6 Best Restaurants in Messe and Westend, Frankfurt

This tiny, unpretentious place in a quiet Westend neighborhood seems an unlikely candidate for the best restaurant in Germany, yet that's what one French critic called it. Fresh seafood, the specialty, is often flown in from France, as are the wines (the wine list boasts 600 choices). It's closed weekends, during the Christmas and Easter seasons, and during much of summer—in other words, when its patrons, well-heeled business executives, are unlikely to be in town.

Many say the M Steakhouse serves the best steak in Germany, all of it imported Nebraska prime beef. Prices are in line with the quality of meat, and the sides complement the dishes perfectly, but if you're looking for non-meat options, you won't find them here. A set of steps leads down into the restaurant's beautifully lit outdoor patio, a perfect setting for a private romantic dinner. The main dining room inside is warm, welcoming, and intimate. The same restaurant group operates Surf 'n Turf a few blocks away, with similar prices and ambience, and seafood dishes in addition to the steaks.

The ambience of an old-time Viennese café pervades this popular spot, where there's a lovely garden in summer—as well as some of the city's best freshly baked pastries and cakes year-round, best teamed with a Kaffee mit Schlag (coffee with whipped cream). It closes early, by 7 pm.

This sleek establishment at the Palmengarten is accessible either from the botanical garden or from the street, offering fresh-baked pastries throughout the day and a limited prix-fixe lunch menu that changes daily. It closes at 7 pm. The Palmengarten also has the Linden Terrace for snacks in season, and the elegant and pricey Restaurant Lafleur for dinner.

This staple among businesspeople and steak connoisseurs (and with a menu similar to M Steakhouse, which has the same owners) is in a residential area near the Grüneburgpark. The restaurant feels intimate and warm, with dark leather, wood paneling, and small tables scattered throughout the main dining room. The beef is imported from Nebraska, and each cut of meat is presented to guests before taking their orders. The waitstaff are knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly, making this as great a place for a romantic dinner for two as for a casual business lunch.

Hailed as a sort of pan-Asian supper club, this large restaurant with Asian decor has a bar scene that's just as good a reason to visit as its exceptional menu of both Japanese and Chinese dishes. Beef lovers will find plenty to choose from, including sliced hangar steak with Japanese barbecue sauce, and there's a smokers' lounge, rare in smoke-free Frankfurt, featuring Japanese vodka.