but tasty selection of baked goods and sandwiches. There's limited indoor seating and laptops are banned, so this is a better place to sit outside when the weather's nice or to get your coffee to go.

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.

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 usually 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 slices of saumagen (a spicy meat-and-potato mixture encased in a sow's stomach).

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.

There aren't many classic Apfelwein locales left, but this is one of them. It's just as it has been since the end of the 19th century: walls covered with giant paintings darkened with age, giant stoneware pitchers called Bembels, glasses that are ribbed to give greasy hands traction, long tables that can seat 12 people, schmaltzy music, hearty food with daily specials, and, as is traditional, no beer. Try this one if you want to truly capture the spirit of Old Sachsenhausen.

Enjoy simple but tasty regional specialties directly in front of the Marientor. The beer garden is a good place to relax away from the action of the city center. The three-room pension is often booked far in advance.

Locals and tourists mingle naturally at this proper, old-world Geheimtipp (hidden gem), near the open fireplace and antique winemaking equipment; as the night progresses, locals might unpack their musical instruments and start playing. The food is local and fortifying: sausages, cheeses, ham, and homemade soups served with the wines from host Arthur Schmitz's own estate. However, no beer served here.

This cozy, atmospheric pub-restaurant has been a Munich institution since 1903 when it was a meeting place for the leading writers, comedians, and artists whose pictures now hang on the dark, wood-panel walls. The beer is as good as is the food, which includes filling options like roast pork, currywurst, and a bacon cheeseburger with french fries.

By day, this is a quiet café reminiscent of a classic Viennese coffeehouse (the name means "Old Europe"), with shabby but trendy decor, and fashionable Mitte-ites chatting and paging through newspapers and magazines. At night, it turns into a comfortable but bustling neighborhood pub serving classic Berlin dishes, just crowded enough to look like a scene but never too packed.