16 Best Restaurants in Franconia and the German Danube, Germany

The oldest restaurant in Nuremberg, built in 1550 as a meeting place for the city's wine merchants, is also the top restaurant in the city and among the best in Germany. Today its tiny but elegant period interior caters to the distinguishing gourmet, but don't be put off if the restaurant looks closed—just ring the bell and a friendly receptionist will help you.

Reopened in 2017 and brewing traditional Veste beer, this small brewery, which is part of the Brauhaus Coburg, is just the place for massive portions of roasted meat and other Franconian specialties

Shaded by magnificent old trees, locals sit in this famous brewery's enormous beer garden (seating more than 1,000), sipping a Hacklberger and tucking into a plate of sausages or the pumpkin-seed breaded roast chicken

For traditional regional food, such as Nürnberg bratwurst, head to this atmospheric brewery and whiskey distillery. You can see the copper kettles where the brewery's organic Rotbier (red beer) is made.

For atmospheric dining this 14th-century monastery-turned-wine cellar is a must. In summer eat beneath chestnut trees; in winter seek out the warmth of the vaulted, dark-paneled dining rooms. The wines—made in Austria from grapes from the Spitalkirche Heiliger Geist vineyards—are excellent and suit all seasons.

The city council meets here—at the oldest bratwurst restaurant in the world—to decide the official size and weight of the Nürnberger bratwursts, so this should be your first stop to try the ubiquitous local delicacy. The sausages have to be small enough to fit through a medieval keyhole, which in earlier days enabled pub owners to sell them after hours.

At the world's oldest, and possibly smallest, bratwurst grill, just by the Stone Bridge, succulent Regensburger sausages are prepared right before your eyes on an open beech-wood charcoal grill. If you want to eat them inside in the tiny dining room, you'll have to squeeze past the cook to get there. The homemade sauerkraut and mustard are excellent and available for sale.

This massive old stone-and-half-timber house has been standing since 1533, making it Bamberg's oldest brewpub. The cuisine is basic, robust, filling, and tasty, with such items as a bowl of beans with a slab of smoked pork, or marinated pork kidneys with boiled potatoes. Klosterbäu brews a fine Rauchbier, but its brown ale is the reason to come.

A huge glass ceiling gives the large dining room a light atmosphere even in winter. In summer, try for a table in the beer garden to enjoy fine Franconian fare and Continental dishes. Be on the lookout for seasonal specialties, like strawberry and white asparagus salad.

The beer you sip on the high, sunny terrace overlooking the Danube is brought fresh from Peschl's own brewery below, which, along with this traditional Bavarian restaurant, has been owned by the same family since 1855.

Heavy wood furnishings and a choice of more than 100 wines make this huge, 650-year-old wine tavern—built as the refectory of the city hospital—a popular spot.

Set in the middle of Old Town, this tavern has been serving beer inside an ancient half-timber house since 1405. The real reason to come here is to try the Aecht Schenkerla Rauchbier, a dark beer brewed with smoked malt that tastes like liquid ham—it's an acquired taste but worth sampling. The best strategy is not to sip and enjoy, but to gulp down the first half; if you can choke down the first one, you'll be a fan for life.

This self-described "Franconian nostalgic inn" harks back to the 17th century when the local Wirtshaus (inn-pub) was the meeting place for everyone from the mayor's scribes to the local carpenters. Beer and hearty traditional food are shared at wooden tables either in the rustic interior or out in the shady beer garden.