Dresden is a city where nature and gastronomic pleasures form a wonderful union, and true masterpieces can be found not only in museums, but also in restaurants. Author's delights and grandmother's recipes. Breweries and wineries. What to try, where to book a table, what upcoming holidays not to miss and what to bring as a souvenir.
Traditional gastronomy
German cuisine has evolved over centuries and has absorbed, among other things, many traditions of its neighbors. At the same time, each region within the country brings its own unique characteristics to the national cuisine.
Icebein- baked pork knuckle is a 100% German hit. Each region, and what’s more, every cook and every respectable lady, has its own secrets of preparing it. The correct icebein is not the one made according to the canonical recipe, but tender, spicy, crispy and literally melting in your mouth. And you can find it in almost any restaurant serving German cuisine. According to northern tradition, the knuckle is first boiled, and the meat should be salted or well marinated, and then sent to the oven. The dish itself in Dresden is more often called Haxe.
A little history
The dish is called “Eisbein”, that is, “ice leg”. What does ice have to do with it? There are several popular explanations for this. Firstly, the hearty knuckle is often eaten in cold weather, secondly, its fatty baked crust shines like ice, and thirdly - and this is the most beautiful version - in the old days, blades for skates were made from strong, sharpened pork bones.
Although the Germans say “Der Appetit kommt beim Essen” (that is, “Appetite comes with eating”), not everyone can eat a whole leg. It’s good to order this dish “for the table”, so you can think of it for at least three people. The owners of the establishments, on the one hand, warn daredevils: do not try to overcome icebein alone; on the other hand, whoever eats it automatically receives the title of guest of honor. As a side dish, stewed sauerkraut (in Saxony often red cabbage), pea puree or potatoes are served with the knuckle. All this should be washed down with an unlimited amount of beer.
Among other specialties that can replace a whole lunch, the famous Saxon potato soup with sausages and thick, rich eintopf- a German variety of mixed meat hodgepodge.
Where to try
If you want to taste local, Saxon versions of hits and specialties, look for signs Schenke, Gaststätte, Wirtshaus, that is tavern, dining room, tavern. Among them there are outstanding representatives of the genre!
Haute cuisine and its habitats
For lovers of sophisticated and sophisticated gastronomic experiences, we recommend visiting one of Dresden's many fine dining restaurants. In recent years, Germany has taken second place after France in the number of star restaurants, and Dresden also has something to surprise gourmets.
Trend: new gastronomic tolerance
Almost all restaurants in Saxony have either a separate vegetarian menu or just a few dishes on the menu for those who do not eat meat, fish or any animal food at all. In addition, it is now customary to accompany the menu with a detailed list of food additives used and ingredients that can cause allergies (from nuts and eggs to lactose).
Exotics in assortment
If you are tired of pork and want to diversify your menu, you should pay attention to ethnic restaurants, of which there are also many in Dresden. As a rule, they are kept by real Africans (Mama Africa), Turks (Sofra), Indians (Little India), so you definitely don’t have to worry about the authenticity of the dishes. There is even an Australian restaurant (Ayers Rock), which serves crocodile, kangaroo and ostrich steaks. And as a fast food, there is an excellent alternative to German sausages - a delicious döner kebab.
For dessert
Dresden pastries provide worthy competition to the abundance of meat. Saxony is famous for its desserts, which can be enjoyed in any pastry shop or coffee shop. By the way, the Saxons love coffee - black, strong and sweet, which is why they are jokingly called Kaffeesachsen. Cheese pancakes included in the compulsory program Quarkkäulchen(you will be surprised, but they add potatoes), the so-called Saxon cheesecake Eierscheck, which is actually a tender and juicy cottage cheese cake with egg filling, reminiscent of cheesecake, strudels(in addition to traditional apples, they contain pears, cherries and the same cottage cheese with raisins) and, of course, streusel with fruit and berry filling and crispy crumbs.
