Top Hidden Gems in Germany

Haus Toller ★ 4.8

Haus Töller on Weyerstrasse in Cologne occupies one of the oldest buildings in the city; cash only, no website, evening-only Rhenish classics in a historic.

Gabelspiel ★ 4.8

Gabelspiel is sabrina and florian berger's one-star room in giesing seats 20 on a quiet residential street; tourists never make the trip from marienplatz.

TipBook six weeks ahead for the six-course tasting; the kitchen runs at its most personal Wednesday evenings.

Lommerzheim ★ 4.7

Lommerzheim in Cologne-Deutz has served the city's most argued-over pork chop since 1959; cash only, closed Sundays, unchanged since Mick Jagger ate there.

Barra ★ 4.6

Barra in Neukoelln's Schillerkiez, on the edge of Tempelhofer Feld, cooks ever-changing shared plates built on local produce with a natural-wine list.

TipBook at least two weeks ahead via the website; Tuesday and Wednesday are the easier tables.

Tibet Momo ★ 4.6

Tibet Momo at Aachener Strasse 11 in Cologne's Belgisches Viertel has 12 seats, no signage and no reservations; handmade Tibetan dumplings at a hidden.

Wen Cheng Hand-Pulled Noodles ★ 4.6

Wen Cheng on Flandrische Strasse in Cologne's Belgisches Viertel serves hand-pulled lanzhou noodles in the window; a full bowl with sides under twelve euros.

Gref-Völsings ★ 4.6

Gref-Völsings' Braterei window serves Frankfurt's original Rindswurst where it was invented in 1894, four hours a day, weekdays only and gone by 15:00.

OrderRindswurst in a roll with mustard, eaten on the pavement

TipCome before 14:30 or the day's sausages are gone; the ECB tower crowd knows the drill and arrives at noon sharp.

Glorie at 100/200 ★ 4.6

Glorie is the a la carte sister room of the two-Michelin-star 100/200 Kitchen on Brandshofer Deich in Hamburg, same chef and team in the warehouse downstairs.

TipWalk-ups possible weekdays. Dinner Tue to Sat from 18:30; lunch Fri and Sat from 12:00; same kitchen team as the tasting room.

Showroom ★ 4.6

Showroom in Munich: Munich's smallest Michelin-starred restaurant, 20 seats in the Au district; the room is hard to spot from Lilienstrasse.

TipSurprise menu rotates every two weeks; book Monday or Tuesday for the easier reservation.

Cielo ★ 4.5

Cielo on Berlin's Lenbachstrasse in Friedrichshain pairs Mediterranean sharing plates with a natural-wine list chosen by Yannick Kern; ex-Kink chef Ivano.

TipClosed Sunday and Monday. Walk-ups for the counter seats from 18:00 Tuesdays; tables need a booking a week ahead.

Essers Gasthaus ★ 4.5

Essers Gasthaus on Ottostrasse in Cologne's Ehrenfeld is a quietly acclaimed Austrian-wine gasthaus; the award-winning wine list attracts serious wine lovers.

Zur Buchscheer ★ 4.5

Zur Buchscheer pours self-pressed apfelwein under garden trees in Frankfurt's quiet south, the tavern locals protect from the crawl routes each night.

OrderThe house pressing with Handkäs mit Musik

TipWeekday evenings are regulars-only calm; weekends from noon bring Sachsenhausen families for the long lunch.

Eis Christina ★ 4.5

Eis Christina is the gelato counter Frankfurt argues least about, an unassuming Nordend shopfront with queues since the analogue era of city life.

OrderTwo scoops in a cone; the fruit sorbets are the connoisseur pick

TipClosed Tuesdays, a detail that has ruined many Nordend evenings; the queue after dinner moves quicker than the afternoon one.

Standl 20 ★ 4.5

Standl 20 in Munich: A small coffee stall inside Munich's Elisabethmarkt with no advertising; locals queue at the wooden hatch in the morning.

TipClosed Sundays; arrive before 11:00 for the cinnamon-bun pick of the day.

Henne ★ 4.4

Henne Alt-Berliner Wirtshaus on Leuschnerdamm in Kreuzberg has served one dish for over a century: a half-roasted milk-fed chicken with kraut salad and rye.

TipPhone reservations only: +49 30 614 7730. Ask for the original 1907 room when booking; the annex is less atmospheric.

Big Stuff Smoked BBQ ★ 4.4

Big Stuff Smoked BBQ inside Berlin's Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg pulls brisket and pork off an 80-kilo Texas-style smoker; the counter runs Wednesday.

