Certainly, a sign that says Restaurant is obvious enough. But you can also get a meal in a Lokal, and probably at a lower price. If you’re looking for fast food, look a sign that says Imbiss. At a typical Schnellimbiss or Imbissstand, customers will walk up to a window or a small booth, and order a variety of sausages, beverages, and french fries. Often there are no tables or places to sit. A Restaurant is, by contrast, much more elegant. The Lokal is in the middle.
To be sure, these generalizations about how specific words are used, and what they mean, are subject to exceptions and local variations.
Looking for a place to sleep? The sign proclaiming Hotel is clear enough, but you can also get a room with a bed if the sign says Pension or Gasthaus. The Hotel will probably be a little pricier, and will likely feature a restaurant as part of its facilities. A Pension will include a breakfast, but not other meals. In most lodgings in central Europe, the cost of breakfast is already included in the price of the room. The Gaststube is the dining area within the establishment.
The sign Hotel Garni indicates a smaller hotel offering only breakfast and not the other two meals.
A Schlosshotel will be located inside a castle, and a Kurhotel is located in an area known either for its naturally occurring hot mineral springs, or for its climate and fresh air, both of which are sought by patients seeking to improve their health.
People under the age of twenty-seven often stay in a Jugendherberge, because its price is lower than any other accomdation.
A Gasthaus usually includes restaurant for all three daily meals, and has only a few rooms for overnight guests. Again, the price of breakfast will be included. It may have a sign advertising Zimmer or Fremdenzimmer.
A spectrum of related vocabulary is found for establishments offering either food, or lodging, or both: Gaststätte, Gasthof, and Landhaus.
A sign saying Privatzimmer may simply indicate a room in family house for rent, perhaps one night at a time, or perhaps by the week. It would be necessary to inquire to learn if any meals were included in such a deal.
A Ferienwohnung is typically a small apartment, and usually rented for more than one night at a time - perhaps by the week. Lodgers would prepare their own meals, or seek out restaurants in the area.
If business has a special focus or emphasis, this might be indicated. An Ausflugslokal might be located along a hiking trail, or near a lake, park or mountain. A Sportgaststätte offers a gathering place for people who enjoy watching sports, playing sports, or both.
Again, it’s important to allow for regionalisms and linguistic changes over time, but, generally, a Kneipe or a Wirtshaus or Wirtschaft (short for Gastwirtschaft) is probably more about beverages than food, although they will probably offer at least a few snacks, or a Kalte Platte - platter of bread and cold cuts (sliced sausage and cheese).
A Cafe is obviously more about coffee, but will usually offer a few pastries as well. A Konditorei specializes in cakes, tortes, and pastries. A Bäckerei is usually a place where you buy bread or rolls to take home, but many of them will sell you a cup of coffee and have a small area where you can eat a roll or pastry that you’ve purchased there.
Central Europe offers a broad spectrum of fine food, and a wide variety of establishments in which to eat it. After such excellent meals, you’ll sleep soundly in a variety of lodgings.
