39 Best Restaurants in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, Germany

Strudelhof Kaffeehaus

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A good strudel restaurant is a rarity in most parts of the world, so why not apply the "when in Rome" rule and opt for the real deal? Tempting savory combos include spinach and potato, cabbage and mincemeat, salmon and spinachFor sweets, the classic sour cherry, pear, and cheese curd, or apricot are headliners, with or without copious amounts of whipped cream. You'll also find Kaiser-roll sandwiches and organic eggs topped with chives and served in a glass for brunch. Accompany your meal with a good cup of coffee, organic juice, beer, or wine.

The Golden Anker

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Front and center on the market square, you'll know this inn and restaurant by the terrace out front teeming with happy drinkers and diners. A pretty, country-style dining room indoors specializes in a menu of modern and traditional classics. Try any one of the schnitzels or, for a lighter fare, go for the steamed walleye, a local speciality.

Thüringer Hof

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One of Germany's oldest restaurants and pubs (dating back to 1454) served its hearty Thuringian and Saxon fare to Martin Luther and the like—who certainly had more than a mere pint of the beers on tap. The menu in the reconstructed, cavernous, and always buzzing dining hall doesn't exactly offer gourmet cuisine, but rather an impressively enormous variety of game, fish, and Bratwurst dishes.

German Lunch Dinner $$
Burgstr. 19, Leipzig, D–04109, Germany
0341-994–4999
www.thueringer-hof.de
Known For
  • Traditional Thuringian cuisine
  • Thuringian sausages served with either sauerkraut and boiled potatoes or onions and mashed potatoes
  • Sauerbraten (sour roast beef)

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Vincent's Käsekuchenbäckerei

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German cheesecake is fluffier and less dense than its American cousin and the best place to try it in Quedlinburg is at Vincent's café. The café regularly bakes 131 different variations of this treat and the café is worth searching for even if you aren't headed to the castle. 

Watzke Brauereiausschank am Goldenen Reiter

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The Watzke microbrewery operates two brewhouses with the same beer and hearty menu in the city center. The location directly across from the Goldene Reiter statue of Augustus the Strong is the more pelasant for outdoor dining and people watching. The other location is at Dr.-Külz-Ring 9.

German Lunch Dinner $$
Hauptstr. 11, Dresden, D–01097, Germany
0351-810--6820
www.watzke.de
Known For
  • Watzke beer
  • Daily specials, like pork knuckle
  • Popular with locals and beer enthusiasts

Wjelbik

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The name of Bautzen's best Sorbian restaurant means "pantry." Very popular on Sorb holidays, Wjelbik uses exclusively regional produce. The restaurant is in a 600-year-old building near the cathedral.

Eastern European Lunch Dinner $$
Kornstr. 7, Bautzen, D–02625, Germany
03591-42060
www.wjelbik.de
Known For
  • Historic setting
  • Sorbisches Hochzeitsmenu (traditional Sorb wedding meal of roast beef with horseradish sauce)
  • Seasonal specialties such as lamb and white asparagus

Zill's Tunnel

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The "tunnel" refers to the barrel-ceiling ground-floor restaurant, where foaming glasses of excellent Gose beer are served with a smile. The friendly staff will also help you decipher the Old Saxon descriptions of the menu's traditional dishes. Upstairs there's a larger wine restaurant with an open fireplace.

German Lunch Dinner $$
Barfussgässchen 9, Leipzig, D–04109, Germany
0341-960–2078
www.zillstunnel.de
Known For
  • The best pan-seared Rinderrouladen (a filled beef roll) in the city
  • Cozy upper-level wine restaurant
  • Traditional Saxon cuisine

Zum Alten Dessauer

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On the other side of the train station from the Bauhaus, about 20 minutes' walk, lies a brewery with a fairly young history by German standards, dating back only to 1900. The former buildings of the Brewery Schade house a brewpub that not only serves some of the best seasonal regional cuisine in Dessau but also the best unfiltered Zwickel beer in eastern Germany. The food is rustic German and the beer a cold way to reflect on a day in Dessau.

Dinner German Lunch $$
Lange G. 16, Dessau, 06844, Germany
0340-220--5909
www.alter-dessauer.de
Known For
  • Unfiltered Zwickel beer
  • Seasonal regional offerings
  • Bread and dumplings made from spent brewing malt
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.

Zum Goldenen Schwan

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Beer lovers rejoice: in addition to the Braugold brewery, Erfurt has six brewpubs, among which the Golden Swan is by far the best. The house beer is a pleasant unfiltered Kellerbier, and the constantly changing seasonal menu is a step above normal brewpub fare. The restaurant and its beer garden are in the best-preserved segment of the original pigment factories on the Michaelisstrasse

German Lunch Dinner $$
Michaelisstr. 9, Erfurt, D–99084, Germany
0361-262–3742
www.zum-goldenen-schwan.de
Known For
  • Constantly changing seasonal brews
  • Thuringian regional cuisine
  • Germany's best Sauerbraten
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.