Culinary Highlights in Berlin

Berlin, June 2024 When it comes to culinary delights, Berlin is constantly setting new trends and is one of the world's leading top chefs. The capital is a melting pot of the most diverse culinary styles and national cuisines. From avant-garde to Berlin cuisine, from vegetables to matured meat, from star chefs to career changers - Berlin whets the appetite! Berlin sets culinary standards!

The Michelin Guide, one of the world's leading restaurant guides, has once again named Berlin Germany's gourmet capital. 28 Michelin stars in 21 restaurants are beacons of the culinary world in Berlin, Germany and worldwide. Be it the three-star restaurant Rutz, the five two-star restaurants Horváth, Coda, Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, Facil and Tim Raue as well as 15 restaurants with one star. Each of the chefs demonstrates a unique creativity of culinary art with their individual signature. The international appeal of Berlin's top chefs is also demonstrated by their places on the list of "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" with the restaurant Tim Raue in 30th place and Nobelhart & Schmutzig in 43rd place. 

Pioneers at the top

Hallmann & Klee with chef Sarah Hallmann in a gastronomically insignificant corner of Neukölln was newly awarded a star in 2024. She and her team started out with an exceptional breakfast menu. Today, with her fine dining concept, she is one of the top chefs who demonstrate a pioneering spirit and combine sensitive cookery with authentic hospitality. They put the guest at the centre and open up unknown corners of the gourmet world. The one-star restaurant Irma la Douce is no exception. It polishes up the culinary side of Potsdamer Strasse, which was once known for its bustling red-light district. The two-star restaurant Restaurant Tim Raue and Nobelhart & Schmutzig also opened a few years ago in an undiscovered neighbourhood near Checkpoint Charlie.

Mirari, for example, is located in a park that Berliners can also rediscover. Numerous courtyards are being revitalised with Mediterranean, Levantine cuisine, be it Joseph or the Nightkitchen. It is Israelis who are bringing cosmopolitanism to life with fresh oriental cuisine. From snacks to museum gastronomy to high-class. Shani Leiderman's restaurant Beba in the Gropius Bau, for example, offers attractive cuisine, not just for exhibition visitors, while NENI in Bikini Berlin offers a mix of Mediterranean, Persian and Austrian influences. The view over the city does the rest.

By the way, the view over the city: from next year, a visit to the TV tower will be a literal culinary highlight. Tim Raue will open the Sphere restaurant as the responsible kitchen director with typical dishes such as pork knuckle made according to his grandmother's recipe or Berlin schnitzel. For those for whom "the wait until 2025 is too long", two snack creations à la Tim Raue are now being served in Berlin's highest bar, at a height of 203 metres: boulette with beer, currywurst with sparkling wine.

Further proof that Berlin cuisine is blossoming again. Restaurant Trio presents Berlin cuisine with style and a modern twist, while Berlin's oldest restaurant Zur letzten Instanz has undergone a generational change. The young, cosmopolitan chef André Sperling combines tradition with zeitgeist, Berlin cuisine with sustainability.

The avant-garde plays an important role in Berlin 

Berlin also plays a pioneering role in Europe in this area. And not only with the six Green Stars from the Michelin Guide for a special focus on sustainability. The following restaurants were honoured: Bandol sur Mer, Frea, Rutz, Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Horváth and Tisk. The term sustainability means organic ingredients, seasonality, regionality, energy saving and waste avoidance. Social aspects such as fair wages and flexible working time models are also part of a comprehensively sustainable business model. For Arne Anker at BRIKZ and Sophia Hoffmann at Happa, for example, this is now just as much a part of their philosophy. She was and is one of the figureheads of the vegan movement in Berlin.

Vegetables are now the star. Berlin's plates are increasingly centred around vegetables. One of the best examples of popular new German food culture is the BRLO Brwhouse with its two other restaurants in KaDeWe and Charlottenburg. The contemporary brewhouse not only serves fresh craft beer from the tap, it also focuses on vegetables from the rotisserie grill and vegetarian side dishes. Meats such as high-quality Kikok chicken or rolled roast are also served.