Christmas Stollen
The famous Dresden Christmas cake stollen You won't be able to try it during your summer vacation. But from the end of November - please - it will be offered whole and portioned in all cafes, restaurants and shops. We recommend stocking up (stollen keeps well) at one of the dozen Dresden Christmas markets, for example, Striezelmarkt, which opens on November 28 at Altmarkt Square.
Beer calendar
In Dresden they say “beer” - they mean “Radeberger”. This is the pride of Saxony, and at least 0.5 golden pilsner in a steamed glass is a mandatory item on the tourist program - just like watching the Sistine Madonna. They will pour everywhere, but the most central point is Radeberger Spezialausschank on the embankment near Bruhl's terrace.
The Radeberger brewery itself is located in the town of the same name near Dresden, and you can go there on an excursion: get acquainted with the production process (followed by tasting), ride around the city on a beer truck, visit the local inn and Biertheater.
On the streets of Neustadt's fashionable districts there are many cozy craft microbreweries, as well as the Hopfenkult shop with more than 300 varieties of craft beer, where tastings of a rich assortment are held on Friday and Saturday evenings. On the same bank of the Elbe there is also a fairly young but very popular Watzke beer house. Ball- und Brauhaus Watzke- the brewery itself, located in an old house, - with a dance hall and a garden overlooking the river, as well as two other gastropubs of the chain - Watzke am Goldenen Reiter in Neustadt and Watzke am Ring in the Old Town - they offer visitors to wash down Saxon specialties with the “beer of the month”, checking the “beer calendar” in force in the establishments.
If you are lucky enough to get to Dresden during Oktoberfest, there is a chance not only to try dozens of beers in one place, but also to listen to concerts, dance and have fun. This year the holiday is planned to be large-scale: from September 27 to October 13.
Guests can enjoy tastings at breweries all year round. This is a very educational pleasure that can be experienced both in Dresden and on trips around its beautiful surroundings.
For a snack
As a snack at the same Meissner Schwerter, be sure to try a new product - the branded bread “Hopfen-Kruste” (“ hop bark"): Its starter uses Meissner Lager Rubin, which makes the bread taste spicy and slightly sweet.
German beer's best friends - sausages all different varieties: pork, beef, veal, thin, thick, long, short, boiled, fried, grilled. Of course, this is the most obvious choice in a brasserie. But don’t deny yourself the flavorful sausage as a street snack. Any one - Berlin currywurst, Thuringian with cumin, compact Nuremberg or white Munich - can be taken away, for example, on the way from Neumarkt to the Brühl terrace and eaten with appetite on a bench in the garden or on the embankment.
A little phraseology
Bratwursts and sausages are so popular in Germany that the German expression “Das ist mir Wurst,” which literally translates to “This sausage is for me,” actually means “I don’t care.” And this is not accidental, because since time immemorial, when cutting a carcass, premium pieces were isolated, and the butcher, roughly speaking, did not care about the leftovers - they were used for sausage.
Wine map
“Beer is the creation of human hands, but wine is the creation of God!” - Martin Luther once remarked. In Saxony this is easy to believe.
The Elbe Valley is a famous wine-growing region in Germany with a long history. Despite the fact that there is no hot southern sun, the mild climate, special landscape and mineral-rich soil allow the cultivation of about 40 varieties of grapes, and some of them are considered extremely rare. A real pearl of northern wines is Goldriesling, which is produced exclusively in Saxony.
Most of the wines presented on the menus of local restaurants are not just German, but also local. But it’s especially interesting to try them in wine cellars, where the sommelier will tell you about the merits of each drink.
Winery tours
On August 25 and 26, almost all wineries organize open days: they do not charge money for entry, and in some places (for example, in Hoflesnitz) they also organize free excursions, treat you to their wine and entertain with live music.
For many tourists, gastronomic experiences are one of the most important components of a good vacation, along with “everything that they planned, they managed to see.” Dresden has all the conditions for this! After walking around the historical center, a trip on a tourist paddle steamer, visiting museums and castles in the vicinity of Dresden, of course, you will finally want to sit down, relax and have a tasty meal. But where? How to choose?
