Destination
Type of Restaurant
Type of Meal
Editors Pick
Read More893 Ryōtei
In true Berlinese fashion, 893 Ryotei is a posh restaurant surrounded by graffiti-laden walls. The dimly lit establishment features a theatrical open bar and kitchen and a menu of “Nikkei” cuisine, a Japanese-Peruvian hybrid. Chef Duc Ngo adds a unique...
Read MoreAnatre
This is one of the cafés in the prettiest of the Hackesche Höfe courtyards. Come for breakfast before a shopping spree or score one of the al fresco tables for coffee and an afternoon pick-me-up. The people-watching from this perch...
Read MoreBandol Sur Mer
No longer the hidden spot it once was (thanks to several Brangelina visits), this French bistro is a local favorite. The often-changing menu is written on a chalkboard, the small Parisian-style tables spill onto the street (the dining room is...
Read MoreBarcomis
This restaurant and café is located in the quiet Sophien Höfe (interconnected courtyards in the Mitte neighborhood). It’s owned by Seattle expat Cynthia Barcomi, the café serves delicious homemade baked goods as well as light lunch fare (salads, sandwiches, soups...
Read MoreBieberbau
Cozy Bieberbau, in West Berlin, is housed in a beautiful space with gold-leaf-adorned stucco and a low, wood-beamed ceiling (it was once the atelier of stucco master Richard Bieber). Local foodies have warmed up to the simple but delicious fare...
Read MoreBorchardt
This French-German bistro has been open in some capacity since the mid-1800s. A glam crowd sips Champagne and nibbles on the restaurant’s famous Wiener schnitzel among a backdrop of marble columns and Art Nouveau mosaics that recalls the roaring twenties.
Read MoreCafé am Neuen See
This restaurant and beer garden us located on a lake in the Tiergarten park near the Berlin Zoo & Aquarium. It’s a real gem with hodge-podge furnishings and art, a glass-paneled wall overlooking the lake and plenty of benches and...
Read MoreCafé Anna Blume
One of the Prenzlauer Berg’s little restaurant and café gems, which also—very Berlin—has a flower shop in the back. It’s best for breakfast/brunch or coffee, though a small menu of soups, salads and quiches can also make for a light...
Read MoreCafé Einstein
There are other locations (like a more convenient one on Unter den Linden near the Brandenburger Tor), but if you are touring in the Charlottenburg district, this turn-of-the-century café rivals those of Vienna. The coffee is roasted on-site, and there’s...
Read MoreCafé Oliv
It’s not worth seeking out if you are not staying in the neighborhood, but if you are at Lux 11 or Casa Camper, Café Oliv is a good spot for breakfast or lunch. The design is simple, the staff welcoming...
Read MoreClärchens Ballhaus
No Berlin trip is complete without an evening at this old-school dance hall. Clärchens Ballhaus opened in the 1910s and feels out of another era. Tiny wooden tables line a well-used parquet dance floor, the walls are clad in golden...
Read MoreCookies Cream
This acclaimed vegetarian restaurant, owned by nightclub impresario Heinz Gindullis (nicknamed Cookie), is no longer a secret but finding it remains an adventure. A tiny sign bearing the number 55 leads guests down a long, dumpster-lined alley behind the Westin...
Read MoreCordobar
Just around the corner from Berlin’s iconic Clarchens Ballhaus lies this gem of a restaurant in the charming Mitte neighborhood. An oenophile’s paradise, Cordobar wields an impressive tome dedicated to all things wine, with a special emphasis on German and...
Read MoreCrackers
Located just a few blocks from the Adlon, Regent and Hotel de Rome, Crackers is a hot-spot restaurant located in the heart of Mitte. Housed in the building that was home to Cookies Club, one of the oldest dance halls...
Read MoreCSA Bar
For those staying at the Soho House, this nearby bar is a great spot for a final drink of the night. (Though be forewarned that what would count as last call in New York is usually the beginning of the...
Read MoreCurry 36
Sold at street stands throughout the city, currywurst is to Berlin as the hot dog is to New York City. The classic dish consists of a steamed and then fried German pork sausage, served with a curry sauce (made with...
Read MoreEismanufaktur
Ask any Berliner what their favorite ice cream place is and you end up in a heated discussion. Suffice it to say, there are many, and many of them are good. But a clear favorite is Eismanufaktur, where flavors change...
Read MoreFacil
There are fewer than fifteen tables in the sleek, all-glass Facil restaurant, situated in the fifth-floor courtyard of the Mandala hotel. Chef Michael Kempf has won many accolades—and a Michelin star in 2003—for his light, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. A meal might...
Read MoreGrill Royal
There’s not a ton of upscale river-side dining in Berlin, but Grill Royal has a wonderful al fresco terrace with Spree river views. It’s a good place for those craving meat; the steaks are renowned and pricey for Berlin standards....
Read MoreGugelhof
For a meal with Bill Clinton in 2000, German chancellor Gerhard Schröder brought him to the lively and casual Gugelhof, a wood-paneled Alsatian restaurant in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood that specializes in Flammkuchen (a thin-crusted pizza usually topped with crème...
Read MoreHamburger Bahnhof Café
The café inside this former train station turned contemporary art museum, the Hamburger Bahnhof, is one of the city’s insider secrets and a great spot for lunch. It’s overseen by chef Sarah Wiener. Closed Monday.
Read MoreHasir
Feast on Turkish fare at this Berlin institution located in a traditionally Turkish neighborhood. The founder is thought to have invented the Berlin-style döner kebab, and the extensive menu also includes a variety of kebabs, hummus, lentil soup and dessert....
