HAMBURG: The magazine 'Der Feinschmecker' has presented its Gastro Awards in twelve categories - from "Rising Star of the Year" to "Lifetime Achievement".

These are the winners:

• Restaurant of the Year: Louis (Saarlouis)
• Chef of the Year: Benjamin Chmura, Tantris (Munich) - The award was already announced in November 2024
• Newcomer of the Year: Lasse Knickrehm, (Ahlmanns (Kiel)
• Young concepts: Pankratz (Mainz)
• Patissière of the Year: Larissa Metz, Vendôme (Bergisch Gladbach)
• Host of the Year: Oliver Kraft, Lorenz Adlon (Berlin)
• Sommelier of the Year: Marco Franzelin, Sonnora (Dreis)
• Restaurant of the Year: Zum Klosterbräu (Neuburg an der Donau)
• Sustainability: Restaurant 1950 (Hayingen, Swabian Alb)
• Innovation of the Year: Bonvivant Cocktailbar (Berlin)
• All-round experience of the year: Lakeside (at The Fontenay Hotel, Hamburg)
• Lifetime achievement each for Bobby Bräuer, Ess.Zimmer (Munich) and Lutz Niemann, Orangerie (Timmendorfer Strand)

Feinschmecker also celebrates German gastronomy with an extensive dossier, presenting current trends in top cuisine in the new issue of Germany's leading culinary magazine (#3/2025, available in stores from 14 February). Some of the brightest minds in the industry also have their say. Restaurateurs Vincent and Eva Klink (Restaurant "Wielandshöhe" in Stuttgart) explain why they rely on lateral entrants when recruiting staff. Top chef Sven Elverfeld has not only been highly successful at Wolfsburg's "Aqua" for 25 years, but has also trained many chefs who have made a career for themselves with his empathetic management style - an impressive league. The head of the chefs' association Jeunes Restaurateurs Deutschland, Oliver Röder, reports on his dialogue with politicians in Berlin.

Currently tested and rated: "The 500 best restaurants in Germany 2025".

For this guide, Feinschmecker's experienced team of testers tested restaurant addresses throughout Germany - each year anew. Always anonymously and independently. The best 500 restaurants then each receive a rating of up to five Feinschmecker "F".

"Let's forget the complaints about the new frugality of guests or the difficulties in getting people interested in working in the catering industry: We have every reason to toast the restaurant scene in Germany! Many top-class restaurants are of a standard that doesn't need to hide behind Paris or New York," says Gabriele Heins, editor-in-chief of Der Feinschmecker, enthusiastically.

5 "F": Fifteen chefs with the highest gourmet rating

In 2025, a total of fifteen chefs received the highest rating of five Feinschmecker "F" from the editorial team. Some of them have been at the top for many years: Edip Sigl ("es:senz", Grassau) and Benjamin Chmura ("Tantris", Munich) are in the top category for the first time.

• Christian Bau, "Victor's Fine Dining", Perl
• Jan-Philipp Berner, "Söl'ring Hof", Sylt
• Sven Elverfeld, "Aqua", Wolfsburg
• Jan Hartwig, "JAN", Munich
• Claus-Peter Lumpp, "Bareiss", Baiersbronn
• Torsten Michel, "Schwarzwaldstube", Baiersbronn
• Marco Müller, "Rutz Restaurant", Berlin
• Tohru Nakamura, "Tohru in der Schreiberei", Munich
• Clemens Rambichler, "Sonnora", Dreis
• Thomas Schanz, "schanz.restaurant", Piesport
• Hans Stefan Steinheuer & Christian Binder, "Steinheuers Restaurant", Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler/Heppingen
• Joachim Wissler, "Vendôme", Bergisch Gladbach
• Benjamin Chmura, "Tantris", Munich
• Edip Sigl, "es:senz", Grassau

"Unfortunately, you still have to look for female chefs in the kitchen with a magnifying glass. But the good news is that there are more and more strong female sommeliers and restaurant managers. They play a key role in ensuring that the catering industry gives us relaxed and inspiring breaks from everyday life and unforgettable experiences," says editor-in-chief Gabriele Heins.

The "500 best restaurants in Germany" can be found online at feinschmecker.de/best-of, as well as a "best of" of all the gourmet addresses recommended by the editors: from German wineries to bakeries, cafés, roasting houses and butchers to the top olive oil and the 100 best restaurants in the world. All addresses and awards are constantly updated.