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Best Restaurants in Berlin

Last updated: December 2018

published on 2015-09-10 by Sara
More Food, Guides, Restaurants Posts


Obviously not an extensive list, but rather a random and unordered collection of favorite restaurants, bars, cafés and eateries in Berlin. I’m always open for new things, so please hit me up on Twitter or Instagram if you have a hot recommendation.

Shiso Burger

Forever my favorite Berlin burger (although Tommi‘s is a hot runner-up). Juicy meats and a perfected sandwich architecture, often neglected when it comes to the classic meal. Run by cool kids and frequented by cool kids – expect to wait for Asian inspired, heavenly burgers.

http://www.shisoburger.de/
Auguststraße 29C, 10119 Berlin

St. Bart

Part English-Australian pub, part natural wine bar. Their dishes are on point and so are the drinks. If you ever get the chance, try the fried chicken. It may be the best thing I’ve ever had in Berlin (and I’m not the only one to think so). Alas, they had to remove it from the menu lest they be known as “the fried chicken place”. The brick chicken is a very acceptable alternative. Pair it with the roasted Topinambur or visit on a Sunday for a typical roast. Truth be told, St. Bart has been my favorite and most frequented restaurant in 2018. Even without the fried chicken.

https://stbartpub.com/
Gräfestraße 71, Berlin

Shiso Burger Berlin - Best Restaurants Berlin
Shiso Burger Berlin – Best Restaurants Berlin

Konak Grill

A recurring name on this blog: the Köfte sandwich, so juicy and spicy and fresh and just excellent, may be the only thing that motivates me to go out on a night’s bender – the perfect excuse to indulge in such a greasy ordeal. If you eat one thing in Berlin, it should be the Izmir Köfte sandwich at Konak Grill.

http://konakgrill.de/
Reichenberger Str. 10, 10999 Berlin

Quy Nguyen

Unfortunately, one of the best vegan Vietnamese restaurants had to move from Wiener Straße to Hackescher Markt. Quite the trip for me, but whenever I can, I still visit for my fix of fresh curry. Authenticity, shmaucenticity – it’s great food, and Quy Nguyen has no similarity at all to the greasy fast food joints that are abundant in the city. The only place I’ll not only tolerate but actually embrace the delicious tofu (the steamed Udon noodles in the basket with fresh vegetables is pure life. Order number 5 to taste what I’m talking about).

Oranienburger Str. 7, 10178 Berlin

TwinPigs

Two words: bar food. More words: tacos, drinks, beer, Neukölln, loud, good, snacks, dinner, birthday parties, how do you book a table I can’t find a phone number?

Boddinstraße 57A, 12053 Berlin

Nobelhart & Schmutzig

A polarizing choice, I know. The “brutal lokal” approach (they source all the produce from Berlin and Brandenburg) is wonderfully mastered. Service and environment can be a bit alienating, though, and if you’re smart you shall refrain from reading any reviews. It’s an expensive experience, but one I can recommend to anyone who enjoys contemporary cuisine at its best.

https://www.nobelhartundschmutzig.com/
Friedrichstraße 218, 10969 Berlin

Das Stue Bar

You can order the Ceasar Chicken Salad in the Stue Lobby and you won’t regret it. But if you’re somehow in the area or even staying at the Stue, you should not miss out on their impeccable drinks. The first time I’ve actually enjoyed a Whiskey Sour.

https://www.das-stue.com/
Drakestraße 1, 10787 Berlin

Quy Nguyen - Best Restaurants in Berlin 2018
Quy Nguyen – Best Restaurants in Berlin 2018

Goldener Hahn

Really and truly the only Italian. Usually very high quality dishes, great atmosphere and service is exactly right (usually polite but always grumpy). Order the pasta with ragu, enjoy the wines, live life a little bit. You’re in Kreuzberg after all.