This type of cuisine has inspired some restaurateurs to grow their own vegetables. For example, the Michelberger with its hotel restaurant, the Ora restaurant and the Theke lunchtime snack bar source their produce such as fruit and vegetables from their own farm in the Spreewald, the Tisk has a small area for growing vegetables, and the Aerde restaurant has found a place in Wendisch-Rietz where they make existing crops available to guests in the Berlin kitchen.

Culinary events

Numerous food events such as the Bite Club in summer, the African Food Festival in May, Street Food Thursday in Markthalle Neun, Thai Park or, as it is currently called, Thai Bridge im Jules B-Part and the street food market Auf Achse in the KulturBrauerei take place every Sunday. Once a year, in October, Berlin Food Week presents start-ups in the food industry, especially in the PlantBase area, and organises numerous delicious even.

If only, then only

Sustainable enjoyment today also means: if meat, then only the finest. With the new awareness and demands on food, the animal plays an important role as a food supplier. This is not just about animal husbandry, but also about the butcher's trade and the perfect cooking and grilling methods. At the Kumpel und Keule butcher's shop, for example, transparency, artisanal production, the origin of the meat and flavour are at the heart of their work. The Brooklyn, an original New York steak temple and luxury restaurant, only serves meat of the highest quality. American classics, special cuts, are prepared on red-hot charcoal in the X-Oven at the Midtown Grill on Potsdamer Platz. At Grill Royal, German fillet of beef, cuts of Black Angus or roast beef from Wagyu cattle are grilled. Meanwhile, fans of Italian cuisine are drawn to To The Bone. Fiorentina bistecca and costata are served here. A speciality made from young oxen of the Chianina cattle breed.

Several branches have been operating under the name Beef Grill Club by Hasir for some time now. Here too, entrecôte from Wagyu beef, Chateaubriand, U.S. porterhouse steak and other classics are grilled in premium quality in the open kitchen. Incidentally, the founder of this business was one of the first to offer Döner Kebab in Kreuzberg. Mehmet Aygün moved to Berlin over 40 years ago at the age of 16 and started his business there with the simple Hasir restaurant in Adalbertstraße, which now includes numerous shops and the Beef Grill Clubs. Today, it is impossible to imagine everyday life in Berlin without the kebab. Deniz Buchholz and Daniel Herbert offer the sustainable, refined version. Under the motto Kebap with Attitude, the two understand transparency in preparation, regionality and originality.

The avant-garde plays in Berlin

Cuisines from all over the world find their playground in Berlin. Be it with daring fusions such as at Kochu Karu. Bin Lee and José Miranda Morillo are pioneers who combine Korean and Spanish cooking techniques to create fine dishes. At Amigo Cohen, Mexican and Israeli flavours are combined. Another avant-garde chef is Timur Yilmaz at Oukan. He uses Asian techniques to celebrate vegan fine dining. At Machiko, Italian and Japanese wine bar culture come together. 
 

Aperitif enjoyment in a glass and on a plate

Berlin's range of wine bars has been given a new lease of life with excellent wines and matching snacks. A wine bar in Mitte has had the melodious name Freundschaft since 2018. The 26-metre-long oval bar alone is worth a visit. The NOMI wine bar focuses on wines from female winemakers, Dr Maury on French and international natural wines. Marco Gianni serves Italian wines by the glass, accompanied by finger food.

The wine restaurants offer exquisite dishes and complete menus to accompany their selection of wines. The Weinlobbyist specialises in German and Austrian wines and offers snacks such as cheese or tarte flambée, as well as a five-course menu. The Sacrebleu! specialises in a wide selection of wines and serves French cuisine with Japanese influences. La Cantine d’Augusta is puristically French. It is not just a wine restaurant, but a delicatessen, online shop and caterer all in one. The latest evidence of a growing aperitif culture is the day bar Lotta and the Frizza.

Culinary miles

After the fall of the Wall, Oranienburger Strasse was legendary for its artistic awakening in Tacheles and for its numerous bars, cafés, snack bars and speak-easys. Today, there is no longer any sign of this. With Fotografiska, the Museum of Photography, which has moved into Tacheles, cosmopolitanism has moved in. This can also be found in the Verōnika restaurant and bars. Anna & Paul has opened diagonally opposite with casual cuisine, while a few blocks further on is the Dieselhaus and Root in the Hotel Telegraphenamt. The Dry Gin & Beef Club on Oranienburger Straße has also recently opened. At the end of the street, on Monbijou-Platz, two Swiss chefs show what they mean by the name Dae Mon.

