A German textbook for beginners will tell you that people in Germany eat three times a day. Breakfast is bread or rolls with something on top. Lunch, between noon and two o’clock, is the main hot meal. And in the evening comes Abendbrot, “evening bread,” a cold supper of bread, cheese, and sliced meats.
That’s the classic version, and it explains a lot about German daily life: why restaurants keep odd hours, why a colleague wishes you “Mahlzeit!” at noon, and why a dinner invitation might mean cold cuts. But it’s also changing, and the details depend on region, age, and household. Here’s the day on the clock, with the traditional pattern and what’s happening to it now.
The Day at a Glance
| Time | Meal | Typical menu |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 to 8:00 | Frühstück (breakfast) | Rolls or bread with butter, jam, cheese or cold cuts, plus coffee |
| 9:00 to 10:00 | Zweites Frühstück (second breakfast) | A bread roll, a sandwich, or a sausage at the break |
| 12:00 to 14:00 | Mittagessen (lunch) | Traditionally the main hot meal |
| 15:00 to 17:00 | Kaffee und Kuchen | Coffee and cake, mainly at weekends |
| 17:00 to 19:00 | Abendbrot or Abendessen | Bread with cold cuts and cheese, or a warm meal |
Morning: Frühstück and the Second Breakfast
Breakfast is mostly savory and bread-based. For the full picture, see our guide to German bread culture. Weekends are more elaborate, with eggs, yogurt, and quark added, and many people go out for a café breakfast.
Then comes something that doesn’t exist in many countries: a second breakfast. In German textbooks, it’s described as a snack taken between about nine and ten o’clock, and it’s closely tied to the Pausenbrot (“break bread,” a sandwich) that schoolchildren take with them. In Bavaria, the habit has a famous regional form, the late-morning Brotzeit, which can mean a pair of white sausages and a pretzel (as we explain in our guide to Oktoberfest). In Swabia, the equivalent is called Vesper.
Midday: Mittagessen and “Mahlzeit!”
The textbook says that the main meal of the day is lunch, usually a hot dish of meat or fish, vegetables, and potatoes, and many workplaces have a canteen (Kantine) so that employees can eat a hot lunch. In many offices, you’ll also hear colleagues greet each other with “Mahlzeit!” around midday, a shortened wish for a good meal that doubles as “hello” for a couple of hours. Read more in our Mahlzeit! guide.
A legally required break also shapes the working lunch hour. German law requires a pause of at least 30 minutes after six hours of work, a rule explained in our guide to Feierabend and working time.
On weekends, the hot midday meal is stronger still. Sunday lunch, with a roast and dumplings, is a family occasion in many households, and our guide to German dumplings explains what goes with it.
Afternoon: Kaffee und Kuchen
Between about three and five comes the ritual of coffee and cake, mainly at weekends, when friends and family are invited “zum Kaffee.” It’s a meal in its own right, and our guide to Kaffee und Kuchen explains how it works.
Evening: Abendbrot, and What’s Changing
Abendbrot is the part of the pattern that people outside Germany find most surprising. It’s a cold meal of bread, cheese, cold cuts, pickles, and sometimes a hard-boiled egg or raw vegetables, usually eaten between five and seven. According to cultural scholars, the German habit of eating cold in the evening dates back only to the 1920s, so it’s an old tradition, but not an ancient one.
The question now is whether it’s fading, and the surveys don’t agree, partly because several were commissioned by food companies:
- A representative survey of 1,000 people in 2018, commissioned by a sausage maker, found that 78 percent have a cold evening meal at least weekly, and only 10 percent rarely or never do.
- A study by the Allensbach Institute for Nestlé found that the share of Germans naming the evening meal as their main meal on weekdays rose from about a third to 38 percent between 2009 and 2019, which the study’s sponsor read as a trend toward a warm main meal in the evening.
- A 2021 consumer study found that, for most respondents, the weekday evening meal is the only stress-free meal of the day, which explains why it’s seen as the main social meal.
- A YouGov poll in November 2024, commissioned by a maker of plant-based cheese, found that only about a quarter (26 percent) of 18- to 24-year-olds prefer a classic bread supper over a warm meal. At the same time, more than half of every age group eats bread at breakfast, and about 82 percent of adults eat bread regularly.
The picture is of a tradition that’s still strong but increasingly mixed with warm dinners, particularly in younger and busier households. An old German saying sums up the ideal: eat breakfast like an emperor, lunch like a king, and dinner like a beggar. Whether people follow it is another matter.
Regional Notes
- Bavaria. Brotzeit is a savory snack meal that can happen at almost any time of day, with sausages, cheese, radishes, and pretzels.
- Swabia. Vesper is the local word for a light, bread-based meal or snack.
- The north. Tea is a bigger part of the afternoon in East Frisia, and fish specialties are a regional highlight.
- Cities. Younger urban households tend to have a more flexible schedule, with brunch at weekends and warm dinners during the week.
If You’re Eating Out: Restaurant Hours
The traditional meal pattern affects restaurants more than you might expect.
- Kitchens often close between meals. Many traditional restaurants and inns serve hot food only at lunch (roughly 11:30 to 14:00) and in the evening (from about 17:30), so a hot meal at three o’clock can be hard to find. Cafés and snack stands are the usual solution.
- Lunch specials are good value. Many restaurants offer a Mittagstisch or daily special at a lower price than the evening menu.
- Check the day off. Many restaurants close one day a week (Ruhetag), often Monday or Tuesday, so look at the opening hours.
- Sunday lunch is busy. Book a table in advance if you want to eat at a traditional inn.
- Evening can be early. Dinner at 18:00 is perfectly normal, and a table at 21:30 may mean the kitchen is about to close.
- A quick bite is easy. Bakeries, kiosks, and snack stands are open throughout the day. See our guides to German street food and Späti and kiosk culture.
Why the Rhythm Matters
The meal pattern is a good key to German daily life. It helps explain why shops close early on Sundays, why a work break is protected by law, and why a visitor offered “Kaffee und Kuchen” or “Abendbrot” is being welcomed into something with its own rules. If you want to explore the food itself, start with our German cuisine hub, and for the names of what’s on the plate, see our guide to German food words by region. And before you sit down, say Guten Appetit!
FAQ
What is the main meal of the day in Germany?
Traditionally lunch, a hot meal between noon and two. Surveys suggest that for a growing share of Germans, the evening meal has become the main one.
What is Abendbrot?
A cold evening meal of bread, cheese, and cold cuts, literally “evening bread.” It’s a traditional supper in Germany, usually eaten between five and seven.
What does “Mahlzeit” mean?
Literally “mealtime.” It’s a greeting used around midday, especially in workplaces, as a wish for a good lunch.
What time do Germans eat dinner?
Often between about 17:30 and 19:00, which is earlier than in many other countries.