Germany

This unique restaurant serves food in completely dark rooms by blind waiters. The idea is that diners will concentrate more on the taste of the food if other senses are deprived, and it seems they are right. The unseen food is delicious and the unusual sensation of eating in the dark is novel and fun, with plenty of giggling in the restaurant.

Food Type :Modern Eclectic

Address :Saarbrücker Str. 36-38

Website :www.noctivagus.com

One of the latest 'in' places to dine in Berlin is the Dachgarten in the rooftop dome of the new futuristic Parliament building (the Reichstag). From the dome, in the historic centre of Berlin, there are amazing views across the city. The menu is delightful too, including healthy traditional cuisine like the light fish and venison dishes. Reservations are vital unless you wish to join a long queue, and your best bet of getting a table is at breakfast.

Food Type :Local

Address :Platz de Republik 1

Website :en.feinkost-kaefer.de/berlin

An elegant and opulent dining experience, Heising serves up high-quality French cuisine. All meals are served on KPM porcelain and beautifully presented. The restaurant is open daily for supper, from 7pm. Reservations are recommended.

Food Type :French

Address :Rankestrasse 32

Website :www.restaurant-heising.de

Haveli is consistently rated very highly by tourists and is a great option for those seeking out good-value Indian food. The restaurant is family-run, the portions extremely generous, and the food delicious.

Food Type :Indian

Address :Luitpoldstrasse 26

Website :www.haveliberlin.de

Emulating a Paris bistro the Weinhaus Huth is an interesting dining venue not because of its décor or a particularly outstanding menu, but because the building which houses it is the only original standing building left on the Potsdamer Platz, having survived the ravages of war and the demolition of the Berlin Wall. It is now surrounded by the shining new Sony centre and draws tourist interest. Highlights on the menu include tarte flambee and fresh oysters.

Food Type :French

Address :Alte Potsdamer Strasse 5, Tiergarten

Website :www.j-diekmann.de

You cannot beat the thin base pizzas that keep customers flocking to this lively restaurant in Charlottenberg. The XII Apostel is trendy and popular because of its novel idea of offering 12 pizza varieties, one named for each apostle of Jesus Christ. The biggest and tastiest is reputedly the Judas. The décor is flashy Italian Renaissance and the atmosphere is usually busy and bustling.

Food Type :Italian

Address :Bleibtreustrasse 49

Website :www.12-apostel.de

This historic establishment off Alexanderplatz should be on any visitor's sightseeing list not only for its hearty German comfort food (like Eisbein, potato dumplings, suckling pig and red cabbage) and tankards of beer, but also because it is the oldest restaurant in Berlin, documented as far back as 1525. The name, Zur Letzten Instanz, was inspired by a nearby courthouse and means 'without further appeal'. Napoleon is said to have dined here. The restaurant is open Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 1am.

Food Type :Local

Address :Waisenstrase 14-16, Mitte

Website :www.zurletzteninstanz.de

Traditionally a popular if not fashionable spot to dine after the theatre, Ganymed has been around for decades serving good food in generous portions, gamely continuing to do business in East Berlin throughout the Cold War years. There are two formal dining rooms, one overlooking the Spree. Examples of menu highlights are goose liver terrine, Eisbein, schnitzels, mussels in Choron sauce and pheasant breast wrapped in Black Forest ham.

Food Type :Local

Address :Schiffbauerdamm 5, Berlin-Mitte

Website :www.ganymed-brasserie.de

This huge, wood-panelled old apple wine tavern is a classic that produces hearty German dishes, which are better than the many other similar taverns in the popular Sachsenhausen area. Dishes like the pork shoulder with sauerkraut, and liver dumpling can be enjoyed with a slow glass of apfelwien, or a choice of beer or cider. There is also a Menu of the Week with a special dish of the day each day. The atmosphere is fun, boisterous and crowded. Seating is at communal tables with a mix of locals and visiting German businessmen. Open daily from 11am until midnight.

Food Type :Local

Address :Schweizer Strasse 71 (Sachsenhausen)

Website :www.apfelwein-wagner.com

Erno's is one of the best restaurants in town and something of a Frankfurt culinary institution offering classic French cuisine such as lobster broth, quail spit and fresh fish dishes. There is an excellent wine list to make the meal even more memorable, as well as some sensational desserts. Erno's is a chic gourmet rendezvous that is always busy, so reservations are essential. Closed weekends.

Food Type :French

Address :Liebigstrasse 15 (Westend)

Website :www.ernosbistro.de

This upmarket restaurant is presided over by chef Werner Döpfner who serves contemporary dishes in a candlelit setting. Maingau Stuben is famous for its fresh fish and game meat that is carved at the table, and the cellar is full of rare German wines. Closed Monday. No lunch Saturday, and no dinner Sunday.

Food Type :French

Address :Schifferstrasse 38-40 (Sachsenhausen)

Website :www.maingau.de

This stately Michelin-starred restaurant is very conscious of upholding the high standard of the five-star hotel that it complements. It is an ideal venue for a special occasion with a quiet and sophisticated atmosphere, elegant furnishings, attentive service and high quality food that is beautifully prepared and presented. The menu offers international fare that is light and French-inspired with delicacies such as quails in champagne and grape sauce. Open Monday to Friday. Reservations required.