Oranienstraße, which is often confused with Oranienburger Straße, has been recognised as one of the coolest streets in the world. This day and night street life is rare in this city. In the numerous cafés, fast-food restaurants, late-night bars and pubs, there is something going on all day long. Kreuzberg anti-attitude, enthusiastic cliques, observers of the hustle and bustle - everyone can find a table or a few seats here. The Max & Moritz pub cultivates cosmopolitan cosiness, while Goldies can now be found all over the city, but has started its triumphal march in this street with one of the best smashburgers. At Angry Chicken, a hotspot of Korean fast food culture, chicken wings are sometimes fried angry, sometimes friendly - all on Oranienstraße, mind you.

Lovers of Asian and Chinese cuisine are guaranteed to find indoor and outdoor seating in Kantstraße. In addition to authentic Chinese home cooking like at Aroma, fusion is also the order of the day. The Duc Ngo has opened numerous restaurants. The first was Kuchi with its sushi offering, which was gradually followed by Madame Ngo as Brasserie Hanoi, Indochine French Cuisine and 893 Ryotei. Behind the darkened glass panes, Japanese dishes with other Asian, South American and European influences are prepared in the open kitchen.

Motzstraße also presents itself in a more subdued manner. In the so-called gay triangle, you will find excellent Austrian cuisine at Sissi, juicy burgers at Zsa Zsa Burger and several cafés. During Berlin's Pride Weeks with Christopher Street Day or the gay and lesbian street festival, everything that belongs to a lavish celebration is served up.

Torstraße has always been the street of innovative concepts. St. Oberholz was one of the first cafés where a generation celebrated Workation. Toca Rouge, Gärtnerei, Torbar, MontRaw,  Friedel Richter,  3 minutes sur Mer and Kin Za in nearby Linienstraße, to name but a few, make the street a good address where you can always find something to do.

Well-kept neighbourhood

Whereas in the past it was mainly the Italian restaurant around the corner - such as Sicilia in Charlottenburg - today it is restaurants with modern international cuisine that offer relaxation, specialities and warm service. Some have their origins in GDR times, like Jäger & Lustig, or were founded by expats, like Café Frieda. The former serves rustic cuisine, while the latter emphasises good, regional products in a contemporary way and Samina Raza and Ben Zviel call their restaurant a "classic all-day hangout".

For a visit to Estelle Dining, non-neighbours are happy to travel a little further. It is restfully unpretentious and offers something for everyone without being arbitrary.

Chef Dominik Matokanovic, head chef at Tante Fichte, has mastered classic cooking techniques and innovative compositions. And if you know Croatian cuisine, you've come to the right place. The Ćevapčići are a must-eat.

The Osterberger restaurant is also a place to slow down - in a stylishly casual ambience. Operators and hosts Stefan and Thorsten Osterberger promise bistro cuisine with a certain fun factor.

Régis Lamazère also guarantees this in his brasserie of the same name. His parents ran a renowned restaurant near the Champs Élysées. Régis has hospitality in his blood. The menu changes weekly and a three-course meal has a French flavour.

Yann Mastantuono, on the other hand, is in the kitchen at Restaurant Mastan. On Wednesdays, once a month, it's metaphorically off to the sea. The native Marseillais pays homage to a classic dish from his home town, with bouillabaisse as the menu.

The noodle hype

It all started harmlessly with a pop-up called Chungking Noodles. Ash Lee toured Berlin and served the spiciest noodles ever eaten in Berlin. Today, Chungking Noodles has a permanent address in Kreuzberg, and in terms of spiciness, Wen Cheng in Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg is no less. Here, the noodles are freshly pulled, while at Sword Master Noodles, also in Prenzlauer Berg, they are cut with large knives, as the name suggests. Shaniu’s House of Noodles also serves dumplings, as does Lon Men's Noodle House, both in Charlottenburg. At Chengduweidao in Mitte, the ranking of spiciness could be shifted again. The sauces here are very, very spicy.