Saxon restaurants
In the tourist center of Dresden, two large restaurants stand out where you can get acquainted with Saxon cuisine - these are "Pulverturm" Pullverturm next to the Frauenkirche church and "Sophienkeller" Sophienkeller not far from the Zwinger and the residence palace. Both are located in medieval cellars with low vaults and are decorated according to the era - wooden tables, torches on the walls, wine barrels in the corners, and their own small oven for baking fresh bread.
Traditional Saxon dishes are very simple and hearty - potato salad, potato soup with smoked sausages and, of course, meat in various versions, for example pork knee with stewed sauerkraut with apples, potato dumplings, kessler, smoked ribs, meat marinated in beer , cold cuts (ham, meat, game, venison - all on one plate).
You can also have a tasty meal near the center in Restaurant "Hunting House" Schiesshaus, 5 min walk from Zwinger.
Restaurants at breweries
Want to feel the local flavor? Come to the restaurant at the Brauhaus brewery or the biergarten.
There are three restaurants at the brewery in Dresden - "Watzke" Watzke with a dance hall (there are two small branches in the center of Dresden), "Feld-schlösschen" Feldschlösschen, "Waldschlösschen" Waldschlösschen. Each brewery produces its own types of beer in small quantities, for example “Watzke light”, “Watzke dark”, “Watzke - beer of the month”.
There is also a restaurant at the plant in Radeberger, but Radeberger beer can be bought in any supermarket in Dresden.
All breweries will pour you a classic large mug from a barrel, but there are also mini-sets - all varieties are “to try”, and you can also buy a keg (3-5 l).
For those interested, excursions “to the production” are organized.
Fish restaurants
The undoubted leader - restaurant "Fischhaus Alberthaven" Fischhaus Alberthaven, it is indeed located in the former harbor. Always the freshest fish, as if just in the morning from the Baltic or Mediterranean Sea. The dishes are simple, the portions are large, for seafood we recommend scallop salad, fresh oysters and shrimp soup.
For those who save money but care about the quality of food - there are no options, Nordsee chain restaurants Nordsee, the closest to tourist spots are on the lower level of the Altmarkt shopping center and on the pedestrian street Hauptstrasse in the Neustadt district.
But if you don’t have time to look for fish restaurants, then in any case Fish dishes are on the menu of every restaurant.
Snack on the run
For those who are in a hurry and willing to grab a bite to eat on the run just to see more sights, the best option is bakeries and pastry shops; in the tourist center they are found at every step. All have a wide selection of sandwiches of various sizes with ham, cheese, vegetables, as well as takeaway coffee, tea and chocolate.
The most budget option - but this does not mean that it is not tasty - is a cafe on the lower floor of the Altmarkt shopping center, there are many of them there, for every taste.
Don't forget the traditional German grilled sausages in a bun (wurst-brötchen). Of course, they are not sold near the Semper Opera, but you can find them in the Altmarkt shopping center, at fairs or in the nearest biergarten on the banks of the Elbe.
Those who come for Christmas will be especially lucky - at the Strietzelmarkt fair, which runs for almost a month on the main square of Dresden, your eyes will run wild from the abundance of goodies. There, on the Altmarkt square, autumn and spring fairs are held.
For vegetarians
Contrary to our expectations, Germans do not drink beer or eat sausages every day; they increasingly prefer a vegetarian diet, vegetables and fruits. For vegetarian tourists there is a large selection of Indian, Thai, Vietnamese restaurants (mainly in the Neustadt area, but there are also in Altstadt, for example, Kihn Do on Weissegasse street).
You can eat and relax away from the noisy center in the small cozy restaurant “Nettle” Brennesel, a 10-minute walk from the center - landmark Higher Music School named after. Weber.
But in general, even in the meat restaurant “Hunting Lodge” an entire page of the menu is devoted to vegetarian dishes.
For those with a sweet tooth
For those with a sweet tooth, Dresden is a paradise! Saxon Kuchen cakes are, in our opinion, the most delicious. Each confectionery shop has at least 20 types of them, and they are always fresh. Traditional Saxon kuchen - with cottage cheese "quarkkuchen", with fruit, sprinkled with sweet crumbs "streusel", puff pastry with egg pudding and cottage cheese "eierschecke". If you see the names Quarkkeulchen, Keiserschmarrn, Kaiser-schmarrn on a restaurant menu, don’t ignore them, these pastries are also very tasty, usually served with apple mousse and whipped cream.
