Our guide to dining out in Berlin
Cosmopolitan, international in scope, and constantly surprising, Berlin offers one of Europe’s very best culinary scenes. If you’re a bit daunted by the riches, sign up for a culinary tour where you can Taste and learn about the transformation of Berlin’s cuisine and be stunned by the quality of dishes offered in this tantalizing city.
Berlin is an international metropolis. There is no better proof of this than the Berlin gastronomic scene: Italian pasta, Greek gyros, Thai curry, and Sudanese broad beans – here you will find almost everything. In addition to that, top chefs such as Tim Raue run their restaurants here and offer international haute cuisine for little money. And the bold can even have their try at local specialities such as knuckle of pork, roulades or Berliner Kindl Weisse at authentic restaurants. Every visitor will find his favourite eatery in Berlin.
Something Different
At Rutz Weinbar, you enter into a wine shop/bar with floor-to-ceiling glass shelves full of wine bottles, dark floors, and soaring ceiling. Enjoy a creative bar menu here, or head up the illuminated, translucent steps to the restaurant, which features pink marble and deep wood tables with white cloth runners. The food, served with amiable flair, is among Berlin’s best, and includes such offerings as a silky, cold red pepper soup with two perfectly-grilled, charry scallops and a small dish of tandoori ice cream that tastes about like you’d expect tandoori ice cream to taste, but a million times better.
Monsieur Vuong is an authentic Vietnamese restaurant with style. The restaurant is always busy with a buzzy vibe and great cocktails and juices.The queue moves quite fast when its busy so don’t worry.
Something Gay
Enter More, and you won’t have much doubt this is a gay restaurant. The walls are bright scarlet, while illuminated columns of tiny white beads hang from ceiling to countertops and are reflected in the large wall mirrors. Cylindrical red lights hang from the ceiling and a video screen shows a tumbling waterfall. If this didn’t clue you in, check out the crowd: two men in leather holding hands, two women leaning in over the table to engage in intimate dialogue. Food choices here range from an herbed crème soup with chorizo chips to lamb in honey-spice sauce, or rumpsteak with either Gorgonzola or pepper sauce. It’s a perfect place to have a good meal before exploring the nightlife of Schöneberg, or to treat the after-effects of a night at the clubs with a hearty breakfast (served till 5 P.M. for overindulgers).
Something German
At Restaurant am Steinplatz, the glamorous 1920s get a 21st century makeover both in the kitchen and the decor. Black-and-white photographs of cabaret dancers set cheeky accents for the classic dining room whose elegant tables are orbited by mustard-yellow chairs and lit by contemporary-floral chandeliers. At the far end is the open kitchen where veteran chef Marcus Zimmer and his team orchestrate modern interpretations of time-tested German and Berlin recipes. This restaurant perfectly blends old and new with innovative dishes served in a stylish but relaxed ambiance.
Something Special
The Restaurant Le Faubourg at the Sofitel Berlin Kurfürstendamm presents itself with cosmopolitan flair and such eye-catchers as Bauhaus-inspired furniture, avant-garde Portuguese copper lamps and a wall-sized painting by German artist Junior Toscanelli. The cuisine takes on seasonal, French-inspired cooking. At the heart of the menu are just five main courses that can be ordered either prepared in classical or in contemporary style. Think sautéed turbot vs sousvide confit turbot with chorizo.
Hugos takes haute cuisine to new heights in Berlin, literally. The 14th floor at the Hotel Intercontinental offers panaorami views of the city. The 4 to 7 course menu from this Michellin starrd restaurant is sublime, as is the service and attention to detail.
All Day Breakfast!
Schwarzes Cafe is open all day and all night and offers everything from a great all day breakfast to a superb steak! Great in the Summer when you want to eat outside.Service is friendly and the beer selection is great.
Currywurst
After shopping at west Berlin’s massive KaDeWe department store, head to the district’s best currywurst kiosk to refuel on its sausages in spicy sauce, before you attempt strolling and shopping your way up the famous Kurfürstendamm (Ku’ damm) boulevard. Witty’s is the best joint on the square, using only the best local meat and vegetables. Beside the famed sausages (with our without the skin), Witty’s has grilled bratwurst, frankfurters and some great chunky Belgian-style fries – all liberally drenched in a sauce of your choosing. In keeping with its organic credentials, it sells tasty Weissenoher, a monastery-brewed bio-beer.
The multitude of snack stalls (called an “imbiss” here) means you can get great falafels and currywurst for less than €5
The invention of currywurst is attributed to Herta Heuwer in Berlin in 1949, after she obtained ketchup (or possibly Worcestershire sauce) and curry powder from British soldiers in Germany. She mixed these ingredients with other spices and poured it over grilled pork sausage. Currywurst is as German as pizza is Italian, hot dogs are American, and fish and chips British. The dish was immortalized in the new Deutsches Currywurst Museum in Berlin, a sausage shrine dedicated to all things currywurst, including sausage sofas, a curry “spice chamber” and a movie montague of all-time currywurst cameos.