Ready to learn about all the best German food? After traveling to Germany several times in the past few years, we’ve experienced delicious food everywhere from summer festivals to winter Christmas markets. It’s allowed us to try so many different German dishes and compile a list of our favorites. You’ve surely heard about bratwursts and schnitzel, but there’s so much more traditional German food to taste! Here’s some ideas for what to eat in Germany on your next trip.
What’s the Best Food in Germany?
We should start out by saying that the food in Germany goes far beyond this list! It’s a diverse cuisine that combines a tremendous amount of flavors.
Some of these German dishes have been served for hundreds of years using the same traditional methods of cooking. Know that it also varies by region and the cuisine often blends with the surrounding countries.
These meals are specifically ones that we’ve had recently and would absolutely get again when we return. Be sure to comment at the bottom and tell us your own favorite food in Germany that we should try on our next visit.
Our Favorite German Food
1. Bratwurst
Let’s start out with the king of German food! Bratwurst is one of the most common street foods you’ll find in the country.
It is a popular type of sausage that is often served on a brötchen bread roll, typically with mustard. During our time in Germany, we’ve tried so many different sausages in every different way! They come grilled, boiled, and even cut up in soup.
One of our absolute favorites is the currywurst, which is a cut up bratwurst that is smothered in curry ketchup. When we arrive and are looking for a quick snack, this is probably the first traditional German food we go for.
Some of the best places to eat bratwurst is at the many festivals around the country. At the the Nuremburg Christmas Market we tried their famous small sausages. We even tasted a grilled wild boar sausage in some of our the smaller villages on a Christmas Markets River Cruise!
2. Roasted Duck
Another German food classic is the tasty roasted duck. Growing up I would think of this meal as a holiday time treat. It is often served in the winter and prepared to celebrate the Christmas season.
You won’t find it on every menu when traveling through Germany. Most of the time we saw it at the high-end restaurants. The duck is usually served with cabbage and potatoes or spaetzle on the side.
3. Flammkuchen
While Germany is not known for its pizza, you should be aware that they have their very own take on it! A flammkuchen is essentially a thin crust pizza with simple toppings.
Instead of a red tomato sauce, they use different types of sour cream for a white base. Some of the best toppings are bacon, onions, and garlic.
You’ll find these plentifully along the French Alsache border, as it’s also popular in this part of France. We also enjoyed flammkuchen at the food trucks and summer wine festivals along the Moselle River.
4. Kartoffelgratin
Have you ever had a potato gratin? Well, you should know that it’s not just a small side dish in Germany!
Kartoffelgratin is similar to what you may have had other places, but extremely elevated. This German food can be found in both local and upscale restaurants.
It involves thinly sliced potatoes baked with cheese and other yummy ingredients. Typically, restaurants will have a meat and a veggie option.
Make no mistake about it.. this is one of those hearty German dishes that will leave you completely full!
5. Schnitzel
If you know anything about German food, then you’ve probably heard about the schnitzel. This is popular dish in both Germany and Austria. In fact, one of the very best we had was in the beautiful city of Vienna.
Still, you’ll find this on menus around Germany, as it’s a main staple of the cuisine. It’s essentially a breaded and fried slice of veal or pork. A lot of the time they’re so big that they overflow right off your plate!
The interesting thing about schnitzel is that it often doesn’t come topped with anything. We prefer ours with some type of sauce, but they’re also good plain with a large squeeze of lemon on top.
6. Schweinshaxen
We hope our German food list is making you hungry! The next one up is sure to knock your socks off.
Schweinshaxem is massive crispy pork knuckle that is usually served with potatoes and other fixings like spinach or red cabbage. This food in Germany will run you 15-20 Euros, but it will definitely fill you up.
Although it’s perfectly acceptable to take down Schweinshaxen yourself, we’ve split it plenty of times. We’ve enjoyed them in other places and it was an essential part of our Prague food tour. However, the best pork knuckle can be found in Germany!
7. Halve Hahn
This is another one of those particular German dishes that you will only find in a certain region. Halve Hahn is something we loved to order when visiting North Rhine-Westphalia.
Our first experience with this unique cheese dish was at the famous Fruh Am Dom brewery in Cologne. It’s an aged dutch cheese served with a roll and onions, which makes for the perfect starter before you get into the heavier dishes.
8. Sauerbraten
Sauerbraten is another hearty food in Germany you have to try on your visit! The tasty beef is marinated and roasted to perfection, always in an amazing thick sauce.
The gravy is the star of the show and comes out dark and brown. Yet, it seems to have a different flavor each time depending on where you order it.
9. Potato Pancakes
Also known as Kartoffelpuffer in Germany, these incredible potato pancakes can be found all over the country! This is another German food staple of the Christmas Markets and are even easy enough to make at home yourself.
If you buy them from street food stand like we did at the Frankfurt Christmas Market, they will be fried with a nice crisp with each bite. The best sides to order with potato pancakes are applesauce and sour cream.
