Restaurant in Hanover, Germany
Back-to-back Michelin recognition, easy to book.
The Wild Duck has earned back-to-back Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, with a 4.8 Google rating across 264 reviews. At €€€, it is the most accessible Michelin-endorsed modern cuisine table in Hanover — less expensive than Jante or Votum and easier to book. A reliable choice for a considered dinner in the city's northern district.
Start with the number that matters most: 4.8 out of 5 across 264 Google reviews, backed by a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025. For a modern cuisine restaurant on Podbielskistraße in Hanover's residential north, that combination of sustained critical recognition and strong diner sentiment is a meaningful signal. The Wild Duck is not a flash in the pan — it has held Michelin attention for consecutive years, which in a city where serious fine dining competes hard for recognition, carries weight.
If you are deciding whether to book The Wild Duck, the short answer is yes, with one condition: this is a €€€ venue that rewards guests who engage with the cooking rather than treat it as a background experience. The price tier places it firmly in special-occasion territory for most Hanover visitors, but it is not the most expensive option in the city. Jante and Votum sit at €€€€, making The Wild Duck a more accessible entry point to Michelin-recognised dining in this city.
The Wild Duck operates in the modern cuisine register, which in the German context typically means technique-forward cooking that draws on seasonal produce without committing rigidly to a single regional tradition. The Michelin Plate designation — awarded to restaurants that offer good cooking, a step below Bib Gourmand and star level , signals competent, considered food rather than boundary-pushing experimentation. Think precise execution and a composed menu rather than the kind of creative provocation you would find at CODA Dessert Dining in Berlin or the three-star intensity of Schwarzwaldstube in Baiersbronn.
For a food and travel enthusiast benchmarking against broader German fine dining, The Wild Duck sits comfortably in the same tier as other Plate-level modern kitchens , competent and reliable, with enough craft to justify the price point, but not the destination dining of Aqua in Wolfsburg or Vendôme in Bergisch Gladbach. That is not a criticism , it positions The Wild Duck as the right booking for a strong dinner in Hanover rather than a reason to travel specifically to the city.
Booking here is rated easy, which is a genuine advantage over the city's more competitive tables. Unlike Jante, which can require advance planning, The Wild Duck can generally be secured with reasonable notice. That makes it practical for visitors who are building a Hanover itinerary without months of lead time, or for locals who want a quality dinner without a drawn-out reservation process.
For optimal timing, midweek evenings tend to offer a quieter room and more attentive service pacing than peak Friday and Saturday sittings. If you are visiting Hanover in autumn or early winter, the seasonal kitchen rhythm in German modern cuisine restaurants typically leans toward richer, root-vegetable-driven plates , a period when this style of cooking tends to show well. Spring visits, when produce shifts toward lighter preparations, are another strong window. Avoid booking on short notice for larger groups; while the restaurant is accessible, group reservations at €€€ venues across Germany benefit from advance coordination.
Michelin Plate kitchens in Germany increasingly treat the drinks program as a parallel expression of the kitchen's intent rather than an afterthought. At The Wild Duck, the modern cuisine positioning suggests a wine list built to complement the cooking's register , expect German-centric selections alongside European alternatives, likely weighted toward whites and natural or low-intervention producers that align with the contemporary approach. For a drinks-focused guest, the questions worth asking when booking are whether the restaurant offers a drinks pairing alongside the menu and whether the wine list carries depth by the glass. These details are not confirmed in available data, but they are the right enquiries to make at this price tier. If a strong cocktail program is your priority over wine, the broader Hanover drinks scene , covered in our full Hanover bars guide , will supplement the evening more effectively than any single restaurant's bar offering at this level.
The Wild Duck is at Podbielskistraße 167, 30177 Hannover , a residential address in the city's northern districts, away from the central tourist circuit. This is not a venue you stumble upon; you go deliberately. Factor in transport: a taxi or rideshare from the city centre is the practical choice rather than public transit, particularly for an evening booking. Dress expectations at a Michelin Plate €€€ venue in Germany typically sit at smart casual , neat, considered attire that matches the room's register without requiring formal dress. Confirm specific expectations when you book. The venue does not publish hours publicly, so direct confirmation of your preferred sitting time is necessary when reserving.
For a complete Hanover dining itinerary, cross-reference our full Hanover restaurants guide. Beyond the city, serious modern cuisine travellers should note JAN in Munich and Maison Lameloise in Chagny for regional benchmarks. For other Hanover options covering hotels, wineries, and experiences, see our Hanover hotels guide, our Hanover wineries guide, and our Hanover experiences guide.
