Location: Jena
Top Restaurants in Jena
Thuringia, Germany Food Guide: 10 Central European food Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Jena
Best Central European restaurants nearby. Discover the best Central European food in Jena. View Menus, Photos and Reviews for Central European restaurants near you.. Jena (German pronunciation: [ˈjeːna] ( listen)) is a German university city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a population of about 110,000. Jena is a centre of education and research; the Friedrich Schiller University was founded in 1558 and has 21,000 students today and the Ernst-Abbe-Fachhochschule Jena counts another 5,000 students. Furthermore, there are many institutes of the leading German research societies.
Things to do in Jena
10. Schnitzelparadies
Overall Ratings
4 based on 32 reviews
Reviewed By Suresh R
Serving more than 30 or so varieties of schnitzel, this place has an authentic feel of tradition and modernity. Very juicy tasty big portion schnitzel with salads, potatoes or other combination. Reasonable price, friendly smiling service, nice atmosphere - I will surely go there again and again.
9. Scala - Turm Restaurant im Intershoptower
Overall Ratings
4 based on 111 reviews
Reviewed By seeking_direction
Went to dinner with business colleagues. I was glad someone else knew how to get there - the switch in elevators, then up and down stairs was quite confusing. It was a weeknight so there weren't many diners. The weather wasn't perfect but even in the dark I could tell the view could be well worth the climb. The food was good - not spectacular but good...and the price seemed better correlated with the view than the quality of food. The service was good. The view gets 4 or 5 stars the food three so I would give it 3 1/2 stars if I could...
8. Alt Jena
Overall Ratings
4 based on 48 reviews
Reviewed By Robbo4444
Nice little traditional bar in market square with good selection of beers and local food. Service was quick and friendly and nice seating area outside.
7. Haus im Sack
Overall Ratings
4 based on 90 reviews
Reviewed By spicegrrl
Charmingly renovated home from some previous century. Many nooks and crannies for interior seating, plus a nice leafy outdoor area. Menu is quite nice, varied, definitely vegetarian-friendly as claimed in its Trip Advisor listing. We ate there twice and had the same server both times, fellow named Kaj (pron. Kye), a warm and gracious soul with excellent English. Lovely meals both times. (Warning about the trout: expect bones. Otherwise excellent.)
6. Braugasthof Papiermuehle
Overall Ratings
3 based on 117 reviews
Reviewed By 88StangGT
I visited the Paper Mill several years ago and again this year and it was just as I remembered. Great food and awesome service. They even have an English menu for those of us who can't read or speak German.
5. Hotel & Restaurant Schwarzer Baer
Overall Ratings
4 based on 37 reviews
A house with a 500-yearlong tradition as Hotel and restaurant - where Martin Luther and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe stayed.
Reviewed By 763dennisb
This is an old classic building in Jena. We ate in the Luther room under the gaze of Martin Luther. The menu had many local choices. I wanted something lighter and chose from the fish menu. The trout was excellent, fresh, and perfectly cooked. The wine list was very limited so i chose a local beer.
4. Kartoffelhaus Nr.1 Inh. R. Hoffman
Overall Ratings
4 based on 109 reviews
Reviewed By Kath_Lau
I like the food at Kartoffelhaus very much. It's one of those places I keep going back to. I especially like their pfanne and auflauf which are very German but not the cliché schnitzel or sauer kraut. The atmosphere is casual/cosy. The service could be better but it is what it is.
3. Restaurant Bauersfeld
Overall Ratings
4 based on 63 reviews
Reviewed By Peter S
Glad we had plenty of time before the show next door, because we needed it. The service was rather laid back. However I liked my meal. Rostbrätel meat came with potatoes and pickles.
2. Zum Ziegenhainer
Overall Ratings
4 based on 74 reviews
Regionale und saisonale Frischküche mit Herz . We cook fresh and lokal but for all with Heart & Passion :D
Reviewed By spamobile
We visited here with a large group on an early evening (with reservations). We had fun sitting outside on the forecourt and the drinks were welcome after a long walk in the heat. However, it was all self service and with the food prices I think it was overpriced by a considerable margin specially since the food, was good, but was nothing special really. We had fun though.
Where to eat European food in Jena: The Best Restaurants and Bars
1. Zur Noll Hotel & Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 247 reviews
Reviewed By spicegrrl
This is the special occasion restaurant in Jena. Quite good. Vegetarians in particular will be pleased with the options, and I am sure the Indian-inspired vegetarian dishes on the menu (surprising) are better than youâd get at the very poorly-reviewed Indian restaurant in Jena. We loved our meal. Our server was dicey on the English but that was OK as one of us spoke German.
