20 Best Restaurants in The Pfalz and Rhine Terrace, Germany

An 18th-century complex is the home to the Bassermann-Jordan wine estate, a hotel, and two restaurants, including this one. This upscale, Michelin-starred fine-dining spot offers a five-, six- or seven-course menu of Mediterranean-influenced Asian cuisine and a selection of more than 1,000 wines from its impressively extensive cellar (wine pairings are available), including every vintage of Bassermann-Jordan wine since 1870. Another on-site restaurant, 1718, offers French-inspired cuisine with both prix-fixe and à la carte options.

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.

Sure, it's a bit of a tourist trap, but then again, how often do you get the chance to eat in the world's biggest wine barrel? The two-story "giant cask" is divided into various rooms and niches with rustic wood furnishings, but you can also sit outside to enjoy the restaurant's regional wines, regional specialties, and international dishes.

It's loud, it's busy, and the small selection of high-quality beer is brewed on-site in a labyrinth of vaulted cellars. The menu offers regional snacks as well as hearty Bavarian fare, from Schweinehaxen (pork knuckle) to pork schnitzel. You can take a tour of the brewery for €7.90 per person (arranged in advance).

Gebert's smart yet traditional wine tavern serves refined versions of regional favorites and modern European cuisine using fresh, seasonal ingredients. The geeister Kaffee (coffee ice cream and a chocolate praline in a cup of coffee) uses delicious, handmade chocolate pralines.

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.

Tucked away off the street through an easy-to-miss entrance just inside the outer iron gate, this restaurant offers a leafy, decorated courtyard in which to sit and enjoy a glass of local wine, coffee, and house-made cake, or lunch or dinner from a short but varied international menu that includes Mediterranean antipasti, burgers, and salads. The Flammkuchen (Tarte flambée) are freshly made to order and cooked with your chosen toppings in a stone oven, and they're absolutely delicious.

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 main courses such as Bachsaibling (brook trout) in a white wine sauce, and a selection of homemade ice creams.

Named after the patron saint of the wine industry, this upscale restaurant offers traditional Palatinate cuisine, such as veal dumplings or Saumagen (stuffed pig's stomach). An inviting outdoor terrace offers an affordable lunch menu, while the restaurant offers an excellent dinner, including a prix-fixe menu with wine pairings. If the weather is good, sit at a table on the market square with a glass of chilled Riesling. Dinner in the more formal and more expensive Michelin-starred Schwarzer Hahn has served its elaborate regional haute cuisine to royal and political figures from around the globe.

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). 

The Esel (donkey) lends its name to this wine pub serves homemade Palatinate pork specialities. The excellent menu is dictated by the seasons, and the ingredients—from cheese and meat to fruit and vegetables—are all sourced locally.

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.