Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [63]
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GERMANY’S TOP EATS
Germany’s ‘best’, in the conventional sense, they might not be, but we’ve followed our stomachs to nose out – several hundred meals later – the following tasty cross-section of tastebud ticklers:
Brauerei im Füchsen Drink in earthy Rhenish hospitality along with home-brewed suds and finger-licking roast pork knuckle.
Café Kante A classic neighbourhood cafe in Frankfurt’s cosmopolitan Bornheim district.
Cookies Cream This chic dining spot serves meat-free gourmet fare in a signless, hidden industrial space.
Eisgrubbräu Enjoy hearty German classics and fine dark and light beers just metres from the vats they were brewed in.
Hotel am Schloss This Tübingen institution is renowned for making some of Baden-Württemberg’s finest Maultaschen (German ravioli).
Restaurant La Vie Meals are culinary fireworks that harmoniously blend European and Asian aromas, textures and techniques.
Le Canard Nouveau Exquisite innovation and one of Hamburg’s best riverside seats.
Restaurant Jörg Müller (Romantik Hotel Jörg Müller; ) Pedigreed Michelin-starred cuisine on the glamorous North Frisian island of Sylt.
Strandhalle Fine unfussy dining in a memorably decorated room with views of Binz’ sandy shores.
Villa Mittermeier Top-end dining astride the Romantic Road with a wine list to match.
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EATING WITH KIDS
Dining with kids is by no means a whining affair in Germany. High chairs are a permanent fixture in restaurants – upmarket and budget alike – and, if you’re lucky, the waiter will come clad with a damp cloth at the end of your meal to wipe sticky little fingers clean. Most Gaststätte and less formal restaurants offer a small choice of Kindermenüs (children’s menus) and dishes for children (Kinderteller or Für unsere kleinen Gäste) – those that don’t will almost certainly try to meet any special small-appetite requirements. Eating establishments are rarely equipped with nappy-changing facilities, but some fast-food and quick-eat places have a fold-down changing table in the women’s loo.
Supermarkets sell a vast range of ready-made baby food and toddler meals – predominantly organic – as well as formula milk, organic fruit juices and teas.
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HABITS & CUSTOMS
Germans eat three meals a day – breakfast (Frühstück), lunch (Mittagessen) and dinner (Abendessen).
Breakfast at home is served on a wooden board (rather than a plate). Great animal-shaped boards, complete with a hollowed-out eye to prop up a hard-boiled egg, can often be found at markets. Yoghurt, Quark, muesli, cereal, fruit salad and other typical breakfast staples feature in hotel buffets.
Traditionally, lunch would be the main meal of the day. In the domestic arena, modern working practices have changed this considerably, although many restaurants still tout lunchtime dishes or a fixed lunch menu (Gedeck or Tagesmenü).
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You don’t need your Michelin or Gault Millau guides to check out Germany’s best restaurants, the country has its own ratings and guides, including Der Feinschmecker (www.der-feinschmecker-club.de), Aral’s Schlemmer Atlas (www.schlemmer-atlas.de) and Marcellino’s Restaurant Report (www.marcellinos.de)
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Dinner is dished up at home around 7pm, and in restaurants between about 6pm and 11pm. Both meals are relaxed, and require few airs and graces beyond the obligatory ‘Guten Appetit’ (literally ‘good appetite’), exchanged between diners before eating. German workers lunching at shared tables sometimes still exchange a courteous ‘Mahlzeit’ (literally ‘mealtime’) before tucking in.
Tipping is quite an individual matter. Many locals, particularly older Germans, will tip absolutely nothing. Some round up the bill, while others tip between 5% and 10%. Do whatever you’re comfortable with, given the service and setting.
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DOS & DON’TS
One early-20th-century German book of manners that we have seen exhorts dinner