New Indian wave

No more envious glances at London. Berlin can now also count on good Indian restaurants. Manish Bahukhandi from the India Club is leading the way in North Indian fine dining. Bread, meat and vegetables are cooked in clay tandoori ovens. Almost at the same time, the more neighbourly restaurant Bahadur opened in Wilmersdorf, serving authentic cuisine. Chef Gaurav Sharma recently established a second restaurant, GapShap. The team at House of Tandoor also works with tandoor ovens and has also dedicated itself to North Indian cuisine. Mr. Chai Wala serves restaurant-quality South Indian street food, with biryani - a rice dish with a choice of chicken, lamb or vegetables - and dosa, a crispy pancake made from rice and black urid lentils with egg, potatoes or various vegetables. Breakfast menus are available at both addresses at the weekend.

Eat, dance, party! 

It is thanks to numerous newcomers that the trendy club scene celebrates music and good food. For example, scene favourite Cookie has established Crackers in his former club alongside the vegetarian and starred restaurant Cookies Cream. Bar, music, food - that's what you'll find at Cantina Bar Tausend. It serves dishes from Lima and Berlin with an Asian twist.

Felix Brandts opened Papillon, a restaurant that turns into a big party as soon as the kitchen closes. With his "Butterfly Effect" party series, the Avenue and Bricks clubs and the Grace restaurant, the event manager has already led projects in both areas to success in the past. Now the combination of both. The Amano Group's parties have been successful for years. In the hotel restaurants, Mirit Schiff's team has been playing up the culinary and party side of things for years. They are trendsetters with Mani, dem Joseph, Habeit, Mario x Gambino and Amigo Cohen.

Berlin's bar culture

Two Berlin bars are among the top 100 in the "50 Best Bars" ranking: Wax On in Neukölln's Weserstraße is typically Berlin - handmade wooden furniture and an unusual menu - and immediately made it to 29th place in the international ranking. You should definitely try the signature drink "Go Ape" made from rum, clarified banana juice, a coffee distillate and soda. The Velvet Bar is also excellent. Although it didn't quite make it into the top 50, it is ranked 77th. The Victoria Bar and Green Door are long-established but not old school. Here, both classics and trends are poured into cocktail glasses in a cosmopolitan style.

Berlin prison experience

In a former women's prison in Berlin, the cultural venue The Knast turned night into day with its absinthe and cocktail bar. For the summer season, it now works the other way round. The Knast invites you to enjoy the summer to the full during the day with its extraordinary ambience. Bar manager Nuri Oh provides the right drinks with innovative mixology.

Bar chef Nils Lutterbach creates innovative and classic concoctions at Lovis. When Sophia Rudolph took over the kitchen at the newly opened Lovis at the end of 2021, there was huge interest. Foodies saw it as the "next big thing", partly because of the location: a former women's prison, lavishly converted into the Hotel Wilmina with 44 rooms and suites, a roof terrace, library, spa and restaurant. An architectural and culinary highlight.

New Berlin hotel kitchen 

It is one of the greatest challenges for every chef.Guests from all over the world have to be satisfied.Cesar Salad and the Club Sandwich may remain a panacea, but new approaches and new menus are being written. 

At the Orania, chef Philipp Vogel has successfully reinterpreted the Peking duck, causing a worldwide sensation. Florian Glauert has set completely different accents at the Heritage in the Hotel Luc, skilfully showcasing the potato, for example, with allusions to Prussian food culture. The obligatory tartare is also available in a vegan version - a new take on the familiar.

At Le Faubourg, Lukas Hackenberg sets modern French accents. At Château Royal, Philipp Walther has been serving Mediterranean comfort food for lunch and dinner all week. Hugo Thiébaut recently took over the reins at Vox, the restaurant at the Grand Hotel Hyatt. His career sounds very promising. He was commis-chef at Alain Ducasse's one-star restaurant Le Relais du Parc in Paris and at his three-star restaurant Le Louis XV in Monaco, he was sous-chef at the former Michelin-starred restaurant Pauly Saal, later sous-chef at Le Petit Royal and most recently senior sous-chef at the Michelberger Hotel. 

Chef Lena König at Charlotte & Fritz, the restaurant of the Regent Berlin, will provide a brief moment of pleasure until the end of 2024: the end of the era of one of Berlin's few grand hotels should be celebrated with ceviche, pasta or a game dish.
 

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Infographic "Culinary delights of Berlin".

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