The Business Traveler’s Guide to Sublime Meals Around Stuttgart
Stuttgart is well-known for its wealth of top-notch eateries and bars. Its proximity to France and Switzerland means the city benefits from a naturally cosmopolitan food heritage, as well as a rather agreeable climate for growing delicious local ingredients and superb wine grapes.
One of the best things about this food-loving region is that its finest restaurants and bars aren’t all restricted to the city centre. In fact, a considerable number of top-quality dining and drinking venues can be found in the south of the city. This means that even visitors who only come to town on short trips or base themselves close to the airport can savour a fine meal and enjoy a locally made tipple or two without having to trek too far.
So where’s good? Head for one of our recommended Stuttgart restaurants and chances are you won’t go home disappointed.
A touch of class
If you’re keen to dine in decadent surroundings then Speisenmeisterei, an elegant restaurant within the ornate Hohenheim Palace, is undoubtedly the place to head. Contemporary decor rubs shoulders with classical decorative touches at this historic yet innovative culinary destination.
In charge of making the magic happen are Frank Oehler and Markus Eberhardinger, two highly regarded chefs who consistently turn heads with their own unique brand of imaginative cuisine. The fact that a refined Michelin-starred restaurant of this calibre is open for business lunches seven days a week means there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t visit at least once during your stay.
Wine or beer?
As with most German cities, a tipple is something to savour in Stuttgart. Of course, the big difference here is that the locals in this town are just as proud of their wine as of their beer. It makes perfect sense to spend an evening or two at Schwanen-Bräu. In addition to a suitably impressive range of beers brewed on-site, this charmingly rustic pub/restaurant/brewery also boasts a wine cellar packed with a dizzying array of high-quality local plonk.
Try a sample of both and enjoy an up-close-and-personal insight into brewing and winemaking in this region. The pretty beer garden at the front is the perfect spot to sit and reconsider the merits of mixing wine and beer in one sitting.
Reaching new heights
Airport-based eateries rarely make it on to lists of must-visit restaurants. But it’s fair to say that most airport restaurants aren’t fortunate enough to have an award-winning chef running the show. Restaurant Top-Air enjoys just this privilege – its kitchen is helmed by none other than superstar German chef, Marco Akuzun. His delectably creative and beautifully presented dishes are so sublime that they’ve earned the restaurant a Michelin star and been voted one of the best airport restaurants in the world by CNN.
Top Air’s signature bouillabaise and Kobe beef strip loins are guaranteed to take you to higher places; dining here is an ideal way to treat yourself before your flight leaves. You can even watch the planes take off from the panoramic windows of the airport terminal while you tuck in. An unexpected but genuinely outstanding Stuttgart restaurant.