Dining in Berlin ✏️ Restaurant-Germany

May we introduce: a delicious menu of what’s new in Berlin’s culinary scene (plus a few classics that have stood the test of time). Dynamic, cosmopolitan, diverse and constantly in flux – that’s Berlin. Although the German capital is famous for its hipness and trendsetting ways, it never loses sight of its history and traditions. The same is true of its culinary scene. As richly textured as Berlin itself, it makes sure that all tastes are catered to. In fact, there’ve been so many exciting restaurant openings of late, it’s hard to keep track. Few other cities have developed such boldness, creativity and experimental fervor in their kitchens. Every type of food is ready to be sampled, be it Alpine cuisine, Asian delights, Spanish tapas, oriental food, snack bars, German classics or Italian fare. Relaxed, elegant, even luxurious – Berlin can do it all.

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Dining in Berlin
Back to the roots – a modern take on German cuisine
There has never been a better time to savor German cuisine. The organic, slow-food and locavore movements have inspired a new generation of chefs to add pizzazz to classic, time-tested recipes by making them lighter, healthier and more creative. Many ingredients that end up in pots and pans are hunted and gathered right outside Berlin, such as apple-fed pork from the Havelland, fish from the Müritz Lake District or wild boar from the Schorfheide. Heirloom vegetables such as parsnips, turnips and Jerusalem artichokes are also among the rediscovered menu stars.

One restaurant that perfectly captures the zeitgeist is La Soupe Populaire, the newest gastro-destination created by Tim Raue. Decorated with two Michelin stars for his innovative Asian crossover cuisine, the Berlin-born chef here trains the spotlight on such comfort foods as Königsberger Klopse (veal meatballs in caper sauce), suckling pig knuckle and fried herring. Meals are served amid the industrial-flavored setting of the defunct Bötzow Brewery. Art and the culinary arts join in happy symbiosis here, as patrons sit above a cavernous gallery space showcasing changing contemporary art.

Another executive chef known for his earthy gourmet cuisine is Michael Hoepfl who presides over the stoves of the Pauly Saal restaurant in a former Jewish girls’ school. He needed only one year to coax a star from the Michelin testers with delicacies showcasing such regional bounty as Pomeranian ox, pike-perch from Lake Ruppin and duck from Neuruppin.
A much-lauded newcomer is Restaurant am Steinplatz, located within the eponymous luxury boutique hotel that reopened on its 100th anniversary in late 2013. In his show kitchen, Marcus Zimmer uses mostly regional products to execute classic Berlin recipes conceived by Michelin-starred chef Stefan Hartmann. Even rustic beer hall dishes such as Eisbein (boiled pork knuckle) are imaginatively reinterpreted and beautifully plated. In the elegant dining room, black-and-white photographs from the 1920s set subtle visual accents. www.paulysaal.com; www.tim-raue.de; lasoupepopulaire.de; www.marriott.de/ ...collection

Street food from around the world
Food trucks and street food are export hits from the US and the UK that made a splash in Berlin in 2013. The colorful mobile kitchens can be spotted throughout the city, usually at parties, events or open-air markets, with exact dates and locations posted on their Facebook pages. Among the best known is the canary-yellow Bunsmobile, a former US military catering van that sells burgers and sandwiches stuffed with grilled cheese or pulled pork. The outfit of Heißer Hobel even snagged ‘Best Overseas Trader Award’ at the British Street Food Awards 2013 with their gooey Allgäuer Käsespätzle (a southern German spin on macaroni and cheese). www.facebook.com/Bunsmobile; www.facebook.com/pages/Heisser-Hobel/567974103222400?group_id=0

Some food trucks are constantly at the same location and have regular opening hours. This is true for Burger de Ville, a mobile kitchen in a silver airstream bus, which is located at Friedrichstraße 48 next to Checkpoint Charlie and the restaurant “Charlie’s Beach.” The menu features five different Angus burgers from a local organic farm as well as delicious Funky Fries topped with garlic-parsley sauce. At Vatos Tacos, parked in a remote corner in Kreuzberg, Texan music producer Billy Davis plies his hungry fans with authentic tacos, quesadillas and Mexican beer. www.facebook.com/BurgerDeVilleByTwentyFiveHoursHotels; www.facebook.com/ ...1980591581
Those who are truck-less can present their delicacies during Street Food Thursday in a historic market hall in Kreuzberg. Since its inception in 2013, the culinary lab, held every Thursday between 5 and 10pm, has become the hottest foodie ticket in town. Every week, thousands of fans embark on a first-class culinary journey at economy prices. The food is as eclectic as the crowd and may include Korean tacos, New Zealand-style meat pies, Taiwanese burgers or Argentine pulled pork sandwiches. It all pairs well with a glass of wine or a pint of Heidenpeters craft beer brewed right below the market hall.
For 2014, street food aficionados are also eagerly awaiting the return of the Bite Club, a food truck gathering right on the Spree River held several times last summer. Every other Friday, the city’s best international food stalls set up their mobile kitchens between Arena Berlin and the old Hoppetosse, a steamboat moored on the Spree. In addition, there will be a smaller version of the Bite Club in Berlin-Mitte, beginning this summer. Every Saturday, eight trucks will set up behind Platoon Kunsthalle at Schönhauser Allee 9. www.facebook.com/StreetFoodThursday; www.facebook.com/biteclubberlin

