Berlin Restaurants

The cafs and restaurants of Berlin have a lot more to offer than mere sausage, sauerkraut and beer. This vibrant capital city is an ethnic melting pot, and offers a taste of every kind of cuisine imaginable. Traditional German fare is given a new look in many of the contemporary fusion restaurants and the local street food holds its own as well. With over 12,000 places to eat, youll never run short of dining options in Berlin.

Local cuisine

One of the true Berlin institutions is the weekend breakfast. Few other cities embrace this concept with such enthusiasm and most cafs serve breakfast until at least 16:00. This rather lavish affair consists of cold meats, cheeses and fresh fruit washed down with plenty of coffee. Sunday brunch is a major social event in the city, as many Berliners descend on the cafs to spend a few hours with friends and family over a leisurely meal.

Gaststattes are another Berlin institution which offer traditional but simple German fare. They are a combination of pub and diner, and you can find one on every street corner in Berlin. Typical dishes include the schlachteplatte (cold plate), eisbein (pickled pork knuckle with sauerkraut) and a wide range of venison, wildfowl and wild boar. Higher end German restaurants will likely serve a traditional four-course meal, starting with eisbein served with sauerkraut, boiled potatoes and pureed peas. This is followed by rouladen (rolled stuffed beef), spanferkel (suckling pig) and Berliner schusselsulze (potted meat in aspic).

In general, German restaurants are fairly expensive. If youre looking for a really cheap meal, head to the nearest Imbiss, Germanys version of the fast-food outlet. Popular dishes include currywurst (curried sausage) or a Turkish doner kebab, which has become a staple of the Berlin diet. This quick food is delicious and very cheap.

Where to eat

Kreuzberg has the widest variety of inexpensive ethnic restaurants. Charlottenburg is the chic, upmarket district, with a plethora of popular and crowded places to eat with a slightly higher price tag. Friedrichshain is the hangout of choice for students and Berlins counter-culture contingent. This is the best area to find cool cafs and underground bars as well as excellent beer gardens. Prenzlauer Berg is one of the newly fashionable districts, especially during the warm summer months, when people descend on the tree-lined Kollwitzplatz to linger in the quaint cafs that line the square.

When you enter any restaurant in Berlin, you should simply seat yourself. Germans like to choose where they sit, and dont be surprised if someone sits down in the empty chair at your table. Its perfectly normal to share a table with strangers, so enjoy the experience. Its also standard practice to pay separately in German restaurants, so dont feel shy about asking to pay getrennt (individually). If your bill says bedienung, this means a service charge has already been added to your bill, otherwise, leave a tip for your waitress.