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Also recommended:

Barococo ( 862 3040; Altmarkt 10; snacks from €5, mains €6-13) Often packed to the gills, this fish restaurant has nice Altstadt views from the upstairs dining room.

Grand Café ( 496 2444; An der Frauenkirche 12; mains €10-21; 10am-midnight) Elegant coffee-and-cake stop in the gold-trimmed Coselpalais.

Ogura ( 864 2975; An der Frauenkirche 5; meals from €25; noon-2pm & 5.30-10.30pm) Dresden’s top sushi restaurant, inside the Hilton.

NEUSTADT

El Perro Borracho ( 803 6723; Alaunstrasse 70, Kunsthof; tapas €3.30) Almost blocking an entrance to the Kunsthofpassage, this buzzy eatery is a great place to enjoy a glass of Rioja and a platter of tapas on the cobblestone courtyard when the mercury heads north.

Electric Lotus (Louisenstrasse 58; mains €4-6; 11.30am-11pm) The antidote to conventional fast-food places, this tranquil chapel of ayurvedic, vegan, vegie and organic fare proves that healthy food can also be tasty. It does a brisk trade in takeaways.

Raskolnikoff ( 804 5706; Böhmische Strasse 34; mains €5-14) This bohemian cafe behind an extremely tatty facade was one of the Neustadt’s first post-Wende (postcommunist) pubs. The menu is sorted by compass direction (borscht to quiche Lorraine to smoked fish), there’s a sweet little beer garden out the back, and a gallery and basic guest rooms can be found upstairs (singles and doubles €40 to €55).

PlanWirtschaft ( 801 3187; Louisenstrasse 20; mains €7-14; 9am-1am) Only fresh, organic ingredients sourced from local butchers and farmers make it into the international potpourri of dishes at this long-time favourite. There’s a romantic courtyard for balmy days.

Villandry ( 899 6724; Jordanstrasse 8; mains €8-16; 6.30-11.30pm Mon-Sat) The folks in the kitchen here sure know how to coax maximum flavour out of even the simplest ingredients, and to turn them into super-tasty Mediterranean treats for eyes and palate. Meals are best enjoyed in the lovely courtyard.

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Drinking

ALTSTADT

Stadtoase ( 0173 404 2380; Terrassenufer; May-Oct) Dump 150 tonnes of sand on the banks of the Elbe, erect a bar and beach volleyball court, and invite the city to party all summer long. Yep, that’s Stadtoase.

Fährgarten Johannstadt ( 459 6262; Käthe-Kollwitz-Ufer 23b; 10am-1am Apr-Oct) East of the Altstadt, and occasionally too close to the flood-prone Elbe for its own good, this idyllic beer garden pulls great ales and does a mean barbecue.

Rauschenbach Deli ( 821 2760; Weisse Gasse 2; mains €7-14; 9am-1am) A cafe by day, this contempo spot morphs into a chic bar with an endless cocktail menu when the moon gets high. Cool terrace, too.

Karl May Bar ( 491 2720; Kleine Brüdergasse) If you came to Dresden to relax in sophisticated, dark wood and red leather club surroundings, do it here. The Wild West murals were inspired by the books of Karl May.

NEUSTADT

If you’re up for a night on the razzle, head out to the Äussere Neustadt, which is chock-a-block with cafe-bars. Alaunstrasse, Louisenstrasse and Görlitzer Strasse are where it happens.

Bautzner Tor ( 8038 202; Hoyerswerdaer Strasse 37) Probably the last GDR-era dive in Dresden to survive ungentrified, this dimly lit but strangely atmospheric museum piece is a nostalgic blast from the past. Food is definitely wallet-friendly and the excellent beer (cheapest in town) is brewed locally by a guy called Lenin.

Reisekneipe ( 267 1930; Görlitzer Strasse 15) Down a few Czech lagers in an African hut or put away a plate of curry in a Siberian log cabin at this travel-bug clinic. Hardened globetrotters give midweek slide-show talks.

Combo (Louisenstrasse 66) Laid-back to the point of toppling, this ’70s-retro cafe has enormous windows that fold back when the heat is on, 1960s airport furniture and cool dudes serving the party people. DJs take over after dark.

Scheune ( 802 6619; Alaunstrasse 36-40) This former GDR-era youth club is now an artsy pub and alternative rock venue with a beer garden and Indian food on