Eat while enjoying the beautiful view
If you want to eat in an unusual interior, go to the Dresden 1905 restaurant with a real tram inside.
Stop by the opulent Baroque Cosel Palace to dine among paintings, porcelain vases and lamps overlooking the Frauenkirche church. In my opinion, there are the most delicious and fresh pastries and pies, as well as numerous varieties of coffee, chocolate, and tea.
In cafes and restaurants on Neumarkt Square, sit at a table by the window - you are guaranteed a view of the beautiful Frauenkirche.
At Christmas, the best views of the bright and colorful Striezelmarkt fair are from the windows of cafes and restaurants located on the Altmarkt square.
The restaurant on the roof of “Yenidze”, a former tobacco factory disguised as a mosque, will allow you to enjoy views of the entire city and surrounding area.
As we have already said, Germany is not rich in traditional dishes, and therefore it is difficult to recommend restaurants in Dresden that are a must-visit. At the same time, there are many good establishments here that you will be satisfied with - both with German cuisine and in other traditions.
It is believed that the best restaurants in Dresden are located in the Neustadt district - however, bad establishments simply cannot survive in Dresden, so all restaurants adhere to a good standard.
You can find out prices in Dresden restaurants before visiting the establishment - in most cases the menu is available at the entrance.
Alte Meister is a restaurant that embodies the traditions of the imperial style of Renaissance Saxony. In addition to treats based on old German recipes, you will even enjoy just staying in this wonderful place.
Restaurant Kahnaletto is one of the best establishments in the city, serving delicious Italian cuisine.
The French chic of the Blumenau restaurant and sophisticated European cuisine will delight those who are accustomed to high-class establishments.
For lovers of Turkish cuisine, there is Sofra - the most famous Turkish restaurant in the city, where large groups and families gather. Here you can also listen to Turkish music and see belly dancing.
The Ayers Rock restaurant surprises guests with the delights of Australian cuisine - where else would you try kangaroo steak or ostrich goulash?
Dresden, with its beauty and charm, is considered one of the best places to discover German culture and, of course, cuisine. The culinary traditions of Saxony are very strong here.
It’s even more pleasant that the prices in cafes and restaurants in Dresden allow everyone to try beer. You can start your gastronomic tour of the city with 10 of the most famous places in the Saxon capital.
Dresdner Kaffeestübchen
If you are walking around the Frauenkirche area in Dresden, be sure to stop by here to eat a delicious cottage cheese casserole (a piece - about 3 €) or other fresh pastries. Every day the owner of the cafe prepares “grandmother’s” pie with his own hands, the secret of which is passed down from generation to generation in the family.
The food at Dresdner Kaffeestübchen is inexpensive and delicious. For example, the “Big Breakfast” consists of a bun, sausage, egg, butter, jam, cheese and a cup of coffee/tea and costs 7.90 €. The peculiarity of the establishment is a large selection of coffee, including classic brewed coffee.
Daily 09:00-18:00
dresdner-kaffeestuebchen.de
Milchmädchen
The Milkmaid Cafe is one of the best places for breakfast in Dresden. It is located slightly away from the main tourist routes, on the outskirts of the Old Town, next to the Deutsches Hygienemuseum station.
Coffee here is prepared according to 20 different recipes: from traditional cappuccino to original strawberry with milk. But the main pride of the cafe is its breakfast. There are nine of them in Milchmädchen. The most modest: made from a croissant, butter and marmalade, honey or chocolate spread – 3.50 €. But if you intend to eat something more substantial, try the signature Herzhaftes Wurstwarenfrühstück (buns, butter, salami, meat salad, liver sausage, mortadella) - its price is 8.90 €.
