The best German restaurants in Edinburgh

Burger buns and fried chicken go together like birds of a feather. And G41 gives you some alternative flavours that far outdo many of the high street chains. Try the Imperial Beijing Chicken burger with three salt and pepper tempura chicken strips, fresh chilli, spring onion and sriracha mayo. Or there’s the Tex Mex Chicken with BBS sauce, onion rings, crispy onion rings and pickles (fried of course).

Those eschewing meat can still enjoy the fried chicken experience, with G41’s No Clucking (fried vegan patties, shredded lettuce, tomato, crispy onion and vegan mayo), or some No Cluck nuggets. Avoiding bread? Go for some fried chicken strips minus the dough; they’ll come draped in your choice of buffalo and blue cheese, sesame BBQ, salt and pepper, honey and chilli, or naked, with a few dips to ponder.

This may not be the place for a slap-up meal, or to celebrate a big anniversary. But it is a great shout if you’re hungry for a German-style kebab, be it late at night after a pub crawl, on your lunch hour, or while on a day’s shopping. It’s an international chain spanning several continents, so you know what you’re going to get and the standards you can expect from the big brand.

And if you’ve never had this kind of kebab before, you’re in for a whole new experience. Each is made fresh to order using premium lean meats, handmade waffle bread, locally sourced vegetables and signature sauces. You can even watch the magic taking place in the open kitchen. There are not one, but three branches in our city; on Lothian Road, at the new St James Quarter and in Waverley Market.

A big traditional German bier cellar, areas of this can be booked for your party in the basement of the novelty pub, Frankenstein’s. At the heart of the tourist zone in the city, this setting will impress your out-of-town guests. Choose a booth, a table or a bar space within the cellar, or commandeer the whole lot for your shindig. The food menu revolves around pizzas and small bites, but you’ll find plenty of classic German ingredients on there, including salami. You can wash your scran down with a bier, or one of the horror-inspired cocktails.

This one came up with its title by combining both the German and Scottish vernacular. The Bier Hoose is a Leith haunt serving a selection of over 80 German and Belgian beers and authentic German street food. It’s also a great one to seek out if you’re looking to catch a game; they show all the major fixtures on the big screen, providing a slightly alternative sports atmosphere to many other pubs (given the more continental theme). Live music and pub quizzes can also be found frequently on the line-up of events. If you’re not into beer or German beverages, you can opt for a fun cocktail, like the Drumstick, containing vanilla vodka, Chambord and a hint of lemon with lashings of cranberry juice.

While not exclusively a German restaurant, Paradise Palms has a way of being all things to all people; from its eclectic array of objects, to its funky cocktails, quirky theme nights and fully vegan food menu. The plant-based fare is all brought to us courtesy of Lucky Pig and enjoys a definite leaning toward Germanic and Balearic tastes. On the soul food menu, you’ll find salted pretzel bites, slaw, red cabbage, beer-battered pickles and frickles and we’ve spotted schnitzel on there in the past too. Paradise Palms will bring plenty of glamour, glitter and sparkle into your life and is known to be a super inclusive and fun-loving venue.