Berlin: A Local’s Food Guide
From an old-school sausage stand to the city’s best Biergarten, a local Berliner shares the essential eateries and markets to hit on a cuisine-centric trip.
Photography by Antony Sojka
If any city embodies the concept of high-low, it’s Berlin, a city where internationally renowned art galleries exist amid graffiti-adorned buildings and world-class musicians play symphonies as some of Europe’s best club music thumps on. The same can be said for Berlin’s varied food offerings: a mix of currywürst stands and historic Biergartens, plus Michelin-starred mainstays and buzzy new cocktail dens. Got three days for a full-on snacking spree? Follow this local guide to the best of Berlin’s gastronomy scene.
Day One: Cinnamon buns, oysters, and Wiener schnitzel
Get yourself to Zeit für Brot (“Time for Bread”) when the doors open (7 a.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. on weekends) to snag some of the bakery’s cult-favorite cinnamon buns along with a coffee to go. With three locations in the city, it’s an easy first stop no matter where you’re staying.
Next, head to the city’s west side to build up an appetite with a morning stroll around Schloss Charlottenburg, the largest palace in Berlin; it was commissioned by Sophie Charlotte, the wife of Friedrich I, the first king in Prussia, at the end of the 17th century. After taking in the lavish rococo and baroque interiors and picturesque gardens, walk another 15 minutes to Rogacki for lunch. The smoked fish specialist since 1928 is part food hall, part delicatessen, and while there are several stands to choose from, your best bet is to head straight for the seafood counter at the center. Start with the special of three oysters and a glass of white wine (only 7.65 euro), and then order the house Matjesfilet, smoked herring served with an apple-and-dill sauce and potatoes. Along with the first-class fare you get an untouristy atmosphere, with most of the standing tables populated by locals on their lunch break.
From here, travel to Prenzlauer Berg, a charming neighborhood with wide, tree-lined sidewalks populated with cafes and boutiques. Your eventual destination is Prater Garten on Kastanienallee, the city’s oldest Biergarten — and still among its most popular, thanks to plenty of outdoor seating and home-brewed Prater Pils. Savor a cold stein, but don’t fill up entirely, because you’re just a two-minute walk from Konnopke’s Imbiß, the famous stand beneath the elevated rail lines that’s been serving sausages since 1930. Go for the currywürst, a local invention of a hot dog smothered in ketchup and curry powder. (Love it or hate it, but if you didn’t try currywürst, did you even go to Berlin?)
End the day with dinner at Borchardt, an old-school stalwart known as much for its bold-name clientele (presidents, prime ministers, and celebrities) as it is for its French and German dishes, including an airy, divine Wiener schnitzel (breaded and pan-fried veal cutlet). Make a reservation, and avoid the urge to Instagram — the restaurant doesn’t allow photos.
Day Two: Farmers’ market fare, Riesling, and a Michelin-starred dinner
Start the morning with a stroll around Friedrichshain, one of Berlin’s hippest neighborhoods, where derelict buildings stand alongside some of the city’s best coffee shops, well-curated boutiques, and busy parks. Have breakfast at Silo, which serves coffee roasted by Berlin-based company Fjord alongside flavorful dishes including house-spiced merguez sausage and oven-baked pancake with berries and mascarpone.
If it’s a Saturday, head to Boxhagener Platz for the farmers’ market. Don’t miss the dürüm, a Turkish street food of barbecued pork and veggies wrapped in a chewy lavash — and for a sweet treat, find Omas Rollender Backofen, where you can buy Schmalzkuchen, fried lard cakes covered in sugar. (In the summertime, pick up a pint of strawberries, too; the ones grown around the German countryside are particularly sweet.)
Next, walk across the Oberbaumbrücke. The double-decker bridge over the Spree River was once a border crossing between East and West Berlin; it connects Friedrichshain to the Kreuzberg neighborhood, home to many of the buzziest new bars and restaurants. Stop for one of the city’s best burgers at Burgermeister, in an inauspicious location beneath the tracks of the elevated Schlesisches Tor U-Bahn station in the middle of one of Kreuzberg’s busiest streets. A top pick: the Meisterburger, topped with fried onions, mustard, bacon, and barbecue sauce.
Next, walk along Görlitzer Park to the Flutgraben canal where you’ll find Freischwimmer, a converted 1930s boathouse. On a sunny day, there’s nothing dreamier than sipping a glass of crisp German Riesling on the dock. Afterward, head over to Landwehrkanal, Kreuzberg’s restaurant- and bar-lined waterway, for a peaceful stroll before dinner at Horváth. The Michelin-starred restaurant serves modern variations of Austrian cuisine in six- or eight-course prix-fixe menus with optional wine (or non-alcoholic) pairings. End your evening with a nightcap at nearby ORA. Housed in what was once a pharmacy dating back to 1860, it’s now decorated in a retro-glam style and serves some of the swankiest artisanal cocktails in Berlin. A crowd pleaser: the Smoked Pine Sazerac, mixed with cognac, rye, smoked pine liqueur, and Peychaud’s bitters.
Day Three: A white-chocolate-topped breakfast and bratwürst at a lakeside Biergarten
Start off at Father Carpenter, a coffee shop tucked away in a charming little courtyard off Münzstraße in Mitte. Not only does this popular breakfast spot offer some of Berlin’s best brews, it also serves a seasonal menu with stellar vegetarian options. (Try the cardamom millet porridge with blueberry and ginger compote, coconut, and caramelized white chocolate.) From here, it’s an easy stroll around the Hackescher Markt shopping area, where you’ll find international brands as well as local boutiques.
Next, take a 20-minute ride on the U-bahn west to Kaufhaus des Westerns, better known as KaDaWe. The second largest department store in Europe, this Berlin institution is set up with two football fields’ worth of culinary counters and prepared foods on its top floors. Indulge in oysters and champagne at Austernbar or rösti (crispy potato pancakes) topped with salmon tartare at Kartoffelacker. A package of Mozart-Kugeln makes a perfect souvenir — these gourmet marzipan balls wrapped with a picture of the famous composer are made by Reber, a fifth-generation family-run German confectioner.
Walking distance from here is the Tiergarten, a 520-acre green space that was once the hunting ground of Prussian royalty. Within its leafy enclaves is one of the city’s prettiest biergartens, Café am Neuen See. Outdoor tables, string-light-bedecked trees, and a lakeside location give it a postcard-like feel, and steins of Bavarian brews keep it festive. Try German staples like pretzels and bratwürst (available on stands only in the summer) or the regional dish Flammkuchen, a flatbread topped with crème fraîche, thinly sliced onions, and lardons.
Later, stroll over to Monkey Bar in Bikini Berlin’s 25hours Hotel on the southwest side of the Tiergarten. Up on the 10th floor, the trendy spot is named for its view of the ape house in the Berlin Zoo below. For a sweet finish to your trip, try a Berlin Bees Knees cocktail: Riesling, vermouth, and mezcal are mixed with lime juice and honey syrup and served in a sleek coupe.
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About the author: Leigh Crandall is a journalist and author who lives in Berlin with her family.