Food Type :French

Address :Frankfurter Hof Hotel, Am Kaiserplatz (City Centre)

Website :www.frankfurter-hof.steigenberger.de

Located in the Westend, the Alte Kanzlei is one of those restaurants that evokes a deep sense of history, and the mahogany wooden interior coupled with the crisp linen tablecloths and fine silverware creates a sophisticated, yet romantic ambience. Established in 1974, this classic Italian eatery specialises in serving authentic Italian fare from the region of Calabria. The menu changes daily, but highlights include the spaghetti with prawns and lobster sauce or the veal fillet in pepper crust served with a chive sauce. Open Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner. Saturday dinner only. Closed Sundays. Reservations essential.

Food Type :Italian

Address :Nidenau 50

Website :www.altekanzlei.eu

Located on the first floor of the Old Opera House, there's no need to guess where this restaurant gets its name. With a wonderfully historic and ornate décor and exciting and traditional cuisine, this restaurant has become one of Frankfurt's most popular. Diners can sample delicious Asian fare such as the Teriyaki from Yellowfin tuna on fried vegetables with Asian egg noodles or a traditional German Milchkalbrücken wiener schnitzel served with fried potatoes or potato salad and fresh leaf salad. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended.

Food Type :International

Address :Opernplatz 1

Website :www.opera-restauration.de

One of Frankfurt's favourite Indian eateries, Jewel of India prepares traditional Indian cuisine and does not disappoint. The warm interior with burnt orange and yellow tapestries adorning the walls, juxtaposed by the cream linen tablecloths creates a warm and cosy dining environment. With favourites such as the Chicken mango curry, Rogan Josh and lamb Vindaloo, lovers of classic Indian cuisine will find themselves returning again and again. Open Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner, and Saturday and Sunday dinner only. Reservations recommended.

Food Type :Indian

Address :Wilhelm-Hauff-Str. 5

Website :www.jewel-of-india.de

This Spanish eatery has earned a reputation as one of Frankfurt's most popular restaurants with both young and old. The terrace affords patrons the opportunity to dine al frescoand the friendly waitstaff are attentive and helpful. The tapas served here is delicious! Try the Spanish omelette for breakfast or the tagliatelle with mozzarella and parma ham for a heartier meal. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Food Type :Spanish

Address :Bergerstraße 65

Website :www.mirador-restaurant.de

For breath-taking views of Munich, the ideally situated and aptly-named Café Glockenspiel overlooks the famous Glockenspiel clock. With friendly and efficient wait staff and delicious, wholesome fare, the café is one of the most frequented in Munich and is a popular meeting place for locals and tourists alike and a great location to enjoy a spot of people watching either over a meal, sunny breakfast, coffee or after work drinks. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bookings recommended.

Food Type :International

Address :Marienplatz 28

Website :www.cafe-glockenspiel.de

A popular beer garden that sees locals mingling with international visitors, Hirschgarten is the largest open-air restaurant in Munich featuring hunting lodges and lakes and is an ideal location for tourists to mingle with the locals over a couple of pints. Start off with potato, marjoram and bacon soup followed by prime boiled beef with fresh horseradish and salted boiled potatoes, or the mouth-watering roast venison from the haunch with a mushroom and cream sauce, Swabian egg pasta and lingonberries. For something sweet try caramelised pancake slices with raisins and apple sauce. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner; 9am to midnight. The beer garden is open from 11am until midnight.

Food Type :German

Address :Hirschgarten 1, Nymphenburg

Website :www.hirschgarten.de

Serving some of Schwabing's finest haute cuisine, and boasting one of Munich's best chefs, the exterior of this restaurant is misleading, but step inside and you are magically transported into another world where fine wines and décor are accentuated with tantalisingly tasty and attractive dishes. The menus can cover three to eight courses and are offered for lunch and dinner. Try the terrine of duck liver with braised figs and roasted duck breast, or the medallion of young venison saddle with red cabbage and semolina dumpling, and let your taste buds be thrilled by the chocolate soufflé with marinated port wine figs and vanilla-brittle ice cream. Perfection! Open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. Reservations essential.

Food Type :Mediterranean

Address :Johann Fichte Straße 7, Schwabing

Website :www.tantris.de

Beer has been swilled at this world-famous tavern site in the centre of Munich since it became a royal brewery in 1605. Equally famous is the Bavarian jollity and conviviality, known as 'gemuchtlikheid', which has emanated directly from the Hofbrauhaus in Munich along with the beer which flows freely there each day, served by robust rosy-cheeked young women clad in Bavarian dress in litre-sized beer steins. The cheerful atmosphere that reigns constantly in the establishment's different halls is helped along by the foot-tapping strains of traditional Bavarian 'oom-pah' bands and drinking songs. When the beer becomes too much, soak it up with a delicious salty pretzel or a German speciality from the menu, such as liver dumplings, potato soup or a variety of delicious sausages.

Food Type :German

Address :Platzl 9, behind Marienplatz

Website :www.hofbraeuhaus.de

Gasthof Weichandhof is less of a tourist destination and more of a local favourite. Situated in an old farmhouse near the autobahn, the restaurant serves traditional Bavarian cuisine like pork knuckles, suckling pig, and strudels. The atmosphere is always lively, and there's a quaint vine-covered terrace open during summer months. Gasthof Weichandhof is open Sunday to Friday from 11am to midnight, and Saturday from 5pm to midnight. Reservations are recommended.

Food Type :German

Address :Betzenweg 81

Website :www.weichandhof.de