Berlin chefs reach for the stars
In 2013, it rained Michelin stars on restaurants in Berlin, which now boasts nine gourmet temples with one and five with two stars, making it Germany’s gourmet capital. Of the three venues initiated into this exalted culinary pantheon, 5 – Cinco at the Hotel Stue is the first project outside Spain by Catalan star chef Paco Peréz. Sitting below artfully arranged copper pots and with a view of the kitchen, patrons enjoy avant-garde gourmet creations intended to stimulate all five senses. A menu here usually consists of two dozen ‘courses’, each presented like a culinary jewel.
At the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria, it took Les Solistes only one year to be awarded its first Michelin star. This did perhaps not come as such a huge surprise since the culinary concept was conceived by none other than Pierre Gagnaire, the famous Parisian chef whose namesake restaurant boasts three Michelin stars of its own. Pauly Saal, too, took Michelin honors for the first time, thanks to Michael Hoepfl’s boldly down-to-earth New German cuisine, which includes delicately prepared stews and imaginative takes on…offal. www.facil.de; www.5-cinco.com; www.waldorfastoriaberlin.com/deu/Restaurants-Lounges/Les-Solistes; paulysaal.com

Here’s the complete 2014 list of Berlin’s Michelin-starred restaurants:
2 stars
Facil: www.facil.de
Fischers Fritz: www.fischersfritzberlin.com
Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer: www.lorenzadlon-esszimmer.de
Reinstoff: www.reinstoff.eu
Tim Raue: www.tim-raue.com

1 star
5 – Cinco by Paco Pérez: www.5-cinco.com
First Floor: www.firstfloor.palace.de
Horváth: www.restaurant-horvath.de
Hugos: www.hugos-restaurant.de
Les Solistes by Pierre Gagnaire: www.waldorfastoriaberlin.com/ ...s-Solistes
Pauly Saal: paulysaal.com
VAU: www.vau-berlin.de
Weinbar Rutz: www.weinbar-rutz.de


Meatless goes mainstream
There were times when a plate without meat was not considered a ‘proper’ meal. Not anymore. These days, vegetarian – and even vegan – food is all the rage in the German capital. Growing health awareness, shocking reports about factory farming and a series of food scandals have fueled the trend. Fortunately, in Berlin a meat-free lifestyle does not require sacrificing flavor to the taste gods. In fact, there are plenty of restaurants offering dishes that are so innovative that even hardened carnivores should be pleased.
Among them is Cookies Cream which has, for years, delighted plant eaters with upscale three-course vegetarian meals served in an industrial-styled dining room tucked above the Cookies nightclub. Some of the seasonal vegetables used in the preparation are even grown in the restaurant’s own rooftop garden.

In the western city center, La Mano Verde is proof positive that even vegan restaurants – which banish all animal products – can indeed deliver gourmet-level meals. Dishes such as spaghetti with sea vegetables or lime-almond gazpacho have the stuff to excite even demanding foodies. Across town, former La Mano Verde cooks have opened Lucky Leek, which serves market-fresh daily specials and a big Sunday brunch. Kopps Restaurant in Mitte also managed to quickly build a large fan base. Its chefs specialize in vegan versions of classic German dishes. Their egg salad, the goulash and the mousse au chocolat are all top choices. www.cookiescream.com; www.lamanoverdeberlin.com; www.lucky-leek.de; www.kopps-berlin.de
Even plant-based fast food is no stranger to Berlin. Organic fries, veggie burgers and seitan sausage all make appearances on the menu of Yellow Sunshine in Kreuzberg. In Friedrichshain, Vöner is the go-to place for vegan doner kebab and burgers as well as fries doused in a delicious garlic sauce. Nearby, YoYo Foodworld serves around two dozen different burgers (including an exotic Sumatra Burger with peanut sauce) alongside vegan goulash and macaroni and cheese. Café Vux in Neukölln specializes in vegan fare with a Brasilian touch as well as homemade cakes and exotic smoothies. www.yellow-sunshine.com www.facebook.com/Voener www.yoyofoodworld.de www.vux-berlin.com