10. Herring
Let’s move onto the next traditional German food on our list! Herring is one of the most popular seafood treats in German cuisine, and comes in so many different style.
It quickly became a welcomed edition to our large breakfast spreads. However, one of the best ways to eat it is on fresh brötchen roll. Some of our favorite herring sandwiches come pickled, fried, and creamed.
The best herring can be found in the north on the border with the Netherlands. There really wasn’t a day that went by on our Netherlands Boat Bike Tour where we didn’t have herring!
11. North Sea Crab Sandwich
Let’s stick with the seafood of the north. While it’s technically called crab, it is actually super small shrimps that come on this sandwich.
We first tried this northern speciality on our trip to the Hamburg Christmas Markets. Just be warned, that the the price of these tasty shrimps has skyrocketed in recent years.
We wanted to dislike it solely for the fact that it cost the same price as 3 to 4 traditional herring sandwiches. Nevertheless, it’s absolutely worth the price! The small shrimps are bursting with flavor, and we will certainly order it again on our next trip to Hamburg.
12. Kasespatzle
After trying our first Kasespatzle, we were completely sold! Who knew Germany had its very own version of a mac and cheese??
Spaetzle is a scrumptious egg noodle that you’ll find all around central Europe. When combined with popular german cheeses, it comes out as a mouthwatering dish. We love getting ours topped with bacon, fried onions, and even a little mustard.
13. Rouladen
When we think about the best food in Germany, this is one of the all timers! Rouladen is probably the toughest German food to make yourself well if you’re following along at home.
Still, when you have a good one, it will instantly become on of your favorite German dishes. It’s made up of thin slices of beef, which you then roll with onions, pickles, and spices. It’s then baked for hours, with all the flavors blending together.
14. Doner Kebab
Hailing from Turkey, the Doner Kebab obviously isn’t the most traditional German food. In any case, it should still be at the top of your list when looking for what to eat in Germany.
This popular street food can be found everywhere throughout the country, from the small towns to big cities. In fact, Berlin alone has over 4,000 doner shops!
They make their kebab’s a little different here with a massive spread of fresh and gilled veggies. Our absolute favorite is from Mustafa’s Gemuse Kebab, and no trip to Berlin would be complete without it.
15. Leberkäse
This is another one of those street snacks you have to try in Germany. Now a meatloaf might not sound so appetizing, but the Leberkäse has become one of our go to snacks!
They are commonly sold at bakeries, butchers, and even little pop up stands where they’re kept warm and sliced to order. Served in a fresh crunchy roll, we prefer to load it up with lots of mustard.
16. German Pretzel
Pretzels are basically the national snack of Germany… and yes they are as large, fluffy, and delicious as you’ve always imagined.
Our favorite place to order them is at the local bakeries where they’re baked fresh each morning. One thing that you might not expect is the butter aspect of this food in Germany.
At certain bakeries, they will offer to slice it in half for you and spread butter inside. This is a yummy addition that we highly recommend!
17. Pflaumenkuchen
Onto dessert! There are endless German cakes, cookies, and sweet treats to try on your visit. If you ever see a plum cake (mostly found in the summer), be sure to order it!
It might look slightly different depending on bakery that you get it from. The soft cake is layered with perfectly ripe sweet plums and topped with a sugar crumble.
Even though it’s a dessert, you can enjoy pflaumenkuchen with your morning coffee as well.
18. Apple Strudel
Apple Strudel is probably the most popular dessert in the German food game. The apple center is exploding with cinnamon and raisins, stuffed full of goodness.
There are different ways to get it, but we prefer when it comes with a vanilla sauce of some kind. We always made sure to leave room to enjoy an apple strudel to end our meal with.
Best Drinks to Go With German Food
What about the drinks?? If we’re being honest, Germany has too many incredible drinks to name. We might need a completely separate list for this!
As with the food in Germany, the types of drinks available will vary depending on the region. Obviously, the country is known for having some of the best beer in the world. Our personal favorite is the hefeweizen wheat beer, but there are just so many to choose from.
One thing we didn’t expect Germany to have was world-class wine. On our last visit, we got treated to this firsthand in the Moselle Valley wine region. Towns such as Traben-Trarbach and Zell Germany had their own special blends of riesling, with vineyards as far as the eye could see. We even stayed for a month in the tiny wine-making village of Reil Germany.
After some of the best traditional German food, you won’t want to miss out a digestif. It’s common to order a shot of schnapps or fruit brandy to sip on once you’ve finished your meal.
Have any questions about what to eat in Germany or want to share more of your favorite German dishes? Leave us a comment below!
Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake
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We’re Brigitte and Jake! American travel bloggers currently based in Spain. If you can believe it, we started Nothing Familiar way back in 2015 on an Ipad in the Ecuadorian jungle. Ever since, we haven’t stopped traveling! We’ve now been to over 60 countries around the world, with our expertise being Europe and Southeast Asia. We love outdoor adventures, tasting local specialties, and island hopping through tropical destinations. Hopefully, our guides and authentic experiences will inspire you on your own travels!
