Where to eat and stay in Stuttgart

When it comes to places to stay, this successful city is blessed with a wide range of hotels – from stylish boutiques to quirky places celebrating the local automotive industry. Get a head start on your visit with our essential guide to the best restaurants and hotels in Stuttgart.

Meals and Wheels

Stuttgart is a playground for car lovers, with museums dedicated to both of its most illustrious manufacturers: Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. Go the whole hog and bed down in a car-themed hotel. The V8 Hotel is based in the terminal of the old airport, next to the vast Motorworld exhibition. While it does offer standard hotel rooms, it’s worth trying to bag one of its almost 30 themed ones. You’ll find unique beds carved out of old cars, Route 66 and drive-in cinema rooms, as well as a mind-blowing Mercedes suite split over four levels.

While the theming is a much lighter-touch, car fans might also want to make a pit stop at the Mercedes-Benz restaurant – a significant step above the usual museum café. Here you can try Swabian specialties like spätzle, pumpkin soup, and veal cheeks.

Three is the Magic Number

As a thriving business city, it’s little surprise that Stuttgart is blessed with a number of high-end restaurants with over a dozen Michelin stars scattered throughout the city. Restaurant Top Air has maintained its star rating for more than a quarter of a century - no small feat considering it’s situated at the airport. On the fourth floor of Terminal One, sample culinary delights while watching out over the runway as planes come and go.

For more serene views, book a table and a room at Hotel Schlossgarten. Overlooking Schlossgarten Park, you’re close to the center here, but also nestled in a place of quiet contemplation. Within a short distance you’ll find the Staatsgalerie and opera house, should you be inclined to leave your quietly luxurious room. Even better, the hotel houses Zirbelstube, Denix Feix’s Michelin-starred restaurant. Feix focusses on simplicity, with dishes masterfully crafted from no more than three main ingredients. Try Norwegian lobster with eggplant and a kaffir lime vinegar ice cream, or perhaps a dessert of cherry, goose liver, and fermented pepper as the chef mixes and matches ingredients to make sure no plate leaves the kitchen without a signature twist.

Gluten-Free Stuttgart

Despite the stodgy, hearty stereotype of German fare, it’s increasingly easy to find restaurants, cafes, and shops that cater for sufferers of celiac disease – and that’s especially true of Stuttgart. Look beyond bratwurst and beer to discover a number of places that ensure high standards, separate gluten-free dishes, and no cross-contamination.

Reiskorn on Torstrasse boasts a nice garden, gluten-free options and plenty of vegetarian, vegan, and dairy-free dishes. The staff here is friendly, helpful, and will guide you through the menu should you have any questions. Even if your German isn’t very strong, many in Stuttgart speak excellent English.

There’s fine informal food at Café DA, whether sat inside or outside on Brennerstrasse under the chestnut trees. It’s a great spot for breakfast or brunch, while their gluten-free, vegan quiches – the beetroot gorgonzola flavor is exceptional – are famous throughout the city.

Sun in Stuttgart

For a stay in one of the city’s best locations – opposite the train station and very much in the thick of things – the Steigenberger Graf Zeppelin hotel has much to get excited about. It’s a five-star stay, for starters, and the rooms are well-appointed throughout.

Soundproofing keeps the ambience of the city at bay, while you’re only a short way from Schlossplatz. It boasts a cigar lounge and a number of restaurants, ranging from the informal Zeppelino’s, the dumplings and ravioli of the traditionally Swabian Zeppelin-Stuble, and to the Michelin-starred Olivo. The Austrian head chef has been tipped as one to watch and conjures up plated magic, such as roast beef with hazelnuts and ponzu juice.

The Great Grape

Wine connoisseurs know that German wine is among the best in the world. Far away from the cheap bottles of sweet white that have sullied it for some people, the tradition of wine growing in the Baden region continues to impress. With high quality wines to rival those found in Alsace, the French wine region it borders, Baden holds its own among the heavyweight vintners.

You can learn about the joys of the local grapes at Die Weinstube Schellenturm, a tavern nestled beneath a stone tower dating back 500 years. It was the Romans who first planted grapes nearby centuries ago and the tradition has remained unbroken since. This atmospheric place can provide the perfect introduction to refined local reds such as Spätburgunder or Nobile Syrah. It’s the ideal way to wash down a menu of Swabian roast pork or cheese spätzle, so long as you don’t plan on driving.

Whether it’s international food that tempts you or the regional dishes perfected over centuries, you’ll find whatever fits the bill in Stuttgart, while the world-class hotels cover all the bases.

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