Ooh la la!
French cuisine is booming in Berlin. Hipster favorite Bandol sur Mer has spawned an equally popular sidekick named Bistro 3 minutes sur mer, both on Torstraße in Mitte. In Prenzlauer Berg the hearty Alsatian cuisine at Gugelhof has long been a favorite with local politicians, while Der Hahn ist tot! is mobbed by friends of French country cooking : its four-course-menu for 19 Euro is truly a steal. www.bandolsurmer.de; www.gugelhof.de, www.der-hahn-ist-tot.de
A somewhat fatter wallet is needed to fill the tummy at Les Solistes at the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria. The culinary concept of this elegant restaurant was developed by Parisian star chef Pierre Gagnaire and earned a Michelin star less than one year after opening. www.waldorfastoriaberlin.com/ ...s-Solistes
Also fairly new on the scene is Restaurant Richard in Kreuzberg. Host Hans Richard is an artist and chef who champions the timeless qualities of French haute cuisine. There’s a new menu every few weeks, from which guests may order four to seven courses. Dishes are not only flavor bombs but also beautifully presented. Just as eye-catching is the décor of the century-old dining room whose modern art and glass bubble chandeliers harmonize nicely with the historic coffered ceiling and stained-glass windows. www.restaurant-richard.de
Brasserie Lamazère in Charlottenburg also succeeded in growing a stable of regulars within just a short time. The reason is not just the excellent food but also the fairly calculated prices – a three-course menu costs a mere 30 Euro. Every day the kitchen staff produces a new selection of dishes, although thanks to popular demand oeuf concotte (coddled eggs), confit de porc (pork confit) and ratatouille re-appear regularly on the blackboard menu. www.lamazere.de

Gustatory gates to Asia
Asian food has a strong following in Berlin since contemporary bistros such as Monsieur Vuong in Mitte have demonstrated that healthy, wholesome, cheap and fast don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Of late, though, more sophisticated modern pan-Asian cuisine has also started to proliferate in the city. Take Good Time Grill in Charlottenburg, whose kitchen showpiece is a Japanese robata grill. Fish and meat remain especially juicy and flavor-packed while being slow-cooked on its superhot charcoal. Instead of standards, the menu brims with such culinary symphonies as rack of lamb with chestnuts and cognac-plum sauce or sea bream topped with chili-tamarind sauce. www.goodtime-grill.de
A new port of call by the same owners is Prince in Mitte, which dishes up cheekily named taste-bud tantalizers. Those ordering a helping of Green Hornets will bite into baked shrimp with wasabi mayonnaise. Ding Dang Dong are homemade dumplings with various fillings, while Devil on Fire is a spicy beef dish. The menu is divided in small, medium and large dishes, perfect for trying – and sharing – many different tastes. prince-restaurant.com

At Soya Cosplay, another new entry in Mitte, both the food and the design are pleasing to the eyes. Over three floors, colorful lanterns and nifty lamps create coziness without kitsch factor. Dishes are veritable aroma explosions. The pork belly beautifully contrasts with pungent Asian herbs, shrimp balls perk up with wasabi mayonnaise, and even the jelly fish carpaccio is delicate rather than slimy. By the way, the same owners also run the popular eateries Yumcha Heroes in Prenzlauer Berg and Long March Canteen in Kreuzberg. soyacosplay.com
The team behind celebrity faves Si An and Chén Chè has also fielded an exotic new contender with District Môt. Amid colorful décor supposed to emulate the streets of Saigon, patrons squat on plastic stools orbiting wooden tables where rolls of toilet paper irreverently stand in for paper napkins. The menu mixes the familiar (steamy pho noodle soup, DIY barbecue) with the adventurous (papaya salad with pig ear, deep-fried silk worms). www.districtmot.com
For the best noodle bar in Berlin, follow locals to Cocolo Ramen. Its hearty soups with homemade noodles, fresh vegetables and other ingredients are not only tasty but healthy to boot. Recently, the teensy branch in Mitte has spawned a much larger eatery on a canal in Kreuzberg. In fine weather, the tables on its terrace are the most coveted. www.facebook.com/ ...4328730559

Bete’Avon (Bon Appetit) – die israelische Küche in Berlin
The revival of Jewish culture in Berlin has also fueled a dynamic Israeli restaurant scene that includes numerous places that would fit right into the hipper areas of Tel Aviv. Mani, at the eponymous hotel on Torstraße in Mitte, was among the first to take its guests on a culinary journey to Israel, albeit with French influences. The menu is packed with numerous ‘Chuzpeles’ (small plates) such as roast beef with hummus or lamb patties with cinnamon tomato that can easily be combined and shared.