Read MoreHorváth
The West Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg is a culinary Mecca with talented chefs running small, intimate restaurants. One of the best is Horváth, in a restored 19th-century building. The menu reflects influences from Berlin to Bangkok. A Thai salad is...
Read MoreHugos
Expect masterful food, a stylish crowd and a panoramic view at Hugos, on the fourteenth floor of the InterContinental hotel. Highlighting only the finest ingredients, the inventive dishes—lobster with peach basil sorbet and venison with melted foie gras, apple chutney...
Read MoreKäfer
Ask your concierge to make a reservation at the rooftop Käfer restaurant, at the foot of Sir Norman Foster’s Reichstag Cupola as this is a good way to speed up entry into the German parliament building. You arrive through a...
Read MoreKantine Kohlmann
Opened in 2014, Kantine Kohlmann is an edgy restaurant in Kreuzberg that draws a young, hip crowd. While the lively atmosphere may be more of a draw than the actual cuisine, Kantine does tapas-style German plates well. Order a number...
Read MoreKatz Orange
Set in a castle-like former brewery with a lovely vine-filled courtyard, Katz Orange is not a typical restaurant. The eclectic venue puts equal emphasis on cuisine, art and atmosphere, which encourages socialization. With tables spread throughout various rooms featuring exposed...
Read MoreLavanderia Vecchia
Berlin loves repurposing, whether it’s turning a former bomb shelter into an art space or a power plant into a nightclub. One of the most innovative transformations is the wildly popular Italian restaurant that has popped up in an old...
Read MoreLebensmittel in Mitte
This cozy, date-night–ready restaurant offers solid southern German comfort food served in a dining room lined with long wooden benches and appointed with antlers and other rustic wall hangings. But don’t be fooled by the décor: the cuisine is a...
Read MoreLutter & Wegner
Elegant and formal, Lutter & Wegner is styled like a grand 19th-century café and makes a mean Wiener schnitzel. There are several locations, but you should visit the original at the Gendarmenmarkt in Mitte.
MädchenitalienerRead MoreMädchenitaliener
The name of this charming spot in Mitte translates as “girl-Italian” because when the restaurant first opened, the staff was exclusively made up of (extremely attractive) women. It’s a good spot for a late meal of pasta and red wine,...
Read MoreMandala Suites Lounge
Still something of a secret, the all-white lounge at the Mandala Suites is the chicest way to start your day. Sip a cappuccino while nibbling on a croissant and enjoying the stunning views of Potsdamer Platz and beyond. You have...
Read MoreMogg
This old-fashioned deli in the art complex of Jewish Girls School has a retro cool feel and is a great place to pick up a quick lunch or coffee. The pastrami sandwich, in particular, has a cult-like following.
Read MoreMustafa’s Gemüse Kebap
With Turkish immigrants making up one of Berlin’s largest minority groups, it stands to reason that the city is considered one of the Döner capitals of the world; the Turkish fare is an essential part of Berlin’s culinary scene. In...
Read MoreNeni
The rooftop restaurant of the super trendy 25hours Hotel in West Berlin has become one of the coolest restaurants in the city with tables booking up weeks in advance. People come for the greenhouse-on-a-roof design; the views (of the city...
Read MoreParis Bar
One of the city’s heyday bistros, the Paris Bar remains popular with an art crowd thanks to its location in Charlottenburg that is close to many of the city’s most-upscale galleries. It’s mobbed during periods when there are art happenings...
Read MoreRooftop Bar – Hotel de Rome
The rooftop of the Hotel De Rome is one of the coolest bars in Mitte. It has a fabulous view of the Bebelplatz and gets an international, upscale crowd. Even if you are not staying at the hotel, a cocktail...
Read MoreSage
If the weather is nice and you crave some down-time from touring in a truly local spot, head to Sage, a restaurant, bar and man-made beach lounge right by the Spree River. It’s housed in a former factory (of course)...
Read MoreSchneeweiss
The all-white Schneeweiss, located in the up-and-coming Friedrichshain neighborhood, is a trendy option for new German cuisine.
Read MoreSchwarzwaldstuben
A fun party trick? Try saying the name and street of this local favorite three times fast in a row. A cozy corner restaurant, down the street from the Great Synagogue, Schwarzwaldstuben is one of the few restaurants in Berlin...
Read MoreSchwiliko
This restaurant, featuring a candle-lit wooden interior, specializes in Georgian cuisine, using an abundance of herbs, walnuts and spices. The menu includes red kidney beans and Georgian spices served in a clay pot, homemade corn bread, fried eggplants, chicken stew...
Read MoreSolar
Located in a non-descript apartment building, this is another Berlin treasure that is difficult to find. Once found on the seventeenth floor, however, it’s a fabulous spot for a pre-dinner cocktail thanks to panoramic city views.
Read MoreTausend Cantina
Spend twenty-four hours in Berlin and the phrase "this is so Berlin," will become part of your lexicon. Tausend Cantina would qualify as an über-cool, speakeasy-style bar and restaurant, and its cuisine of Japanese/Spanish fusion helps with the cool-factor. Dishes,...
Read MoreThe Barn
If you’re craving an American-style lunch spot (and have already eaten at Barcomi’s), head to the Barn, on a fun corner of Mitte’s Auguststrasse. A deli, restaurant and café, the Barn focuses on organic, healthy snacks and dishes. Its location...
Read MoreThe Grand
This former school house has been turned into a cool club, lounge and restaurant. Chandeliers, ancestral portraits and stuffed hunting trophies adorn the rooms with paint peeling walls to create a shabby chic atmosphere that feels very current. The private...