Mon-Fri 07:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 08:00-18:00
milchmaedchen-cafe.de
Augustus Garten
A pleasant beer garden on the banks of the Elbe in Dresden, where people gather to eat tasty and inexpensive food and have excellent drinks. It operates on a self-service system; a deposit of 2.50 € is required for mugs.
As in many beer restaurants in Dresden, German cuisine here is represented by traditional snacks: sausages, pork knuckle, schnitzels and side dishes. Prices, by city standards, are more than reasonable. Soups – 4.50 €, bun with schnitzel – 7 €, half-liter glass of beer – 4 €.
Sun-Thu 11:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-00:00
augustusgarten.de
Zum Bautzner Tor
If you're wandering around Dresden looking for a place to eat and relax on the cheap, try this traditional German café with a charming, old-fashioned setting. For food, you can eat omelettes, salads, soups (homemade solyanka - 4 €), schnitzels and steaks. The signature dish is roast pork with sauerkraut and beer sauce. Its price is 11.50 €. The portions are always large.
Another pleasant “bonus” for visitors is an inexpensive beer selection. The cost of foam starts from 2 €.
Hoyerswerdaer Str, 37
Sun-Wed 17:00-01:00, Thu 17:00-02:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-03:00
Zur Schmiede
Traditional German restaurant in the New Town with delicious food and a large selection of drinks. The history of the establishment goes back about a century, and for most of this time Zur Schmiede was a simple tavern where ordinary German workers came to eat.
The restaurant's menu includes Saxon dishes, such as Bauernfrühstück (ham and eggs), served throughout the day. The choice of food is small and often changes at the discretion of the owners. Current offers are written on a board near the entrance. Prices are moderate (meat - 10-14 €), the atmosphere is cozy and homely. Worth a look.
Hechtstraße, 15
Sun-Thu 18:00-00:00, Fri-Sat 18:00-01:00
zur-schmiede-dresden.de
Eating very cheaply in Dresden is not so easy: low prices are most often found in fast food establishments. And for cafes with German cuisine, you can look at the following addresses:
Curry 24(Wilsdruffer Str. 24) – the most affordable food in Dresden: sausages, fries and salad (all for 2 €). A serving of Currywurst with a side dish can fill you up completely.
Hellmuts(Eschenstr. 11) - a typical German fast food establishment with a huge selection of huge hamburgers (their average price is 10 €).
Curry & Co(Louisenstr. 62) – a good snack bar with inexpensive sausages and a variety of sauces, perfect for a quick meal while walking.
AnTon(Rudolf Leonhard Str. 35) - a small restaurant in a residential area of Dresden with delicious local beer (2.40-3.70 € for 0.3-0.5 l). For food, you can take pork medallions or ribs with French fries - the total cost of the order will be about 17 €.
Korch Fleischwaren(Wiener Platz, 10, etc.) - a popular chain of butcher shops with an amazing abundance of sausages and hams of excellent quality. In addition to German classics like Currywurst and Schnitzel, you can eat soups, sandwiches, and salads here. The list of branches is on the official website.
Brauhaus am Waldschlosschen
A truly Saxon beer hall, incredibly popular among city residents. For the best food and beer in Dresden, head here.
The restaurant serves all the most popular: white weisswurst sausages, pretzels, schnitzels, open-faced Flammkuchen pies. You can eat deliciously and at home.
But the main emphasis at Brauhaus is on foam. The restaurant's brewery brews 4 original beers with a strength of 12%: Hell, Dunkel, Zwickel and Hefeweizen. Price per glass (0.3 l) – 2.70 €. You can order a tasting set of 4 varieties, 0.1 l each (5.50 €). The restaurant also serves the famous Munich beer Paulaner.
From Monday to Thursday, Brauhaus am Waldschlosschen has a special offer of 11.99 €. For example, for this price on Wednesday (Schnitzeltag) you can get 0.5 liters of homemade beer with schnitzel and a side dish.
Daily 11:00-23:45
www.waldschloesschen.de
Watzke Brauereiausschank am Ring
A classic German beer garden, one of three Watzke establishments in Dresden. In addition to other delicious food, it is famous for its delicious home-made sausages. You can eat them in a restaurant or just go in and buy them with you (100 g - about 1.50 €).