Above the rooftops of Berlin, to be precise on the 10th floor of the hip 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin, NENI made an instant splash with local foodies upon its February 2014 opening. Sitting in a comfy cafeteria-style room with panoramic windows, patrons indulge in a culinary mosaic influenced by the cuisines of Persia, Russia and Arabian and Mediterranean countries. Menu faves include Chraime (Moroccan fish), the Ruben sandwich and Arak-marinated chicken. NENI is the brainchild of Tel Aviv-born Haya Molcho who’s already had a smashing success with her first branch in Vienna. www.amanogroup.de/ ...restaurant www.25hours-hotels.com/ ...erlin.html

Berlin kitchen classics
Although the German capital is in the catbird seat when it comes to new culinary trends, traditional Berlin cuisine – earthy, hearty, honest – is in no danger of disappearing. Eisbein with mashed peas, ‘Berlin-style’ veal liver, aspic with fried potatoes or meat patties with mustard – they all are classic dishes that have ruled over local stoves for centuries. Case in point: the hearth of Zur Letzten Instanz, Berlin’s oldest restaurant. In business since 1621, it has welcomed many famous guests, including Napoleon and Goethe.

Also enjoying cult status is Wirtshaus Henne, at home in Kreuzberg since 1908. Unfortunately, John F Kennedy had to turn down the owners’ invite to try their famous roast chicken during his 1963 state visit. Alas, the White House did send a personal apology. Older still (since 1902) is the nearby Wirtshaus Max & Moritz whose delicious granny food goes perfectly with a glass of home-brewed pilsner called Kreuzberger Molle.

In Charlottenburg, Diener Tattersaal is another venerable Old Berlin haunt. After being taken over by German heavyweight champion Franz Diener in the 1950s, it became one of West Berlin’s preeminent artist pubs. Billy Wilder to Harry Belafonte, they all came for beer and Bulette (meat patty) and left behind signed black-and-white photographs that grace Diener’s walls to this day. www.zurletzteninstanz.com www.henne-berlin.de www.maxundmoritzberlin.de

Snack culture, Berlin-style
Berliners’ favorite fast food is the beloved Currywurst (curried sausage) which was, after all, invented in the city. It was Herta Heuwer who’s credited with coming up, in 1949, with the idea of slivering a sausage, drenching it in tomato sauce and adding a fine sprinkling of curry powder. Her original snack parlor at Kantstrasse 101 is gone, but a memorial plaque honors the ‘grande dame of the Currywurst’, who died in 1999.

Some snack stalls have garnered cult status over time. Among them is Konnopke’s Imbiss, located in a kiosk below the elevated U-Bahn tracks in Prenzlauer Berg. Max Konnopke and his wife Charlotte opened their stand in 1930; in 1960, they became the first outfit in East Berlin to serve Currywurst. It’s family-owned to this day. The same is true of Bier’s Kudamm 195 in western Berlin whose Currywurst pedigree goes back to 1965. Many of its regulars, including numerous local celebs, enjoy washing down their sausage with a small bottle of Champagne, and it’s often busy until the wee hours. Another popular night owl roost is the famous Curry 36, either the original branch in Kreuzberg or the new one at Zoo station. www.konnopke-imbiss.de de-de.facebook.com/ ...6166063038 www.curry36.de

Aside from Currywurst and the ubiquitous doner kebab, the hamburger has of late established itself as a fast food favorite among Berliners. However, it’s not the international chains that have gained in popularity but the growing number of independent gourmet vendors. In Neukölln, Schiller Burger names its patties after the plays of German dramatist Friedrich Schiller and tucks them between crispy buns baked next door. Nosh on them with a side of sweet potato fries.

In Mitte, Shiso Burger has quickly made a reputation for itself. Its sandwiches are given an Asian twist, which leads to interesting flavor combinations. The namesake Shiso Burger, for instance, consists of marinated tuna, a shiso leaf and teriyaki sauce. Of course, the menu also features straightforward hamburgers, cheeseburgers and veggie burgers.
The mother of all burger joints, though, is The Bird in Prenzlauer Berg, which looks as though it had been airlifted straight from Brooklyn. That may also account for its popularity with US-expats. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that all burgers are made from ground-to-order beef and served, in huge portions, with delectable homemade sauces. www.facebook.com/schillerburger www.shisoburger.de www.thebirdinberlin.com

More information: visitBerlin.com

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Last Update: 17/02/2018 - 00:07