This was a rough year for Berlin’s food scene: restaurateurs’ expenses are at a high point, right when people are feeling the pinch of inflation – and right on cue, the German government made menu pricing all the more painful as they hiked the VAT on restaurant meals back up to 19% (as it was before Covid).
But there was a silver lining: lazy trend following (matcha! fried chicken!) was out, as newly-opened restaurants had to make sure they were doing good food first so that budget-stretched Berliners would try them and, more importantly, come back. Here are the places that excelled.
Luna d’Oro
Best German
Don’t let the ‘German’ label put you off; Luna d’Oro has a sense of humour about it that’s rare in the restaurant world. Case in point is the decision to serve Mettigel (the disconcerting hedgehog-shaped raw meat and onion concoction), “elevated” Spaghettieis and staples like Königsberger Klopse and Knödel. With the German cuisine’s relative lack of spice, the trick here is sourcing flavourful base ingredients, and chefs Tobias Beck and Paul Gerber do that with flair. The old-school dishes match the ambiance, with Luna d’Oro taking over the dancefloor of famed Clärchens ballroom, with lots of velvet and dark wooden fixtures making for a sultry but fun vibe.
- Auguststr. 24/25, Mitte, details.
Bertie
Best upscale
You wouldn’t really question that the owners of legendary brunch spot Annalies would excel at anything they embark on and yet they’ve gone and proved it with their brand new New York-style bistro (some would say diner, but it’s a touch upscale for that label – although not full-scale fine dining). The “comfort food but fancy” approach has been employed a lot in recent years, but chef Matthew Maue and sous-chef Victoria Cabred seriously nail it with a chicken-caesar schnitzel, a French dip-adjacent beef sandwich, and chichi devilled eggs. The cocktails, mixing classics and new creations (and a lot of house-made ingredients like shrubs) shouldn’t be skipped, either.
- Schwedter Str. 13, Prenzlauer Berg, details.
Smooches Sandwich Laden
Best sandwiches
For a city where seemingly every bakery offers belegte Brötchen, the sandwich game is pretty darn weak. Some trendier dine-in brunch spots aside, it’s looking rather bleak for grab‘n’go options. Kreuzberg’s Smooches offers an antidote with its American deli-style sandwiches. Owner Joe Parenti bakes his own sourdough and loads it up with toppings like roast pork, broccoli and apple relish, or hash browns and tangy romesco as the vegan breakfast option. The menu is judiciously edited, allowing Parenti to focus on doing a few things very, very well. What’s more, all prices are in the single-digit range – yes, really, in this economy.
- Reichenberger Str. 61A, Kreuzberg, details.
Desi Diner
Best breakfast & lunch
For Pakistani food maven Shabnam Syed, one door closed and another opened this year as she shut down her casual Kreuzberg counter Mama Shabz and upsized to this location inside a Finanzamt complex near Sonnenallee. Here, Syed offers a fair bit of well-thought-out fusion, dishing up delicacies like pakora waffles with masala-fried chicken and a tikka caesar salad, alongside classics like daal and a few cheap-and-cheerful breakfast options. The bright, almost-neon dining room is a perfect vibe match to the punchy flavours, too. It’s still early days, but with ample space, pop-ups and special events are likely in the works.
- Thiemannstr. 1, Neukölln, details.
Teller
Best small plates
Having taken over the space of Mrs. Robinson, Chef Yuval Belhan’s seasonally-shifting menu at Teller, isn’t easy to put into one culinary box, but boy is it good. Sometimes pegged as Levantine but fairly pan-Mediterranean, the cuisine features more than a few touches from France, Italy and Greece. Most dishes are restrained in terms of ingredients, yet punchy when it comes to flavour. A chilli crème brûlée is a spicy, tangy feat of creativity, while burrata with beets and nectarines merges sweet, sour and creamy with aplomb. The wine programme under sommelier Nir Wollman is also bold, with sharp, bright choices from terroirs like Slovakia and Lebanon.
- Pappelallee 29, Prenzlauer Berg, details.
TiramiGiù
Best café
Italian traditionalists might be up in arms over the idea of a tiramisu made with white chocolate, hemp and chamomile, but baker Giuseppe Bonaccini knows what he’s doing at his cosy Wilmersdorf café. For the adventurous, there’s even a savoury version, for which Bonaccini makes special salted ladyfinger biscuits. But TiramiGiù is more than just that dessert spot, with house-made maritozzi (Roman cream buns) and fruity crostata, plus a daily lunch special – and friendly service to top it all off.
- Düsseldorfer Str. 68, Wilmersdorf, details.
Patakha
Best Indian
Berlin might have a way with (decidedly not-Indian) curry powder, in the form of currywurst, but actual curry is not a strength. At least not until you visit a spot like Patakha, from Gaurav Sharma, the owner of the also-excellent Prince of Punjab in Wilmersdorf (formerly Bahadur). The approach is pan-Indian, but here, that’s not a euphemism for a generic menu. A host of regional specialties are represented from mustardy clay pot lamb from eastern Bihar to coconutty prawns from the Bengal coast and Mangalore-style crispy cauliflower. There’s also a fantastic fusion brunch menu on weekends. With patterned tiles and concrete floors, it’s a stylish spot for a special dinner at moderate prices.
- Urbanstr. 31, Kreuzberg, details.
Hou Tang Hotpot
Best Chinese
Spice hunters flocked to this west-end Szechuan spot for hotpot that, mercifully, is not watered down one drop for local tastes. Pick your broth (the classic mala is probably your best bet and features wonderfully tingly Szechuan peppercorns) and order the meats and veggies to cook in there. You’ll mix up your own sauce, with no shortage of chilis – if you’re not up for the full hotpot experience, there are also noodle options. It’s a fraction pricier than some of its nearby competitors, but, holy capsaicin, it’s worth it.
- Kurfürstendamm 175, Wilmersdorf, details.
Theke
Best mid-range
The little sibling of Italian-ish Kreuzberg wine bar Ora hits a real sweet spot: upscale enough for a cute date, yet affordable enough for repeat, semi-regular visits. The trick is a menu that hones in on seasonal vegetables so that ingredients from summery tomatoes and cucumbers to autumnal pumpkin shine bright in soups and salads; sandwiches like a grilled halloumi option and some larger meaty variations round out the ever-shifting menu. If you’re there for lunch, so you may want to get a tasty house-made strawberry lemonade over the also-great rosé spritz, but you can also stop by during Feierabend hours on Thursday or Friday.
- Seestr. 13, Wedding, details.
