The 6 best food cities in Germany and what to eat in Germany

One of the best things about travel is trying the food wherever you go, and in Germany each city has its specialty. As you might expect, a fair amount is sausage — there are so many different types! This quick guide to the best food cities in Germany will help you find the right German street food snack for your location.

What to eat in Munich? Weisswurst

Germany is known for sausages, but not all are created equal. Munich’s speciality is the weisswurst, or white sausage, which you’ll find for sale in grills and restaurants all over the city — or you can buy your own at a supermarket and cook them yourself.

Be aware, though, that custom states that these sausages shouldn’t be eaten after 12 noon. Although this was originally for hygiene reasons (the fresh sausage meat would go off if not eaten quickly), it’s remained a strong tradition in the city. Despite having to eat them early in the day, beer is still the appropriate accompaniment.

What to eat in Nuremberg? Drei im Weckla

Sausages also reign supreme in Nuremberg, but these ones are smaller and served in a bun — the omnipresent “drei im weckla”. As you may have guessed, that’s three tiny sausages served in a small bun (brotchen).

You can also order these as a main meal, in which case they’ll be served with sauerkraut or potato salad. If you’re given the choice of how many to order, you should always ask for three, six, eight, or ten sausages — the traditional numbers.

What to eat in Cologne? Kölsch Kaviar or Halve Hahn

You’ll notice that the beers in Cologne and the surrounding cities are a lot smaller than in Bavaria — instead of 500ml or a litre, you’ll be served a tiny 200ml glass, usually full of top-fermented beer; in Cologne, this is called Kölsch and 24 small breweries battle for your custom.

If you want a snack with your beer, you can order “Kölsch Kaviar” or “Halve Hahn” (literally, half a chicken) — but don’t expect fish eggs or poultry. Kölsch Kaviar is a large chunk of blood sausage, and Halve Hahn is a generous portion of Dutch cheese; both come served with a roll. Expect to pay around €5-6.

What to eat in Dresden? Thuringen

Dresden’s home sausage is the Thuringen, which is borrowed from the neighbouring region of the same name. It’s large and tasty and comes served in brotchen with mustard or ketchup.

What to eat in Hamburg? Fischbrotchen

Hamburg is a port city with a strong connection to the sea — so it’s logical that its traditional snack is fish. Fischbrotchen, to be exact.

These small rolls can be bought from stalls or bakeries and there’s a range of types of fish to choose from. The most popular fischbotchen is matjes (herring), which doesn’t look too appealing but is quite delicious. As well as fish, you’ll also get onion, sauce, and perhaps a bit of lettuce.

What to eat in Berlin? Currywurst

Currywurst is by no means limited to Berlin (you’ll find it all over Germany), but the city’s inhabitants have certainly made it their own. Currywurst is grilled sausage, sliced, arranged on a small paper tray, covered with a tomato-based sauce, and liberally sprinkled with curry powder.

It’s eaten with a tiny fork, may be accompanied by a roll, and generally costs around €3.

As an alternative, try doner kebab (or doner kepab) in its home city. Berlin is the home of doner kebab – the middle-eastern style food has a German genesis! Turkish immigrants brought traditional ingredients together into a new form here – and I’ve never had kebabs so fresh and flavourful as when living in Berlin.

What’s your favourite German food? Leave a comment below!

What’s the best food to eat in Germany?

Sausage is a real speciality and simply the best food to eat in Germany, but in some cities, local specialities make for better casual snacks.

German City	German Snack	What is it?
Munich	Weisswurst	White sausage – eat before midday with a beer
Nuremberg	Drei im Weckla	3 little sausages in a bun
Cologne	Kölsch Kaviar	Blood sausage, with bread roll, butter and onion
Cologne	Halve Hahn	Dutch cheese, with bread roll, butter and onion
Dresden	Thuringen	Sausage, served on bread with mustard or ketchup
Hamburg	Fischbrotchen/Matjes	Herring roll with onion and sauce
Berlin	Currywurst	Sliced sausage with sauce and curry powder
Berlin	Doner Kebab	Meat and salad in a flat bread with sauces