In Germany, there are all types of places of various levels to eat in, ranging from simple to quite fancy establishments with corresponding menues. the following information may be helpful for you to distinguish restaurants of different kind when you are just wandering around looking for a place to eat.

1. Die Gaststätte
It’s a simpler type of local restaurant, wherer you might find local specialties but can’t expect a fancy menu.

2. Das Gasthaus/Der Gasthof
These types can usually be found in the country. Home cooking and the atmosphere may be rather folksy.

3. Die Raststätte
It’s also called as der Rasthof in Austria. It refers to the roadside restaurant, which is usually found on highways and motorways with service station facilities and sometimes lodging.

4. Der Ratskeller
It’s a tough one to literally translate from German to English. Restaurant of this type are named after an eatery in the cellar of the town hall Rathaus, and can be found in historic buildings.

5. Die Bierhalle/Die Bierstube/Der Biergarten/Das Bierzelt
You can order hot dishes, salad and pretzels besides beer served from huge barrels in this kind of places. The most and best-known beer halls are in Munich, Bavaria, where the Oktoberfest takes place in late September. The nearest equivalent might be an English pub or an American sports bar, although the atmosphere may be quite different.

6. Die Weinstube
It’s a cozy type of restaurant, which is usually found in wine-producing areas. You can sample wine with bar food and snacks in them.

7. Die Kneipe
It’s a bar-restaurant, which is a type of combination of bar and restaurant. Usually, it’s not very fancy. You can have a drink at the bar or sit down at a table, and also order bar food.

8. Das Café
This may range from a coffee shop to a more upscale establishement. Vienna and its café tradition are famous.

9. Der (Schnell)imbiss
It refers to snack bar and fast-food restaurant, where you can get various types of food and peculiarities for take-out.

Last tip, on weekends and in popular restaurants, reservations are recommended. However, in Kneipe or Gaststätte, you usually get a table on a first-come-first-serve basis.