Heidelberg eats like the student city it is. Portions are generous, prices in the old taverns are fair by German-tourist-town standards, and the atmosphere matters as much as the menu. The Altstadt is dense with places to sit, but the best approach is to choose a few experiences and enjoy them properly rather than collect addresses. This guide covers what to order, where the food scene is concentrated and what to know before you sit down.
Start with the beer
The city's best-known brewhouse stands facing the Old Bridge and brews its own lagers, dark wheat beer and seasonal specials, such as a Christmas bock. Order the sampler of draught beers to compare them, and pair it with something solid from the menu, such as grilled meats and rustic regional plates. The brewery also makes a very strong speciality beer that it markets as one of the strongest in the world, a curiosity to sip rather than to drink. The Beer and Food entry in this guide covers the place in detail, and you can eat and drink well in the Old Town without joining a tour.
What to order
The regional kitchen mixes Baden and Palatinate traditions with a little Swabian influence. Look for Spätzle, the soft egg noodles served with sauces or melted cheese, for Maultaschen, the Swabian filled pasta parcels served in broth or fried, and for schnitzel in various forms, usually with a salad or fried potatoes. Flammkuchen, the thin crisp tart topped with cream and onions, is common in the wider region, and game and asparagus appear on menus in their seasons, with asparagus usually in spring. Vegetarians will find Spätzle, salads and seasonal vegetable dishes on most menus, though a few traditional taverns lean heavily on meat.
Wine from the neighbourhood
Heidelberg sits close to the wine regions of Baden and the Palatinate, and local white wines such as Riesling, Grauburgunder and Weissburgunder are the natural partner for the food. Most restaurants serve wine by the glass or by a small measure, and the house wine is usually a safe, decent choice. A wine bar in the Old Town is a pleasant way to spend an hour after the castle.
Something sweet
Heidelberg is known for the Studentenkuss, a chocolate treat created for the city's students in the nineteenth century and still sold in traditional cafes and shops in the Old Town. Buy a small box as a souvenir. Cafes around the Marktplatz and the Hauptstraße serve cake and coffee, and German-style afternoon coffee and cake is a good way to rest your feet. In winter, the Christmas market adds mulled wine, roasted almonds and sausages, as described in the market entry.
Where to eat
The Old Town is where visitors cluster: the Hauptstraße, the Marktplatz and the lanes towards the Old Bridge. Prices are higher on the main square and the busiest stretch of the pedestrian street, and they soften in the side lanes. The Neuenheim bank across the river has quieter, more local restaurants and is an easy walk over the bridge. If you want a special dinner, a hotel with a gourmet restaurant such as Die Hirschgasse is a good option, but book well ahead.
Practical tips
Reserve a table for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings and in the Christmas market season. Carry some cash, because while cards are widely accepted in Germany, small taverns and bakeries may prefer cash or have card minimums. Tipping is customary but modest: round up the bill or add a few percent, and tell the server the total you want to pay rather than leaving coins on the table. Tap water is not automatically served, and you will be asked what you want to drink first. Most shops close on Sundays, so buy supplies before the weekend, but restaurants and cafes stay open.
A simple food day
Breakfast at a cafe in the Old Town, a lunch of Spätzle or Maultaschen in a side lane, coffee and a Studentenkuss in the afternoon, then a brewhouse dinner by the Old Bridge with the sampler. If you want to learn more, a guided beer and food walk is a sociable way to cover several stops in one evening, but it is optional.
Stay close
Eating and drinking well in Heidelberg goes best with a hotel in or near the Old Town, so that you can walk back after the last beer. Goldener Falke and Hotel Hackteufel put you in the middle of it, and Die Hirschgasse offers a gourmet restaurant on its own premises.
