8 Best Restaurants in The Rhineland, Germany

Sophisticated Italian cuisine is served here in a warm, elegant setting on the city's southwest side. The seasonally changing menu focuses on fish and game, and the wine list is interesting and extensive—although sometimes pricey.

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.

Chef Benjamin Kriegel earned a Michelin star for his innovative cooking, experimenting with unusual combinations of flavors and textures using mainly locally sourced ingredients. The five- or six-course menu of small plates changes with the seasons; recent highlights included marinated and smoked Bavarian char with borscht aspic, sour cream, and fermented white cabbage.

Great care is taken over the light, seasonal international dishes here, which are made with fresh, carefully chosen ingredients and served with the estate's wines. Choose to dine in the Kavalierhaus (squire's house, 1650), the orangery, or in the summer, on the flower-lined terrace facing the garden.

In a historic brick building in the charming suburb of Kaiserswerth, this Michelin-starred restaurant, with its elegant wood-paneled dining room and artfully presented gourmet French dishes, is worth the trip. Diners can order the prix-fixe menu or à la carte, with or without wine pairings.

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. 

On a quiet residential street on the outskirts of the Altstadt, and hidden from view in summer by an ivy-covered patio, this restaurant feels like a true escape—befitting its laid-back name, Beach House. The regularly changing menu focuses on high-quality seasonal ingredients prepared in an elegant, yet no-fuss fashion. 

At this elegant country hotel in the forested Eifel Hills, guests are offered one of Germany's absolute finest dining experiences in a room plush with gold and white wood furnishings and red carpet. Choose a spectacular five-, seven-, or eight-course menu or dine à la carte: the chef is renowned for transforming truffles, foie gras, and Persian caviar into masterful dishes, and challans duck in an orange-tarragon sauce is his specialty.