Smart casual is the right call at a Michelin Plate €€€ venue in Hanover. Think well-cut trousers and a collared shirt or a neat blouse , the kind of outfit that reads as deliberate without requiring a suit. Confirm with the restaurant when booking, as individual venues sometimes have specific preferences.
Yes , the combination of Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, a €€€ price point, and a 4.8 Google rating across 264 reviews makes it a credible choice for a birthday dinner or anniversary. It is more accessible than Jante or Votum on both price and booking difficulty, which matters if you want a reliable reservation rather than a months-long wait.
Book in advance even though availability is relatively easy , this is not a walk-in venue at the €€€ level. The address on Podbielskistraße is in the northern residential district, so plan transport ahead. The modern cuisine format means the menu changes with produce availability; first-timers should go without fixed expectations about specific dishes and trust the kitchen's current direction. See our full Hanover restaurants guide for broader context on the city's dining scene.
Specific dishes are not confirmed in available data, and the modern cuisine format means the menu shifts with the season. The most reliable approach at this type of kitchen is to follow the tasting menu or chef's selection if offered , that format is typically where Michelin Plate-level cooking shows its leading work. Ask the front-of-house team what is leading the menu on the night you visit.
At €€€ with consecutive Michelin Plate recognition and a 4.8 Google rating, yes , the value case is direct by Hanover standards. You are paying less than at Jante or Votum and getting a kitchen that Michelin has endorsed for two consecutive years. If your benchmark is casual dining, the step up in price is significant; if your benchmark is serious European fine dining, €€€ with Michelin recognition is a reasonable spend.
If a tasting format is available, it is the recommended way to eat at a Michelin Plate modern cuisine kitchen. This format allows the kitchen to show range and sequencing in a way that an à la carte selection typically does not. Confirm with the restaurant whether a tasting menu is currently offered and what the price per head runs , that detail will sharpen the value calculation considerably. For comparison, tasting menus at Frantzén in Stockholm or Victor's Fine Dining in Perl operate at a different scale entirely , The Wild Duck is regional dining, not destination fine dining, and should be priced accordingly.
Handwerk is the closest match: also modern cuisine, also €€€, and worth comparing directly on current menus. Marie offers French cooking at €€€ for a different register at the same price tier. If you want to spend more for a more ambitious creative experience, Jante and Votum at €€€€ are the step up. Beckers rounds out the French options in the city. For a full comparison, see our Hanover restaurants guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wild Duck | Modern Cuisine | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Jante | Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Marie | French | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Handwerk | Modern Cuisine | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Schorse im Leineschloss | International | Unknown | — | |
| Votum | Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how The Wild Duck measures up.
Dress tidily but not formally. A Michelin Plate at €€€ pricing suggests the kitchen takes food seriously, but Hanover's dining culture skews relaxed compared to Munich or Hamburg. Neat, put-together clothing is the right call — leave the tie at home, but don't arrive in trainers.
Yes, and it's a practical choice for exactly that. Back-to-back Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025 give the meal a credible anchor for a birthday or anniversary, and booking is rated easy — you won't be scrambling weeks in advance. At €€€, the price signals occasion without requiring a major financial commitment.
It sits on Podbielskistraße in Hanover's northern residential districts, so factor in travel time if you're coming from the city centre. The 4.8-star rating across 264 Google reviews is unusually consistent for a venue at this price point. Booking is reportedly straightforward, which means you can plan a trip without worrying about availability.
Specific menu details aren't available in Pearl's database, so naming dishes would be speculation. What the Michelin Plate recognition and modern cuisine classification do confirm is that the kitchen operates at a technical level worth trusting for tasting-format or structured ordering. Ask the team on booking what the current format looks like.
At €€€ with Michelin Plate status in both 2024 and 2025 and a 4.8-star average across 264 reviews, the value case is solid for Hanover. It is not the cheapest option in the city, but the combination of recognition and consistent guest ratings makes it easier to justify than a comparable spend at an unrecognised table.
Menu format specifics aren't confirmed in Pearl's data, so we can't say whether a tasting menu is the primary or only option. Given the modern cuisine classification and Michelin Plate credentials, structured or multi-course formats are typical in this category. Confirm the current format directly when booking.
Jante is the comparison to consider if you want a more ambitious, higher-stakes modern cuisine experience, though it requires more advance planning. Marie and Handwerk offer alternative directions depending on format and price. Votum and Schorse im Leineschloss round out the city's serious dining options — cross-reference Pearl's full Hanover guide to match each to your group size and occasion.
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