17 editor picks across Germany.
17 french fine dining restaurants worth the trip across Germany, editor-ranked. All cuisines in Germany.
Lafleur in Frankfurt's Palmengarten holds two Michelin stars for Andreas Krolik's Grands Produits menu and a fully vegan tasting line of equal rank.
OrderThe Ethical Vegan Cuisine menu, run at full two-star level
TipThe Casual lunch menus on Wednesday to Friday are the affordable route into a two-star kitchen; book the vegan line ahead.
Christoph Rueffer's three-Michelin-star Haerlin at the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg cooks classical Hanseatic and modern French on the Alster.
OrderThe seven- or nine-course tasting; the langoustine course is the signature.
TipJacket required for men. Ask for an Alster-side window at booking.
Christoph Rueffer's three-Michelin-star Haerlin at the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg holds five Gault Millau toques on classical French.
OrderThe seven- or nine-course tasting; the seasonal langoustine course is the signature.
TipJacket required for men. Park-side window tables face the Alster; ask for one at booking.
Tantris has anchored Munich fine dining in Schwabing since 1971; Benjamin Chmura now cooks the two-star tasting menu in the original orange-and-brown 1970s.
OrderThe full evening tasting; no a la carte here. Booking required, the room only opens for dinner.
TipBar Tantris on the ground floor takes walk-ins and pours the same wine list at a fraction of the room's prices.
Tim Raue's two-star Asian-French room near Berlin's Checkpoint Charlie cooks the Peking duck the city is known for; lunch tasting at €178 is the easier entry.
La Société in Cologne's Kwartier Latäng holds one Michelin star, a refined French-influenced kitchen on Kyffhäuserstrasse in an elegant room.
OrderThe seven-course menu at €190; a vegetarian version is available on request
TipClosed for annual summer break late July to early August. Wine by the glass from €15.
Erno's Bistro in Frankfurt's Westend has cooked Michelin-starred French food in a tiny wood-panelled room since the 1970s, with a French-heavy cellar.
OrderThe daily fish from the Rungis delivery, listed at the table
TipClosed on weekends and through the Hessen summer school holidays, a real bistro habit; book weekday lunch for the calmer room.
Petit Amour on Spritzenplatz in Hamburg's Ottensen reopened in late 2023 under Eike Iken and Monique Lingg and held its Michelin star again in 2025.
OrderThe full tasting; the seafood course leads.
TipSmall dining room with around 24 seats; weekday bookings far easier than weekends.
Petit Amour on Spritzenplatz in Hamburg's Ottensen reopened in October 2023 under Eike Iken and Monique Lingg and held its Michelin star again from 2025.
OrderThe five- or seven-course tasting; the seasonal seafood course leads the menu.
TipSmall dining room with around 24 seats; weekday bookings easier than Friday or Saturday.
Tantris DNA in Munich's Schwabing is the a la carte room behind the Tantris townhouse; Benjamin Chmura runs the one-star kitchen on a modern French carte.
Zur Tant in Cologne-Porz holds one Michelin star for classic-French cooking on the Rhine's right bank; worth the 20-minute taxi ride from the centre.
OrderThe five-course seasonal menu combining Rhine-valley produce with French-Mediterranean technique
TipOpen Friday to Monday only. The riverside Piccolo bistro is a lower-cost alternative to the gourmet room upstairs.
Nathalie Leblond's Les Deux in Munich's Altstadt holds one Michelin star on the first floor; her husband Vincent Leblond runs the room and the 600-label wine.
Sigi Schelling, formerly sous-chef at Tantris, holds one Michelin star at her own Werneckhof on a quiet Schwabing street near Munich's English Garden.
Matthias is the Prenzlauer Berg dining room Janine Woltaire and chef Silvio Pfeufer opened in October 2024 on Kollwitzstrasse. Priced at €€€.
OrderModern French tasting menu, Seasonal vegetable courses
La Cuisine Rademacher in Cologne's Dellbrück holds a Michelin star for contemporary European cooking; strong wine list and precise seasonal menu.
OrderThe prestige menu using seasonal regional produce from Rhineland and Eifel farms
TipLunch Wednesday to Friday offers better value than the dinner menu. Vegetarian menu available if requested at booking.
Petit Frère in Cologne's Belgisches Viertel is a Michelin-selected neighbourhood bistro serving refined French brasserie cooking in an intimate room.
OrderSeasonal fish or meat main from the changing French menu
TipSmall room; reservations strongly advised for weekend dinner. One of the better-value serious kitchens in the Belgian Quarter.
Andreas Saul's Bandol sur Mer on Berlin's Torstrasse holds a Michelin star with a 20-cover dining room and a chalkboard tasting that changes weekly.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Eat your way through Hamburg's historic Speicherstadt and old town, tasting Franzbrötchen, Fischbrötchen, Labskaus and a mystery Secret Dish with a local guide.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Culinary city tour through Hamburg's trendy party district. Five different specialties to taste.
Guided tour · 3 hours
3-hour culinary city tour through the HafenCity, ending at the Störtebeker on the Elbphilharmonie Plaza. Five different specialties to taste.
