45 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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

This wonderfully charming medieval half-timber house (1368) is Bacharach's oldest one standing 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.

This bistro has a striking art nouveau interior, the walls crammed with paintings, a grand piano (live music nightly), and a good-size bar, attracting an upscale clientele and the post-theater crowd. Delicately mixing French and German cooking, Benner's is well known for its black Angus steaks as well as its very popular (and expensive) Sunday brunch.

While it still retains its Michelin star, this acclaimed restaurant recently 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.

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.

Offering a stunning panorama view over the Mosel River, this sleek and modern dining spot offers beautifully presented traditional dishes. Note that the best views are from the window tables, and these are limited in number. Try the Kaiserschmarrn (a fluffy shredded pancake made popular by Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I) as your dessert to experience a much-loved German comfort food.

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.

Beate and Florian Kreller give you a warm welcome to their historic building full of cozy niches and exposed beams, where local dishes are the specialty, with emphasis placed on fresh, local, seasonal ingredients. Vegan and vegetarian options are available alongside the schnitzel and sausages.

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.

With its position right on the market place in the center of town, you'd be forgiven for suspecting the Alte Wache to be a tourist trap. However, you'd be mistaken, as good regional cuisine such as local trout (Forelle) with potato and apple salad as well as salads, sandwiches, and a very popular spaghetti bolognese are on the reasonably priced menu in this spacious, friendly, air-conditioned café.

Perched on a hilltop, this 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 Bastian family (also owners of the vineyard Insel Heyles'en Werth, on the island opposite Bacharach) runs this cozy tavern in a half-timber house dating from 1421. The "wine carousel" is a great way to sample a full range of wine flavors and styles (15 wines) alongside light snacks that include delicious Wildsülze (game in aspic), with potato salad, sausages, and cheese.

Tables in the flower-laden garden in front of this lovingly restored half-timber house are at a premium in summer, though the seats in the nooks and crannies indoors are just as inviting. From generous portions of Sauerbraten (marinated pot roast) and Spiessbraten (spit-roasted pork), the menu (in local dialect, but you can ask for a version in English) is country cooking at its best.

Beneath the vaulted ceiling of the Klosterschänke you can pair local wines with seasonal German cuisine. Menu highlights include their hearty winter soups, Klosterzeit (Abbey-time: a bread-and-cold cuts platter), and the delectable crème brûlée with pear sorbet.

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.

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.

Martina Lorenz and her winemaker husband Joachim operate the Vinothek at this hotel and restaurant north of St. Goar, where you can sample his delicious Bopparder Hamm wines. These go well with the hearty local dishes, such as Rhine-style sauerbraten or seasonal specialties (asparagus, game), all of which can be enjoyed in the restaurant. Of particular note is also their beautifully constructed solarium dining room dubbed Ausblick (View), offering a ship-like experience over the river and featuring original Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) furniture from the era when the hotel was built.