The Best Places To Eat In Berlin
CASUAL
Monsieur Vuong
This lively Vietnamese spot brings the aromas of the Mekong Delta to Mitte. Spring rolls, pho and wonton dumplings are all here – and all done well. There are no reservations, but the pace is high and tables soon become available. Ingredients are super fresh, menus change every few days, and you might find Monsieur Vuong quickly becoming a go-to.
Visit MonsieurVuong.de
Kanaan
This vegan-vegetarian restaurant in Prenzlauer Berg is run by an Israeli and a Palestinian. Sharing starters like hummus with warm lentil masabacha in tatbile sauce are followed by a choice of mains like hummus with soy-based shawarma or onions stuffed with Egyptian rice and soy-based minced meat in pomegranate dressing.
Visit Kanaan-Berlin.de
Markthalle Neun
Berlin’s best-known market hall deserves its place at the top of the pile. From the dim sum at Bao Gao Club to the Turkish dumplings at Manti, its array of international food vendors is unmatched – don’t be afraid to stay local and try the three-cheese käsespätzle at Hot Planer. Open every day except Sunday, Markthalle Neun gets busy on a Thursday night, when a rotating cast of street-food vendors pitch up and join the regulars.
Visit MarkthalleNeun.de
Terz
In the shadow of a huge church close to Tempelhof, Terz is a top choice for brunch or a relaxed lunch. For the former, we like the house eggs, served with hollandaise sauce, Westcombe cheddar, homemade kimchi and toasted sourdough. Lunch options might include grilled chicken with parmesan sauce, sweet potato purée and radicchio salad.
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Sfera
This modern Neukölln café-restaurant is the place to go for a vegan brunch. A strong coffee game is matched by next-level plant-based signatures like lemon za’atar granola or French toast with cherries, almond cream, buckwheat crumble and sage.
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Katz Orange
Tucked in a courtyard, Katz Orange is worth seeking out. Exposed brickwork and farmhouse-style chairs give the place a rustic edge, but this farm-to-table pioneer really stands out with its careful sourcing, which pays off in some outstanding meat dishes. Signature ‘candy on the bone’ pork and lamb are roasted slow and low, then served in their own gravy with lemon garlic yoghurt.
Visit KatzOrange.com
Coccodrillo
For anyone who knows and loves Gloria, Circolo Popolare or Ave Mario in London, this is the Big Mamma group’s Berlin outpost. The formula works here too: maximalist interiors plus showy Italian dishes equals a good night out.
Visit BigSquadra.com
Burgermeister
Burgermeister is a true hipster success story. Back in the noughties, drooling punters used to queue round the block to get into the old public toilets from which it served high-quality patties with a secret cheese sauce. Today, it does the same thing from ten places around town, with more on the way.
Visit Burger-Meister.de
Hafenküche
Out east, on the banks of the Spree, Hafenküche is a restaurant for all seasons. In summer, its glass façade opens and sunlight pours in – though there’s also the fully outdoor Spreedeck competing for your attention. Come winter, fires are lit. Food is modern, fresh and often cooked over the open charcoal grill. The adjoining walk-up Canteen is also worth knowing about if you’re on the river.
Visit Hafenkueche.de
Der Blaue Fuchs
Georgian cuisine is starting to break out around the world – and we’re here for it. Der Blaue Fuchs in Prenzlauer Berg is a great place to introduce yourself. The menu features national staples like khinkali meat dumplings, khachapuri cheese bread and bean-filled lobiani. Georgia has also been producing wine longer than most, and the list here is an excellent showcase of what it can do.
Visit DerBlaueFuchs.Metro.Bar
Father Carpenter
Father Carpenter is your Berlin bolthole for Aussie-style coffee and brunch. Actually, it’s a bit more than a bolthole, with its pleasant internal courtyard. The coffee is its own, carefully sourced raw from around the world then roasted in house. The kitchen’s menu changes with the seasons – count on vegan banana bread, granola, millet porridge and eggs many different ways during colder months.
Visit FatherCarpenter.com
House Of Small Wonder
Find a seat among the house plants and settle into the House of Small Wonder for brunch or lunch with a Japanese twist. The all-day brunch menu features an avocado smash with sesame oil on zucchini bread topped with sprouts, wakame, shichimi and poached eggs. Lunchtime signatures include udon carbonara, and mentaiko spaghetti with spicy cod’s roe, cream, butter, soy sauce, shiso, nori seaweed and scallops.
Visit HouseOfSmallWonder.de
COOL
Cookies Cream
Cookies Cream’s interiors are post-industrial, it’s given itself a name that has nothing to do with what it actually does, and everything’s vegan or vegetarian. This Michelin-starred restaurant in Mitte couldn’t have existed at any other point in history. Don’t get us wrong – we’re grateful to live in its era. Because there are no bad options here: choose tasting menus built around single ingredients like pointed cabbage, celeriac and beetroot; or signature dishes like miso cucumber with seaweed caviar, potato croutons, soy and chives. There are creative mocktails if you’re playing it squeaky clean – or natural wines if you’re not.
Visit CookiesCream.com
Prism
Gal Ben Moshe has worked for the likes of Marcus Wareing and Jason Atherton. Now, as chef-owner of Michelin-starred Prism in Charlottenburg, he brings some European flourishes to the flavours of his homeland. Josper-grilled meat tends to be a star on his six-course tasting menus. The accompanying wine list from sommelier Jacqueline Lorenz is excellent – and she’s won awards for making so much of it available by the glass. The vibe is smart yet relaxed.
