13 Best Restaurants in The Pfalz and Rhine Terrace, Germany

It's one of the more formal Mainz wine taverns, yet Schreiner still attracts a mixed, jovial clientele who come to enjoy excellent local wines and delicious, refined takes on regional German cuisine, often with a Mediterranean twist. During periods of warm weather, you can sit in the garden .

Speyer's oldest beer garden, a 15-minute stroll through the gardens behind the cathedral, is a popular, leafy spot to pass the afternoon. There's a good selection of beer, and the portions of rustic, regional fare are enormous. There's a good selection of vegetarian choices too. If you're hungry, try one of the grilled steak dishes, served—rather nontraditionally—with fries.

Tucked behind a wooden portal on a cobblestone street, this vaulted sandstone "cellar" (it's actually on the ground floor) feels very cozy, but equally inviting is the Tuscan-style terrace, with its citrus, olive, palm, and fig trees. The regular menu includes rustic regional dishes as well as Mediterranean-inspired options.

Heiliggeist's modern, minimal decor is a striking contrast to the historic vaulted ceilings in this former almshouse and hospital church, which was built in 1236. This lively café-bistro-bar serves elaborate salad platters, creatively spiced fish and meat dishes, and the house specialty, Croustarte, an upscale version of pizza. It's a popular brunch spot on weekends.

A long-time staple on "Vintner's Lane," this half-timber building houses a homey, rustic, wood-beamed dining room, and a sleek, airy dining area in the modern extension. As well as the Palatinate regional dishes, such as liver dumplings and Saumagen, you can opt for more internationally influenced dishes such as seared sea bream with sage gnocchi or Charolais steak with herb butter. Also a family-run wine estate, there is a standout wine list, featuring a range of local aromatic Muskateller wines.

Friendly service and fresh seasonal dishes make for an enjoyable dining experience in the town hall's vaulted cellar (dating from 1578). The frequently changing menu offers entrées such as Sauerbraten nach Grossmutters Art (sour pot roast the way grandma used to make it) or Bachsaibling (brook trout) in a red-wine-butter sauce.

This tiny, historic wood-paneled pub close to the river is a favorite with locals young and old, who come to enjoy glasses of regional wine with traditional Mainzer snacks such as Handkäse (a sour milk cheese marinated in vinegar and caraway). 

Behind a group of lush, potted plants and a sign on a pink-and-white house reading "Bier- und Weinstube Tenne" is Petersilie, a traditional wine tavern in the heart of the town on the Römerplatz. The menu offers both homey Pfälzer fare and international cuisine, from Saumagen (stuffed pig's stomach) to chili con carne.

Wines, fine spirits, and regional delicacies are offered in the former premises of the family-owned distillery. Don't miss a chance to sample their fruity Muskateller wine, and you might also want to pick up a bottle of their fresh red or white Pfälzer Traubensaft (grape juice) as a tasty souvenir.

This 19th-century vaulted brick cellar has rustic wood furnishings and cozy niches perfect for settling down for an evening of hearty Pfälzer and wider German food. The restaurant has long been a promoter of the global Slow Food movement, and its dishes, created using locally sourced ingredients, include Blutwurst (blood sausage), Maultaschen (large ravioli), and Tafelspitz (slow-cooked rump cap of beef, with horseradish sauce).

Located a little to the west of the center, by the banks of the Rhine, this house brewery serves a good range of classic German dishes such as meat loaf with Spätzle (egg noodles) as well as regional specialties. Service and decor are bright and cheery, and you will be surrounded by copper vats and oak barrels as you dine.