Baden-Baden punches above its weight in fine dining. Le Jardin de France in the old town holds a Michelin star and serves classic French cooking in a flower-filled courtyard in summer. Wintergarten at the Brenners Park-Hotel and Maltes Hidden Kitchen (a tiny eight-seat counter) are the other serious destinations; both require booking weeks ahead.
For something cheaper and rooted in the Black Forest, Rizzi on the Lichtentaler Allee serves modern Mediterranean and is a town institution. Weinstube zum Engel in the old town does proper Baden country cooking — flammkuchen, schnitzel, local Spätburgunder by the glass — at a fraction of the spa-hotel prices.