44 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.

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.

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.

Thomas and Gudrun Höreth's enchanting country inn—a former mill dating back to 1026—is a labyrinth of little rooms and cellars grouped around oleander-lined courtyards. Highlights of the menu include homemade cheeses, terrines, pâtés, and Entensülze (goose in aspic), served with the Höreths' own wines. It's on the northern edge of Kobern-Gondorf, a 10-minute drive from Winningen.

For a classic brewery pub experience, look no further than this traditional German restaurant with its classic chequered flooring and wooden furniture. The hearty food here comes in large portions: if you're feeling especially hungry, order the Haxentopf "Spezial"---chunks of pork knuckle meat braised with onions and vegetables and served in a cast-iron pan with potatoes and a fried egg. Wash it all down with a half-liter of Königsbacher Pilsener.

This wonderfully charming medieval half-timber house is Bacharach's oldest (dating to 1368) and a favorite setting for films and photos. It doesn't disappoint with its food and wine, either: the kitchen uses the freshest ingredients possible and buys meat and game from local butchers and hunters, serving up local classics such as Rieslingrahmsuppe (Riesling cream soup) and Reibekuchen (potato pancakes) in addition to the seasonal specialties.

While it still retains its Michelin star, this acclaimed restaurant has adopted a more casual approach, offering a pared-down modern tasting menu as well as à la carte dishes with French, Mediterranean, and Asian influences. The harborfront setting remains spectacular.

Perched on a hilltop north of town, this superb restaurant overlooks the Rauenthaler Baiken vineyard. In addition to the lovely panorama vista from the vine-canopied terrace, the regional cooking, friendly atmosphere, and local wines make for a complete "Rheingau Riesling" experience. The menu is limited, with only four starters, four mains, and two desserts to choose from at any time; if in doubt (and a meat-eater), opt for always-excellent rump steak.

Located in the Kurhaus, beside the Spielbank, this chic bistro has a striking art nouveau interior—think painted ceilings, walls crammed with paintings, and a grand piano (live music nightly)—that attracts an upscale clientele and the post-theater crowd. Delicately mixing French and German cooking, the restaurant is particularly known for its (expensive) black Angus steaks, best served with truffle fries. For a good value lunch, come for the two-course menu (including coffee), available from 12 to 3 pm weekdays.

Weekend brunch (served until 4 pm) can get busy at this café, located on a quiet square one block from the riverfront. Otherwise, the bistro—with its big windows and walls plastered with old movie and museum posters—is an oasis from the hustle and bustle of the Altstadt.

This legendary brewery serves classic German comfort food along with its excellent namesake beers (both Altbier and Pils) in typically rustic dining rooms, as well as out in the spacious glassed-in winter garden.

There's no better Bräuhaus in Cologne for drinking Kölsch, the city's home brew, than in one of the city’s oldest microbreweries. You won't sit long in front of an empty glass before a blue-aproned waiter sweeps by and places another one before you.

For three decades, writers and artists from Cologne's elegant Agnesviertel neighborhood have been meeting at this cozy locale on a quiet, tree-lined street. Inside, the ambience—like a little corner of Montmartre—is just right for thinking deep thoughts, or simply chatting over a slice of chocolate cake. Even when the cake's all gone, night owls can enjoy the café's delicious Camembert and lingonberry blintzes.

Cologne's main pedestrian shopping street is practical but uninspiring—some even say ugly. This café is an airy, artsy oasis with outdoor terrace seating and a view of the 14th-century Antonite church. The food is international with an emphasis on the Mediterranean, and includes many organic, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. The selection of cakes is divinely German, and there's a jazz dinner every Saturday. Three enormous, delicate chandeliers, made entirely of plastic waste, provide lighting.

Locals flock to this stylish corner brasserie serving hearty staples of French rural cuisine with a Rhineland twist.

Known for its friendly service and cozy atmosphere, this restaurant offers a variety of German and British dishes, making it a popular spot for both locals and tourists. It’s particularly well-rated for breakfast and lunch​.

Just off Bernkastel's main square, Der Ratskeller serves uncomplicated regional food to be enjoyed at an outside table with a view of the action, or inside among vaulted arches, bare brick walls, and leaded windows. The regular lunch and dinner menus are full of standard German fare—schnitzels, rump steaks, salads—but the seasonal menus deliver plenty of tasty surprises, from white-asparagus dishes in spring and early summer to hearty roasted goose, duck, and game in winter.

Beethoven was a regular at this tavern, which has been around since the late 14th century. Today it offers one of the best-value lunches in town, and the kitchen stays open until 1 am. The interior is rustic, the food hearty and nonfussy.

For real down-home German cooking, few places in Cologne compare to this time-honored brew house in the shadow of the Dom. It's often crowded, but the mood's fantastic. Bold frescoes on the vaulted ceilings establish that mood, and the authentically Teutonic experience is completed by such dishes as Hämmchen (pork knuckle). The seasonal beer garden is a great spot for people-watching.

Just around the corner from the Rathaus (Town Hall), this excellent little restaurant serves high-quality, down-to-earth German and Austrian cuisine; think sausages, schnitzels, and spinatknödel (spinach dumplings). For a real taste of Germany, try "Oma's Sauerbraten," which is heavily marinated roast beef served with potato dumplings and red cabbage. Skip dessert here and instead head next door to Wesel Café for an after-dinner coffee and cake—both dining options are connected to the Das Wesel hotel.

The quiet, walled, rose-filled wine garden, run by the nearby Weingut J. Koegler and adjacent to their "weinhotel", is a wonderful town-center spot to enjoy their fine wines alongside classic Italian delicacies, including freshly-prepared pizzas. If you fall for their liquid produce, you can purchase bottles at the on-site shop.

The sophisticated, Michelin-starred French nouvelle cuisine and attentive staff here are a hit with upscale locals. The restaurant, which is named for the woodcock, has been in operation just outside the Old Town by the Westpark since 1981. 

Classic German cuisine with a creative twist has earned this chic restaurant, a stone’s throw from the Rhine, a Michelin star. The concise, ever-changing menu features interesting flavor combinations using seasonal ingredients, and many dishes are available as half-portions.