Beer for Watzke is supplied by its own brewery. This is fresh unfiltered foam of 6 original varieties. Local Pils and Altpieschner Spezial were awarded the Goldener DLG-Preis for excellent quality in 2018. Beer prices start from 2.80 €.
The restaurant's cuisine is traditional German, tasty and filling. The portions are large, so you can eat inexpensively. A pair of weisswurst with pretzel – 5.90 €, main courses – from 12.90 €. Special offers are available from Monday to Thursday and Sunday.
On Monday (Räuchertag) whole smoked trout with half a liter of beer - only 11.90 €. On Thursday (Watzkes Wurstküchentag) specialty sausage with a similar glass of foam – 9.50 €.Dr.-Külz-Ring, 9
Daily 11:00-00:00
Planwirtschaft
If you are attracted not only by German cuisine, but also by an unusual setting, this restaurant on Louisenstrasse will be another gem for you in Dresden. The interior of the establishment is made in the style of the GDR era: radios, vacuum cleaners and other interesting gizmos make a memorable impression.
And of course, the food is delicious and inexpensive. If you wish, you can take half of a large portion for ¾ of the standard price or a whole portion for two. The restaurant serves a buffet breakfast every day: eggs, cold cuts and cheeses, yoghurts, muesli, salads, buns. Depending on the day of the week they cost 9.80-14.50 €, children aged 3 to 7 years can eat for 4.40 €.
Louisenstraße, 20
There are a lot of Russian tourists in Dresden. On every corner in the center you hear Russian speech. I remember one evening in May my friends and I were walking past the Frauenkirche, looking for a bar where we could drink beer and watch football. And one of us throws thoughtfully into the distance: “Well, can’t Rousseau tourist anywhere...” And before our friend had time to finish his sentence, the answer came from the darkness: “The face of morality!”
In short, there are many of our tourists abroad, and they want not only to watch, but also to eat. If possible, tasty, varied and not necessarily expensive. German cuisine is good, but if you wash it all down with beer...
It is for this very pleasure that people go to the most iconic restaurant in Dresden - Sofienkeller. It is located near the Taschenberg Palace, where another famous restaurant is located - Pulferturm, which translates as “powder tower”. Both Sofienkeller and Pulferturm are very similar. It has the same menu, the same prices and is owned by the same person. Only the chefs there are different. To be honest, the food in Pulferturm is better, and, sadly, Russian tourists are to blame for this. This restaurant has become so focused on our brother that the Germans are not as willing to visit it as before, and the owner has stopped trying.
The Germans can be understood: they come here on the eve of Christmas to taste a pig on a spit, and at the entrance there is a poster in Russian: “Welcome!” And a note: “We have a week of Russian cuisine, the menu includes borscht and dumplings!” I haven’t tried the dumplings, but the borscht is delicious. The menu in the restaurant is in Russian, German and English; moreover, all waiters are required to study Russian, this is a necessary condition when hiring. It's even better if the waiter already owns the great and mighty.
Today is the week of regular German cuisine in Sophienkeller, and no one plays the balalaikas. Let's go anyway.
There are countless corridors and nooks and crannies here.
The room is huge and consists of several halls. The interior of each room is reproduced in detail, everything is as it was before. The building, in the basement of which the restaurant is located, was completely destroyed during the war and was restored only in 1996. If I hadn't read about it, I would never have believed it. By the way, “keller” is translated as “basement”, “Sofia’s basement, in general.
I don’t know why, but the chains were removed from this carousel. Maybe someone crashed and the carousel is now being restored? On my last visit, the top circle had seats suspended from chains and the carousel was spinning. Previously, they not only dined on the carousel, but also did all sorts of unworthy things. A young fraulein was hiding under a long tablecloth. Or maybe not very young, what difference does it make, you still can’t see her. I won’t tell you why she was sitting there, otherwise I’ll have to set an age limit.
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Everywhere there are attributes of times past: knightly armor, cannons... They even use cannonballs instead of candlesticks.
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