Visit PrismBerlin.de
Coda
This Neukölln restaurant has earnt two Michelin stars by turning menus on their head. Rather than being the afterthought, desserts are given centre stage here. Across 15 minimalistic courses, Coda’s tasting menu sets out to show you everything a dessert can be – sweet, savoury, surprising… and more. Chef and co-owner René Frank is among the world’s greatest pastry chefs, so be assured the high prices are justified.
Visit Coda-Berlin.com
Nobelhart & Schmutzig
This restaurant near Checkpoint Charlie sounds like it might be named for the surnames of its owners. It’s not. Nobelhart & Schmutzig means ‘noble, hard and filthy’, but don’t be perturbed. It has a Michelin star for the quality of its cooking – and a Michelin green star for its commitment to sustainability. Careful sourcing is the key to its success, and defines a ten-course set menu that showcases the best local and seasonal produce. Try for a counter seat in front of the open kitchen if you can.
Visit NobelhartUndSchmutzig.com
Neni
Neni is the vibey, glass-walled rooftop restaurant of the trendy 25Hours hotel in Charlottenburg. Dishes are designed for sharing and reflect the influences of the family who run the place – salmon sashimi is offered alongside Levantine classics like chicken shawarma or lamb chops. Enjoy them with a side of city views, then stick around to enjoy the DJs at the adjoining Monkey bar.
Visit NeniBerlin.de
Oh, Panama
Don’t be misled by the name. This relaxed, two-floor restaurant near Potsdamer Platz is all about modern German fine dining. Count on mains like confit pike-perch with kale, kamut and beurre blanc, or glazed veal breast with polenta and spinach. Come summer, the courtyard terrace is the place to be.
Visit Oh-Panama.com
Ernst
The minimalist interiors of tiny, nine-seat Ernst are a perfect match for Dylan Watson-Brawn’s minimalist, Japanese-influenced cooking. His seasonal, 25-course tasting menus have to be booked in advance, but this is ingredient-led cuisine worth committing to – Dylan’s got the Michelin star to prove it. If you can’t get in, Ernst’s more casual little brother Julius takes walk-ins.
Visit ErnstBerlin.de
Mine Restaurant
This Russian family owned place in Neukölln is one of the city’s best Italians. A smart-casual dress code matches the chic surroundings. First timers should start with the Greatest Hits menu, which features tortelli with burrata and truffle, and ravioli cacio e pepe with braised veal. The downstairs wine cellar has some fine natural and biodynamic bottles ready to go.
Visit MineRestaurant.de
Barra
This neighbourhood restaurant in Neukölln is the complete modern package. Pared-back interiors let small sharing plates do the talking: try cavatelli, chickpeas and ’nduja, or celeriac, grains and lovage. Natural wines lead a strong list, and the counter seats are the best in the house for a kitchen view. Just don’t be caught out by the unusual hours: Barra’s only open Monday to Friday.
Visit BarraBerlin.com
Eins 44
Taking over an airy old distillery in Neukölln, Eins 44 celebrates many of its original features – including some beautiful ceramic tiling – and juxtaposes them with some thoroughly modern cooking. A set menu might start with foamed Teto tofu, confit leek and shiitake in ponzu sauce, leading into glazed monkfish cheeks and coconut sticky rice with mango and lobster foam.
Visit Eins44.com
CLASSIC
Borchardt
This historic Mitte establishment has withstood everything thrown at Berlin since it opened in the 1850s. It’s an atmospheric spot where you can eat in the style of long-ago emperors, old Prussian dandies and former German chancellors – the schnitzel à la Holstein was invented here and still served today. Just be prepared to pay for your taste of a bygone era of high ceilings, marble columns and velvet banquettes.
Visit Borchardt-Restaurant.de
Rutz
Over the last 20 years, chef Marco Mueller has helped Rutz earn one, two and eventually three Michelin stars. He continues to move with the times today, delivering his own exceptional take on the seasonal and locavore trends that are taking over high-end cuisine. Originally, Rutz was a wine bar. It maintains a long list to this day, and sommelier Nancy Grossmann is a star in her own right. In summer, ask for a seat on the terrace.
Visit Rutz-Restaurant.de
Grill Royal
Right by the river in Mitte, Grill Royal is an old-school delight. Its affluent, arty regulars treasure it not just for the perfectly cooked prime cuts it sources from Ireland, France or Argentina. This is a place to see and be seen – and the people-watching opportunities are worth the premium prices.
Visit GrillRoyal.com
Le Petit Royal
Grill Royal’s little sister lives within the handsome Lume hotel just west of the Tiergarten. Evening-only Le Petit Royal offers similarly classic fare to its older sibling, but with a more pronounced French accent – bouillabaisse and beef tartare are among its staples. The linen-tablecloth formality could feel stuffy if it wasn’t punctuated by some arresting contemporary artworks.
Visit LePetitRoyal.de
Schildkroete
This throwback treat on Ku’damm is a bastion of old-fashioned ‘gemuetlichkeit’ – the German version of bonhomie. Perfected over 90 years of service, classic meat dishes including currywurst, schnitzels and an array of pork knuckles are served in a tile-floored, wood-beamed dining room whose charm has never faded.
Tim Raue
Tim Raue was born in Berlin and now runs one of his home city’s very finest restaurants. In between, he spent a lot of time travelling in Asia, and that experience is a defining influence on his cooking here – signatures include wasabi langoustines and a great take on Peking duck. He also offers a full vegan tasting menu, as well as one dedicated to Berlin.
Visit Tim-Raue.com
Gugelhof
Gugelhof in Prenzlauer Berg got its big break in 2000, when Germany’s then leader took Bill Clinton for a meal here. It specialises in the cuisine of Alsace, a French region with strong German influences. With menu staples including fondue, tarte flambée and some excellent charcuterie, this is a cosy spot to retreat to during a cold Berlin winter.
Visit GugelhofBerlin.de
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