Top Hidden Gems in Germany

Lode und Stijn ★ 4.7 · Berlin

kreuzberg · Lausitzer Strasse 25, 10999 Berlin

Lode und Stijn on Lausitzer Strasse cooks a Dutch-rooted five-course tasting for 24 covers, four nights a week. The smoked eel and whole-roast meat courses have held a Michelin recommendation since 2022.

Tip: Bookings open six weeks out on the dot at midnight via the website; set an alarm for a Thursday or Friday table.

Barra ★ 4.6 · Berlin

neukoelln · Okerstrasse 2, 12049 Berlin

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 that changes weekly. Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2024.

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

Cordobar ★ 4.5 · Berlin

mitte · Grosse Hamburger Strasse 32, 10115 Berlin

Cordobar on Grosse Hamburger Strasse is a wine bar with 700 bottles, plates of beef tartare and pork shoulder, and a counter that runs walk-ups nightly. The Austrian wine expertise is the city's deepest in its category.

Tip: Counter seats take walk-ups from 18:30; the room behind it fills by 20:00 and needs a booking a week ahead.

Gabelspiel ★ 4.5 · Munich

au-giesing · Zehentbauernstrasse 20, 81539 München

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

Showroom ★ 4.5 · Munich

au-giesing · Lilienstrasse 6, 81669 München

Tip: Surprise menu rotates every two weeks; book Monday or Tuesday for the easier reservation.

Standl 20 ★ 4.5 · Munich

schwabing · Elisabethplatz, 80796 München

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

Henne ★ 4.4 · Berlin

kreuzberg · Leuschnerdamm 25, 10999 Berlin

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 bread in the original 1907 tiled room.

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

Broeding ★ 4.4 · Munich

neuhausen · Schulstrasse 9, 80634 München

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

Weinhaus Neuner ★ 4.4 · Munich

altstadt-lehel · Herzogspitalstrasse 8, 80331 München

Tip: Closed Sundays; game season (October to January) is when the kitchen is at its strongest.

Rogacki ★ 4.3 · Berlin

charlottenburg · Wilmersdorfer Strasse 145-146, 10585 Berlin

Rogacki on Wilmersdorfer Strasse is a Charlottenburg standing-counter deli that smokes its own eel, cures its own salmon and has run the Aalsuppe (eel soup) and smoked-fish sandwiches in the same room since 1932.

Tip: Arrive by 12:00 for the Aalsuppe before the vat runs out; the eel counter closes when they sell out.

Standl 20 ★ 4.3 · Berlin

kreuzberg · Eisenbahnstrasse 42-43, 10997 Berlin

Standl 20 inside Markthalle Neun cooks a modern-German lunch counter sourcing produce directly from the market's stalls, with a Sunday pork-shoulder roast and Brandenburg trout that most tourists walk past.

Tip: Sunday roast from 13:00 is the pick; arrive before 13:30 or the pork shoulder sells out.

Vagabund Brauerei ★ 4.3 · Berlin

wedding · Oudenarder Strasse 16-20, 13347 Berlin

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 visited. The taproom pours ten handles and runs an events programme.

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

Garibaldi ★ 4.3 · Munich

altstadt-lehel · Burgstrasse 2, 80331 München

Tip: Walk in for the bar stool; the Italian salumi plate is the food order to make.

Zur Letzten Instanz ★ 4.1 · Berlin

mitte · Waisenstrasse 14-16, 10179 Berlin

Zur Letzten Instanz in Berlin's Nikolaiviertel has cooked Eisbein and Sauerbraten in the same 1621 tavern room since Berlin itself was young.

Tip: Book the small low-ceilinged room rather than the larger hall; it is the original 17th-century space.