14 Best Restaurants in Schleswig-Holstein and the Baltic Coast, Germany

Owner Jörg Müller, considered by many to be the island's leading chef, serves haute cuisine in the gracious and friendly setting of an old thatch-roof farmhouse, which doubles as a small hotel. Restaurant "JM" offers outstanding dining with a seasonal menu that incorporates a diverse locally sourced selection of produce and fish.

This dark, wood-panel restaurant dating back to 1535 is the city's old Mariners' Society house, which was off-limits to women until 1870. Today locals and visitors alike enjoy freshly brewed beer and great seafood in church-style pews at long 400-year-old oak tables.

Located in Wismar's oldest patrician house and regarded as one of the most attractive, authentic taverns on the Baltic—and correspondingly busy—this eatery focuses on Mecklenburg's fish, game and poultry dishes, such as the traditional Mecklenburger Ente (Mecklenburg duck). The duck is filled with baked plums, apples, and raisins, and served with red cabbage and potatoes.

Taste the "Divine beer of the Vikings," a malty cold-fermented amber lager, at Schleswig's only brewery. While the Luzifer Restaurant offers typical brewpub fare, it is the small Viking twists, like roast meat served only with a knife and horned glasses that make this place worth a visit.

Wismar's first brewery (1452) is the only place that still brews Wismarer Mumme, a dark beer with enough alcohol to keep it fresh for export as far away as St. Petersburg. The restaurant serves good-value typical pub food in an old half-timber house near the harbor.

This friendly restaurant offers a mix of regional and international dishes, all fresh and full of flavor. The small but excellent menu includes items such as octopus, shrimp, and scallops on pumpkin three ways, and delectable desserts such as crème brûlée with apricots, vanilla ice cream and tonka beans.

Kiel has been a center of German brewing since the Middle Ages, when industrious citizens brewed around the clock for export and visiting merchant seamen. In this brauhaus you can try the Kieler Original and other north German beers in pitchers, or order Kiel beer in large wooden barrels to tap yourself at the table.

While enjoying fresh fish from local waters, prepared with a light Italian touch, you can watch the sunset over the cliffs of Kap Arkona at this restaurant dubbed "Rügen's balcony." Make a reservation, and insist on a table in the Fontane-Veranda (in winter) or the Arkonablick-Terrasse (in summer).

Once you've crossed the threshold of the Petrikeller, you'll find yourself in the medieval world of Hanseatic merchants, seamen, and wild pirates such as Klaus Störtebeker. The largely meat-centric menu reflects the cuisine of the Middle Ages, when meat and roots were the common daily ration.

It's worth the trip here just to see the rustic interior and copper brewing equipment. Since the restaurant is owned by the Störtebecker Brewery, all Stralsunder and several Störtebecker beers are on tap, including the rare Störtebecker Roggen-Weizen, a wheat beer made with rye, and Germany's first India Pale Ale.

While wandering among the medieval and modern jetties and quays of the port, you might feel the need for a snack. This seamen's haven, decorated with sharks' teeth, stuffed seagulls, and maritime gear, is a good pit stop along the harbor.

Committed to the city's maritime heritage, Wullenwever serves fish such as bass, halibut, plaice, pike, and trout, which is fried or sautéed according to local country cooking. It's certainly one of the most attractive establishments in town, with dark furniture, chandeliers, and oil paintings on pale pastel walls.

Don't be fooled by the prefab exterior: Schwerin's only brewery is an oasis of great beer and down-to-earth regional and Brauhaus specialties like the Malzsack (a pork schnitzel breaded with brewing malt) or Mecklenburger lamb. Wash it down with the house-brewed unfiltered light or dark beer.