Centuries of cross-cultural influences have left their mark not only on the language and traditions of the Black Forest but also on its cuisine. This is most obvious in the wine-growing towns and villages bordering the Rhine, where cooking is regarded as a fine art, as in France, and dining out is part of the lifestyle. With this in mind it is small wonder that the Black Forest is regarded as a regional culinary paradise, attracting gourmets and wine-lovers from far and wide.

Most restaurants open for lunch around 12 noon or a bit earlier. Between 2-6pm the restaurants usually only serve cold dishes – outside main resorts and in small villages they may be closed then. The evening meal is served from about 6pm. In large towns and in cities they may remain open until past midnight, in small towns they might already be closed by 10pm. Many restaurants have their Ruhetag (day when they are closed) on Monday, and quite a few restaurants close from November until shortly before Christmas.