Esslingen's old town has a good range of traditional Swabian restaurants within its half-timbered streets. Expect Maultaschen (large pasta parcels with meat and spinach), Spätzle (egg noodles), Zwiebelrostbraten (roast beef with caramelised onions), and a wine list heavy on local Trollinger and Riesling. The Marktplatz and the lanes around it have the highest concentration of options.
Schwanen (Rathausgasse 1) is one of the most established traditional restaurants in the old town, serving Swabian cuisine in a half-timbered setting. Maultaschen in brown butter is the dish to order.
During harvest season in September and October, several small Straußwirtschaft wine taverns open up — local vineyard owners granted the temporary right to sell their own wine alongside simple food. Look for the pine-branch bundles hung outside doorways. The Winzerkeller Esslingen cooperative has a tasting room and wine shop, and the castle restaurant at the Burg serves local food and wine in summer on an outdoor terrace with views across the Neckar valley.