Dresden
Alone

PRACTICAL SAMPLE

Restaurant Customs and Etiquette

German dining customs differ subtly from what you may be used to, and they are the same in a Neustadt kitchen on Alaunstraße as on the terraces of the Neumarkt. You pay at the table, not at a counter. Staff expect you to ask for the bill (“Rechnung bitte”) when you are ready and won’t rush you to leave. Tipping is modest and informal. German portions are generous, and leaving food unfinished raises no eyebrows.

Ordering coffee is simple: you specify size and type without being prompted, at the Kaffeestübchen as anywhere else. Breakfast (Frühstück) mixes sweet and savory: bread and rolls with jam, cheese, and cold cuts. Lunch (Mittagessen) is traditionally the main meal with meat and vegetables, which is why a weekday Mittagstisch, such as the bistro lunch at Stresa in Striesen, is the good-value way to eat a proper meal. Dinner (Abendessen) is lighter. An attempt at German is generally welcomed.

A free excerpt from Dresden Alone.