http://www.goldenerhahn.de/
Pücklerstraße 20

Heno Heno

Heno Heno is a very simple Japanese bistro off Kantstraße in Charlottenburg. I randomly stumbled upon the little place on a hunt for a snack and found a little culinary wonderland. For a few Euros, you can feast on Japanese specialties and discover a world beyond Sushi. Without an over-complex menu, Heno Heno manages to deliver exactly what I’ve always felt I missed when eating Japanese food in Berlin: a great variety of tastes that don’t try to be more exotic than they already are. Try the fried lotus and just everything else you can find on the menu.

http://henoheno.de/
Wielandstraße 37, 10629 Berlin

Dia Ja Le

Dia Ja Le definitely falls under the category of “family restaurant”. The most important dish on the cold entrée menu is, by far, the tofu leaf salad. I haven’t quite figured out if its actual tofu or yuba (tofu skin), but whatever it may be – it’s a fantastic, lightly tart and mildly spicy option to begin your session with. Even if Chinese isn’t your preferred cuisine (used to hate it, now I love it).

http://dajiale-berlin.de/
Goebenstraße 23, 10783 Berlin

Knödelwirtschaft

This little Knödel joint in Neukölln puts Knödel and only Knödel on the menu. If you’re into South Tyrolean cuisine (i.e. hearty Alpine dumplings and sour cabbage salads) – hell, if you’re into a cozy and simple meal that will warm your heart, then don’t forget that Knödelwirtschaft exists and don’t forget that their CI is cooler than Berghains.

http://www.knoedelwirtschaft.de/
Fuldastraße 33, 12045 Berlin

Da Jia Le Chinese Restaurant Berlin
Da Jia Le Restaurant

Damaskus Konditorei

Embrace the heritage of immigrants by trying their foods. At Konditorei Damaskus, you should get ready to try everything, but especially the Syrian Halaweh (a very special dish that my mother would make only for special occasions) and the Knafeh. Buy everything by the kilo and get ready to faint in awe at such incredible flavours. There’s a good reason why this place has been documented in plenty of news reels. Get in there quick! (Yes, you can buy to go)

Sonnenallee 93, 12045 Berlin

Akroum Snack

Some people prefer Azzam for Fatteh and Msabbaha and Foul (more Levantine specialties), but Akroum snack is my personal favorite. Don’t let the bleak “interior” (if you can call it that) and the grumpy staff deter you from trying everything they’ve got on the menu. Be prepared to come early, as these foods are usually eaten for breakfast, brunch or at max lunch – the earlier, the fresher. I promise the Fatteh, a concoction of yogurt, chickpeas, oil, garlic and pine nuts will blow your mind.

Sonnenallee 45, 12045 Berlin

Shiori

Every day at 7:30 sharp the ceremony at Shiori begins: only 10 diners per evening, sitting around one bar, are served the incredibly detailed and lovely 12-course omakase menu. Dining at Shiori is a very special and very intimate experience, reserved only for those who really appreciate the eccentricities and value of Japanese cuisine. But don’t mistake Shiori for a stiffly traditional deal. Recipes and interpretations are changed depending on seasonal produce and substituted with regional products whenever it makes sense. The result: a wonderfully fresh and glorious omasake experience, one you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else in Berlin.

http://www.shioriberlin.com/
Max-Beer-Straße 13, 10119 Berlin

Bastard

German style breakfast – cold cuts, cheeses, eggs and a bit of marmelade. Sounds like a trifle (and it  truly is), but as with anything else – the devil is in the details. At Bastard, the kitchen knows how to bake a perfect bread and how to arrange a ungodly platter of great ingredients. Always packed – be ready to wait.

https://www.bastard-berlin.de/
Reichenberger Str. 122, 10999 Berlin

Heno Heno Restaurant Berlin
Heno Heno

Chutnify

They say Indian Street Food, but I say the only Indian food that is actually worth anything in Berlin. Instead of drowning vague meat cuts in heavy cream based sauces, Chutnify make sure you get to taste the flavors of South India. You must absolutely try the Bhelpuri and the Cochin Chicken Biryani. Take it to the next level with a salty and spicy Coke on the side. Great for a weeknight out with colleagues.

http://www.chutnify.com/de/
Pflügerstraße 25

Honorable Mentions

Restaurants I want to try soon

Restaurants I didn’t like

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