TipBrisket sells out by 14:00 Thursdays during Street Food Thursday; arrive before 13:00 or accept the pulled pork.

Ottenthal ★ 4.4

Ottenthal on Berlin's Kantstrasse in Charlottenburg has cooked a Vienna-style Austrian menu since 1996; the wine list runs 400 Austrian bottles.

TipClosed Sundays. Lunch from 12:00 weekdays is the easier seating; the candle-lit window tables need a booking two weeks ahead.

Sattgrün ★ 4.4

Sattgrün on Friesenwall in Cologne is the city's leading vegan restaurant; a daily-changing menu that is one of Germany's most impressive plant-based.

Zum Rad ★ 4.4

Zum Rad has pressed apfelwein in Seckbach's village lanes since 1806, the Frankfurt tavern garden that rewards the longest detour in the city.

OrderThe in-house pressing with Grüne Soße and eggs

TipU4 to Seckbacher Landstraße then ten minutes uphill on foot; the chestnut courtyard justifies every step in summer.

Weinterrasse FFM (Weingut Rollanderhof) ★ 4.4

The Rollanderhof wine terrace above Frankfurt's Kleinmarkthalle pours estate Rheinhessen wines over the rooftops, hidden one staircase up from the shoppers.

OrderA Riesling Schoppen with market food carried up from the hall

TipIt even opens Sunday when the market below is shut; the Liebfrauenberg side catches the afternoon sun.

Edel's Hausmannskost (Kleinmarkthalle) ★ 4.4

Edel's stand in the Kleinmarkthalle is where Frankfurt office workers eat Grüne Soße standing up, hidden in the sausage queue's shadow at midday.

OrderGrüne Soße with halved eggs and potatoes, market-stand style

TipGo at 11:30 before the office rush; the pots are finite and Saturday afternoons run dry early.

Effenberger Vollkornbaeckerei ★ 4.4

Effenberger Vollkornbaeckerei has milled its own grain and held a stoneground-only line since 1986, with six Hamburg branches and the Rindermarkthalle stall.

TipClosed Sundays. The wholegrain Roggenvollkornbrot sells fast on Saturday mornings.

Hadley's Cafe Bar ★ 4.4

Hadley's Cafe Bar on Beim Schlump in Hamburg-Eimsbuettel runs a cafe and bar in a former hospital building, with strong vegan and vegetarian breakfast plates.

TipThree levels including a mezzanine and solarium; outdoor garden seating in summer. Open until midnight Mon to Sat.

Strandperle ★ 4.4

Strandperle on the Elbe sand beach at Oevelgoenne in Hamburg has poured pilsner, coffee and Fischbroetchen on the sand since 1979, with deck chairs in summer.

TipOpen Apr to Oct; bus 112 from Neumuehlen drops you a 10-minute walk away.

Engelbecken ★ 4.3

Engelbecken in Berlin Charlottenburg has cooked Bavarian-Austrian classics with a vegetarian-leaning menu since 1999; the corner room on Witzlebenstrasse.

TipThe lake-side terrace in summer is the seating to book; phone two weeks ahead for a Friday or Saturday table.

Vagabund Brauerei ★ 4.3

Vagabund Brauerei in Wedding's former boiler house brews American-influenced craft ales and a proper Berliner Weisse from a building most Berliners have not.

TipThe taproom runs live events most Fridays; check the calendar before showing up mid-week.

Bar Rix Natural Wine ★ 4.3

Bar Rix on Friesenwall in Cologne hosts free natural wine tastings on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; a low-key room for discovering small European producers.

Carte Blanche ★ 4.3

Carte Blanche cooks a €118 six-course surprise menu on Egenolffstraße in Frankfurt's Nordend, a Michelin Guide room that publishes no menu at all.

OrderThe surprise menu is the only order; state allergies when booking

TipThe Michelin listing quietly outs it, but the room still feels like a neighbourhood secret; Sunday dinner is the easiest seat.

Broeding ★ 4.3

Broeding is unassuming residential exterior in neuhausen; michelin plate inside, with a working organic wine cellar attached to the dining room.

TipDinner Monday to Saturday from 18:00 only; the daily tasting rotates with the cellar.

Epicerie Boucherie ★ 4.2

Epicerie Boucherie on Elsassstrasse in Cologne's Südstadt is a French wine shop and bar serving vin naturel alongside charcuterie; a hidden find in a quiet.