jan jongerden

Restaurants in Berlin

Restaurants in Berlin are affordable, ubiquitous, tasty, and very divers. Where most of Germany sticks to schnitzels and greasy sausages with sauerkraut, Berlin caters to any taste and is remarkably vegan and vegetarian friendly.

In most restaurants your meal won't cost you more than 10 euros, and portions are generous. For good lunch deals, try weekdays around office spaces, as the Berliners tend to have a warm meal for lunch, usually in a restaurant next to their workplace, with some colleagues. These deals cost around 5 to 8 euros, and include soup, main dish, some salad or a softdrink.

Below I list my personal favorites. Note that this list reflects the state of affairs in 2019, so you may want to double-check if these places still exist. As anywhere in Berlin: bring cash, as cards are frowned upon in most places.

Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap
Let's start with the weirdest food attraction: Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap. Their pitas are truly wonderful, but if you want to get one, be prepared to either go on a rainy weekday at 3 at night, or stand in line for at least an hour. The line is so extreme, that many people first buy a curry wurst at the Curry 36 at the corner to prevent starvation during the wait. The kebap itself is not vegetarian, the name comes from the grilled vegetables they add. Still, the vegetarian pita is also worth queueing for if you're not in a rush. Otherwise, just laugh at the tourists in the queue and head on to one of the other Kreuzberg options below.
This tiny food stall apparently rose to fame when they went live with an outrageous flash-website. Unfortunately, no modern browser supports flash anymore, so while still online, the site is lost in time.
🍴 Turkish 📍 location 🏙 Kreuzberg

King King
The best sushi in town is served by King King, a sushi bar just off of Alexander Platz. All their sushi is delicious, but my all-time favourites must be either Sushi Menü 2 or 4, which both look and taste much better than they sound. Though spacious, the place quickly fills up in the evenings, so make a reservation to ensure a place at the table.
🍴 Sushi 📍 location 🏙 Mitte

Phantasia
Phantasia is a laid-back Asian restaurant with a varied menu and friendly staff. The pho or any of the noodle dishes are especially worthwhile. Besides the food, it's famous for being the home base of the Dutch Soca Lovers during the Karneval der Kulturen.
🍴 Asian 📍 location 🏙 Kreuzberg

Mela
For great Indian food, Mela is the place to be. All their dishes meet standards normally only met in India, but if you need a tip, try their vegetable thali (warning: rather large portion). An extra bonus is their nice outdoor seating on a quiet street.
🍴 Indian 📍 location 🏙 Schöneberg

Little Tibet
Visit Little Tibet for a tibetan bite. The momos and the norbu tse are some top dishes here. Enjoy your meal under the watching eye of a life-size Dalai Lama, while sipping on a Warsteiner.
🍴 Tibetan 📍 location 🏙 Kreuzberg

Knofi
With a large Turkish community, it is easy to find Turkish food anywhere in Berlin. One of the finest places is Knofi, suitable for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their plates offer a variety of Turkish specialties, the soups are lovely, and they have a selection of sweetness to top it off. Popular in the weekends and evenings, so watch your timing or make a reservation.
🍴 Turkish 📍 location 🏙 Kreuzberg

Meze Haus
Another Turkish recommendation is the Meze Haus (no known website) on the other side of Kreuzberg in the Oranienstraße. Formerly a branch of Knofi, they now sport their own menu, where you can pick your own selection of feta-spreads and salads from their glass display. The welcoming staff may call you "Liebling" out of the blue, so be prepared!
🍴 Turkish 📍 location 🏙 Kreuzberg

Soy
The vegan Vietnamese restaurant Soy next to the Volksbühne is another favorite of mine. All dishes are great, as is their lunchdeal (weekdays only). Don't forget to hop over to the Volksbar across the street for a drink afterwards. Unless it's Sunday evening, when that bar is full of zombie-like Germans watching Tatort on a big screen.
🍴 Vietnamese 📍 location 🏙 Mitte

Alaska
The best tapas restaurant east of Spain is Alaska (no known website). The whole menu is vegan, yet indistinguishable from the original Spanish delicacies, as attested by a Catalan colleague of mine. Besides food, their wine menu is also exceptional, as are their occasional grunge karaoke nights. The place is tiny, so call ahead to claim your seat.
🍴 Spanish 📍 location 🏙 Neukölln

Dada Falafel
The center of falafel culture must be Dada Falafel (no known website), where pitas or plates of the best falafel known to mankind are distributed among tourists and locals alike. I also wanted to recommended this hole in the wall in Neukölln, where a grumpy old Balkan lady was serving the best falafel you ever tasted, while trying to sell you some of her homemade liquor on side. Unfortunately she seems to have closed shop.
🍴 Middle Eastern 📍 location 🏙 Mitte

Babel
At Babel, you will find a mix of middle eastern dishes. If you are in a hungry mood, try the (vegetarian) "Babel Platte" for two. Otherwise, you'd better settle for a smaller dish such as a haloumi sandwich. While in the neighbourhood, why not visit the David Hasselhoff Museum down the road as well.
🍴 Libanese 📍 location 🏙 Mitte

I Due Forni
I Due Forni has it all: great pizza's, good wine, old punk and hardcore posters on the wall, and the rudest staff in the city (note: this is not an easy feat in Berlin). They have two other branches with equally tasty pizzas and rude personnel: Il Ritrovo near Warschauer Straße and Il Casolare in Kreuzberg. The latter is located next to the famous Admiralbrücke where hipsters gather in the evenings to make music, drink beer and smoke weed.
🍴 Italian 📍 location 🏙 Friedrichshain

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