Germany Guide
Northern Bavaria: Franconia
Eating
1 Bratwurst Röslein Rathausplatz 6 
0911/21 48 60 Big, buzzing, shamelessly tourist-oriented place serving Franconian specialities including – of course – Bratwurst, as well as the fancier options such as Sauerbraten with Lebkuchen sauce. Prices are low, turnover rapid. Open until midnight daily.
2 
Café im Literaturhaus Luitpoldstr. 6 0911/234 26 58 Excellent, spacious 1950s-style café with red leatherette seats, good cake and a huge selection of magazines and newspapers, plus regular literary readings. They serve breakfast here from 9am.
3 Essigbrätlein Weinmarkt 3 0911/22 51 31 Simple-sounding but exciting flavour combinations without over reliance on luxury ingredients are the trademark of Andree Köthe, head chef of this gourmet temple in the northwest Altstadt. There's a midday menu for €47, with an evening set menu for €96. Closed Mon & Tues.
4 Estragon Jakobstr. 19 0911/241 80 30 Stylish, gay-friendly restaurant with reasonably priced pasta, salad and veggie dishes from around €6.50, plus more substantial meaty dishes on the weekly changing menu. It's part of a social project, and has a policy of employing people with disabilities.
5 Heilig-Geist-Spital Spitalgasse 16 0911/22 17 61 Bratwurst and affordable Franconian specialities are served with plenty of atmosphere in the historic surroundings of the former medieval hospice, and there's Franconian wine to wash it all down.
6 Isihara Schottengasse 3 0911/22 63 95 Esteemed (and rather elegant) Japanese restaurant in the southern Altstadt, with set menus at €35, €38 and €49.
7 Klara Luitpoldstr. 3 0911/240 38 38 The Neues Museum's elegant modern restaurant has an eclectic menu, with everything from Thai curries to boeuf bourguignon; main courses à la carte cost around €16, but it also does a €15 three-course set lunch.
8 Nassauer Keller Karolinenstr. 2–4 0911/22 59 67 The cellar of the medieval Nassauer Haus is an atmospheric place to enjoy Bratwürste (€6.40 for six) or pork shoulder with potato Klösse (€13.50), but first you have to negotiate the extraordinarily low doorway.
9 Opatija Unschlittplatz 7 0911/22 71 96 Elegant restaurant in the Merian hotel, with plenty of fish, plus Italian and Balkan influences on the cosmopolitan menu. Main courses €15–26.
10 Prison St Michel Irrerstr. 2–4 0911/22 11 91 Quirky, French restaurant that serves up moules, tarte à l'oignon and duck à l'orange to Francophiles who've tired of Bratwurst. €15.90 set menu. Opening time: Daily until 1am
11 Tawan Thai Kornmarkt 4 0911/236 96 90 Good Thai food a stone's throw from the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, with main-course dishes from around €9.50 and a few veggie options. Opening time: Closed Sun
12 Zum Gulden Stern Zirkelschmiedsgasse 26 0911/205 92 88 The most atmospheric of all the Bratwurst restaurants, in an exceptionally picturesque half-timbered building on the fringe of the red-light district. They stick to what they know here, so expect a short and Bratwurst-dominated menu.
13 Zum Sudhaus Bergstr. 20 0911/20 43 14 The manically cluttered exterior conceals an equally fussy interior, but this faux-rustic restaurant close to the Tiergärtner Tor has a good reputation, with the likes of calf's liver with thyme sauce or venison Schnitzel with Butterspätzle from around €19.50. Opening time: Closed Sun