Berliners are obsessed with food, so as you can imagine the restaurant scene in this city is making a name for itself. The collection of Michelin stars local eateries are earning show there’s more than the currywurst and döner kebab to enjoy these days. Super modern concepts like ingredient-led dishes to savoury desserts for dinner. And that’s just for starters.
We’ve broken down our best restaurants in Berlin list by budget:
Budget: Bargain
Konnopke’s Imbiss
Come rain or shine, there is always a queue for this fast food restaurant. Serving possibly the best currywurst in Berlin (a bold statement, we know) or at least the most famous, this eatery has been going since 1930. You order from a window, then most people simply stand and enjoy their wurst on the hop. A pork sausage that’s boiled, fried, cut, then covered in ketchup, spices and curry powder. It’s a regional speciality so should definitely feature on your ‘things to try’ list at one of the best budget restaurants in Berlin.
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K’Ups Gemüsekebap
If we’ve listed a currywurst diner as one of the best restaurants in Berlin, we have to list the other nation’s favourite, the döner kebab. Grilled meat with vegetables wrapped in fresh bread. What more could you possibly need? Perfect for a quick pit stop, K’Ups Gemüsekebap serves up this tasty dish pretty much any time of the day – late night on Fridays and Saturdays. The difference with this döner is the meat. It’s made with chicken as opposed to the traditional lamb, and you’ll smell it before you see it rotating on the spit.
Budget: Middle of the road
Cookies Cream
A vegetarian restaurant designed for people who aren’t vegetarian. Showcasing just how flavourful and experimental you can be with the humble vegetable. The experience starts when you actually try to find the venue. Through Mitte alley, when you come across a chandelier you need to buzz at the discreet door. But then the opulent décor once inside is a stark contrast to its entrance. Choose from a 3 or 4 course menu and expect delights like asparagus served with rhubarb, parmesan dumplings and celery ice cream. The experience alone makes Cookies Cream one of the best restaurants in Berlin.
Arai
The second you enter Arai, you’ll feel you’ve been transported to Asia. After slipping off your shoes you’ll be shown into a tea-house inspired room. Arai’s philosophy is to treat every visitor to a once-in-a-lifetime unique occasion with a 10 course tasting menu served on a 10 seat long wooden table. Relax on the pillows and let your senses take over as you enjoy Chinese food as it’s served in Japan. The Omakase menu changes regularly, but has previously featured the cuisine’s most famous dishes, such as chilli shrimp with garlic, ginger and tomato, and mapo tofu with rice, cabbage and sweet vinegar.
Budget: Blow out
Mrs. Robinson’s
While the atmosphere is casual, the food at Mrs. Robinson’s is very much taken seriously. Nothing is detracted from the food, not even the simple, white-washed interior. Plates are small, which of course means you get to order and taste plenty. Think wood-grilled octopus with dry aged beef fat, spring lamb with fermented tomatoes and buckwheat ice cream. If you can reserve a seat at the chefs table, you’ll be lucky enough to see these plates of art created for yourself.
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CODA
While CODA calls itself a dessert restaurant, it means dessert for dinner as well as to finish. Chef René Frank’s background in Michelin-starred pastry has inspired this concept. Dessert techniques are used on sweet and savoury ingredients to create dainty small dishes. The tasting menu consists of seven plates, and past favourites have included eggplant with pecan apple balsamic, almond and medjool-date chicken, and alpine cheese with pear sauerkraut. Dessert dining doesn’t sound so bad now does it? For the concept alone, we think CODA is one of the best restaurants in Berlin.
So there you have our list of the city’s best restaurants, broken down by budget. We’re confident you’ll be pleasantly surprised by just how modern and delicious the food scene has become in recent years. Do plan ahead and book in advance as you wouldn’t want to miss out. And once your stomach is lined and it’s time to move on, check out our guide to Berlin’s Nightlife.
