What to eat and drink in Germany: dishes, etiquette and dietary tips

Germany has no bad month for eating, but what is on the menu changes. Spring is white asparagus, summer is beer gardens and grilled food, autumn is game, pumpkin and new wine, winter is kale, roast goose and Christmas-market food. Prices below are 2026 estimates for one person, food only.

German food is regional, so the dish you should order depends on where you are. In Bavaria and Franconia it is pork roasts, dumplings, sausages and pretzels. In Swabia and Baden, spätzle and Maultaschen replace potatoes and dumplings, and the Rhine border adds Flammkuchen. The Rhineland and west do sour-sweet roasts, potato pancakes and Frankfurt's green herb sauce. The north and coasts are fish, herring and winter kale. Berlin and the east are street food and GDR comfort classics.

Germany is mid-priced for Western Europe. The cheapest full meal is a bakery sandwich or an Imbiss stand, then a döner or currywurst. Sit-down restaurants cost more, but the same kitchen usually sells a cheaper lunch menu (Mittagstisch) on weekdays, often with a small soup or salad included. Beer gardens and brewery restaurants sit in the middle: you pay for the setting as much as the food.

Prices in tourist centres such as Munich's centre, Heidelberg and the Berlin Mitte district run higher than in the same city's outer neighbourhoods. Supermarket food is cheap and good, and most train stations and city centres have a bakery open early and late.

Beer is the default: pilsner in the north, Helles and wheat beer (Weißbier) in Bavaria, Kölsch in Cologne and Altbier in Düsseldorf. Regional breweries still dominate, and a beer garden in summer is one of the cheapest ways to spend an afternoon. Wine matters too: Riesling from the Rhine and Moselle, and reds from Baden and the Ahr. In autumn, Federweißer, partly fermented grape juice, appears in wine regions and is lightly alcoholic.

Coffee culture is strong, with cafés in every city and cake in the afternoon. Tap water is safe to drink nationwide, but restaurants expect you to order bottled water with a meal; asking for free tap water is uncommon and sometimes refused. Sparkling water (mit Kohlensäure) is the default unless you ask for still (ohne Kohlensäure).

In a restaurant, wait to be seated or take a free table and sit down; table service is normal and you order from the menu. Menus are usually in German, with English versions in tourist areas. If you want the bill, catch the server's eye and ask for it; nobody will rush you, and lingering over a drink is fine.

Tipping is not obligatory but expected for good service: round up, or add 5–10%. Say the total you want to pay when you hand over cash or card rather than leaving coins on the table. Cards are widely accepted in cities, but many bakeries, Imbiss stands and smaller places are cash-only, so carry some euros.

In beer gardens you may bring your own food in some places, but you must buy drinks there; rules vary by venue, so check the sign. At Christmas markets, mugs for mulled wine carry a deposit (Pfand) that you get back when you return the mug.

Vegetarian food is easy in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and other big cities, where dedicated vegetarian and vegan restaurants are common. It is harder in traditional Bavarian and northern restaurants, where pork, bacon and meat stock appear in dishes that look vegetable-based. Käsespätzle, Reibekuchen, Obatzda and salads are reliable; ask whether soups and sauces use meat stock.

Halal meat is widely available through döner shops and some Turkish and Middle Eastern restaurants, but traditional German dishes almost always contain pork, including sausages, schnitzel and many potato dishes cooked with bacon. Kosher food is limited outside Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich, where Jewish communities and specialist shops exist.

For allergies, German menus often list allergens by number, and staff can usually explain ingredients. Gluten-free bread is available in bakeries and supermarkets in cities, and lactose-free milk is standard in shops. If you have a serious allergy, carry a German card naming the ingredient.

Street food in Germany is safe and regulated. Imbiss stands, market stalls and Christmas-market kitchens are inspected, and food is cooked to order and served hot. Currywurst, bratwurst, döner, Reibekuchen and Fischbrötchen are the everyday options, and queues of locals at lunchtime are the best signal of quality.

Tap water is safe to drink nationwide, so the usual travel-stomach worries do not apply here. The realistic risks are ordinary: heavy fried food, too much beer, and seasonal stands that sit out in the cold. If you have a sensitive stomach, start with cooked dishes and go easy on raw herring and cold deli salads.

Note that many beer gardens and outdoor stands close in winter, roughly October to April, so a summer visit gives you far more choice.