What to eat in Dresden

Saxon food in Dresden falls into two groups: cakes with coffee, bought in a bakery, and heavy plates for the evening, eaten sitting down. Eierschecke and Stollen belong to the first, Sauerbraten to the second, and Quarkkeulchen sit in between as a sweet meal. The prices below come from the menu of one restaurant, the Pulverturm at An der Frauenkirche 12, so they show the level and not a city average.

Eierschecke has three layers: a base of yeast dough, a middle of quark with custard cream, and a glaze of egg and butter on top. It is sold by the piece, and a slice with a cup of coffee in the afternoon is the usual way to meet it.

Almost every bakery and café in town has it. The Wippler bakery at Söbrigener Straße 1 in Hosterwitz bakes it, and Emil Reimann has several shops. At the Pulverturm it is homemade, and the menu lists a piece at €4.90.

Quarkkeulchen are flat rounds of boiled potato, quark, egg and flour, fried in a pan and served with sugar, cinnamon or apple sauce. They count as a full course, which is why the sensible plan is to order them at lunch and to skip the cake afterwards, since the plate is already sweet. The Pulverturm lists them at €8.90, and the restaurant Anna im Schloss, inside the Residenzschloss, also puts them on the menu.

Sauerbraten and potato soup

Sauerbraten is a roast marinated for days and served with red cabbage and potato dumplings. At the Pulverturm the plate costs €26.90, and it is the dish to save for the evening.

For lunch the potato soup is lighter. A small ladle at the same restaurant is €7.90.

Dresdner Stollen is a protected name. By the rules it needs at least 50 parts of butter to every 100 of flour, and it may come only from Dresden and its surroundings.

The season runs from November to December, although some bakeries sell it all year. Café Kreutzkamm at Altmarkt 25, inside the Altmarkt-Galerie, is one place to buy a loaf. The Christmas market and the Stollenfest are where the whole city turns to it.

When to goThe page on when to go says when Stollen appears and when the Striezelmarkt opens.The best time to visit Dresden →

Where to eat

The restaurants around the Frauenkirche cater to people leaving the church, and the Pulverturm is one of them. For dinner the Neustadt is the better address, with its evening crowd and the Markthalle Neustadt, a permanent market hall with small stalls. On the Altmarkt a market also sets up, which suits a quick bite before the afternoon. For cheese and quark, go to the Pfunds Molkerei at Bautzner Straße 79, whose story is on the hidden places page.

Prices are from the menu of the Pulverturm restaurant, An der Frauenkirche 12; other places charge differently.

Hidden gemsThe hidden places page covers the dairy shop on Bautzner Straße and other corners away from the main square.Dresden across the river: singing courtyards, a panorama in a gasometer →

2 daysBetween meals, the two-day itinerary shows what to see and in which order.Dresden in 2 days →

Getting aroundThe getting-around page explains how to reach the Neustadt and what the tickets cost.Getting around Dresden →

Day tripsFor a meal on a day trip, the excursions page lists Meissen, Pirna and the Bastei.Day trips from Dresden →