May you be an aspirant traveler to Berlin? Don’t worry if you are in this position, as this guide is precisely what you need. Here, I present to you my TOP 15 favorite restaurants in Berlin, where you can enjoy tasty meals and even save money. This selection offers a wide array of options, maximizing the city’s food experience. Hence, you’re advised to stick around because there are many twists!
Here are some criteria I used for this selection of the topic. The majority of places where one makes a point to have a meal prepare food with German influence, ranging from classical to contemporary. It’s interesting to note that there are also options for Turkish food, as Berlin hosts one of the most significant Turkish communities in Europe. Additionally, there are some specialized restaurants, as well as Italian and Austrian specialty restaurants. Each of these places is fantastic, historically rich, and familiar to me.
- Lokal
Modern German Cuisine
Lokal is an unbelievable place, situated in a rather popular area of Mitte; there is no outside nameplate or sign at all. This small-scale restaurant offers German food with a modern touch. Inside, it still has only a few tables and a small terrace, so it is advisable to make a reservation. It has an annual menu and a varied one, as it is renewed weekly according to the products of the season, with several options of starters and main courses, and a daily menu, costing approximately €30 per person.
Lokal’s usual appearance with simple interior design and rather comfortable chairs is perfect for spending some time eating. The sourced and seasonal food policy that the chef embraces results in quality and tasty meals being served. There is a regular menu and special menus that include popular German sausages and special vegetarian meals. The wine list is also appropriate for the given cuisine since it is carefully chosen to match all of the menu’s dishes.
Location: Linienstraße 160, 10115 BER Berlin-Mitte
Phone: +49 30 28449500 - Lebensmittel in Mitte
Traditional German Cuisine
Lebensmittel in Mitte is a restaurant for traditional Bavarian food located in Mitte, Alexanderplatz. The beautiful and somewhat country setting serves up the standard accompaniments of cheese pasta noodles with cheese, or fried cheese noodles; imperial chunks of meat scrambled with eggs; Viennese veal cutlet; roasted pork. Lunch will set you back approximately €35 per person.
The atmosphere at Lebensmittel located in Mitte is rather homely, with wooden furniture and traditional Bavarian-themed interior furnishings. The specialization is southern German traditional cuisine inspired by authentic Bavarian meals rich in calories. Definitely not to be missed is the käsespätzle, which is a type of cheesy pasta that contains a nice balance of warm flavors. The specialty is the schweinebraten, a delicious pork roast that Waris appreciates as being staunch Bavarian cuisine.
Location: Rochstrasse 2, 10178 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 27596130 - Zur Haxe
Traditional German Cuisine | Price: œœœ
In the Prenzlauer Berg district, Zur Haxe focuses on selling “schweinshaxe”, a roast pork knuckle served with sauerkraut and potato dumplings. This restaurant, where the majority of the clients are locals, costs about €25 per person. Again, they only take cash, and recommended ways of booking a table include a phone call.
Zur Haxe is a very typical Bavarian beer garden that takes little tables placed in long rows, and a very jolly, cheerful, and plain atmosphere. The schweinshaxe is barn-burner yummy; it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, served with sauerkraut that is sharp to the taste and potato dumplings that are fluffy. It is best eaten with a chilled German beer; therefore, the food is best summarized as a taste of Berlin.
Location: Erich-Weinert-Strasse 128, 10409 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 4216312 - Max und Moritz
Traditional German Cuisine | Price: €€€
Close to Oranienplatz, there is a huge and very stylish restaurant, Max und Moritz, with homely, European specialties, and music performance. Well-known specialties are königsberger klopse (some sort of Meatballs with capers), sauerbraten, and rinderroulade. What you get for this money is a dinner starting with a drink and ending with a dessert, and it is estimated to cost €27 on average.
The interior of Max und Moritz is rather homelike, with high ceilings, wooden beams, and tiles, and rustic accents. It is also named after a German children’s tale; the food enclave’s interior design also reflects this theme. The menu is extensive and focuses on the traditional dishes that are commonly associated with Germany today. The entertainer, königsberger klopse, stands out with its juicy meatballs in a creamy caper sauce accompanied with boiled potatoes and a fresh salad.
Location: Oranienstrasse 162, 10969 Berlin Robert Moti or Robert Moti-Berning.
Phone: +49 30 69515911 - Clärchens Ballroom
Traditional German Cuisine | Price: €€€
Clärchens Ballroom is in the Jewish district of Berlin in a Former ballroom; it provides German cuisine. Outdoor dining is available with a terrace, so it is advised to make a table reservation in advance. Main courses cost about €16, and a drink will cost about €10, so dinner for two will come at a cost of €26.
Thus, Clärchens Ballroom can be defined not only as a restaurant but as a place with a rather colorful history. The dance hall that is present here was built back in 1913, and there is still a lot of the original feel present with chandeliers, antique mirrors, and a very old-world kind of feel. As for food, it has classic German meals such as Wiener schnitzel and sausages and a great apple strudel for dessert. The spirited atmosphere and the location that has a history create quite an interesting experience for dinner.
Location: Auguststraße 24/25, 10117 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 555785440
3.5
- Treffpunkt Berlin
German Restaurant | Price: €€
Treffpunkt Berlin, situated near Unter den Linden, is a restaurant with good German specialties at moderate prices. While the portions may be a tad smaller, meals such as currywurst, schnitzel, and roast knuckle are about €20 per head per meal, which includes drinks and dessert.
Berlin lunch: Treffpunkt Berlin is a good place for tasty and not very elaborate food in the middle of Berlin. The interior proceeds, and it is not gaudy at all; even the furniture is minimalistic, and the general atmosphere is rather homelike. The currywurst is juicy sausages Deutsch and served in a tomato and curry sauce. The schnitzel is also a popular dish, crispy, golden brown; served with a side of fresh salad and crispy fries.
Location: Mittelstraße 55, 10117 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 2041819 - Pamfilya Restaurant
Turkish Cuisine | Price: €
Over in the Wedding district, Pamfilya has been reported to be one of the best places to get a döner. Instead of Hauptgang, the most popular dish is the Rindfleisch Döner at €9, which is deserving of the price given its quality. It is a takeaway or a restaurant that provides good service and occasionally offers sit-in services.
Visitors who like Turkish cuisine should visit Pamfilya. The eating place is rather limited in size but cozy and well-lit, with accommodating personnel. The döner is prepared wholesomely with quality meat, seasoned to reach the best quality standard, and accompanied with freshly prepared vegetables as well as warm bread. The taste is very warm, and the ingredients are filling, so it can be eaten at any time of the day.
Location: Luxemburger Str. 1, 13353 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 4532699 - Kebap with Attitude
Turkish Cuisine | Price: €
Kebap with Attitude, located in the city center, provides freshly prepared and super tasty Turkish food. The classic durum is quite delicious; one can get it Vietnamese style, with chicken, or truffle. Decor-wise, it’s a terrace overlooking a park, which gives a fairly nice view while munching on the food and costing approximately €12.
I was particularly interested in Kebap with Attitude as I have never tried any other Turkish restaurants other than Shish Kebab house, which specializes in shish kebabs. The offered meals do not repeat one other and serve dishes of high quality with creatively combined components. The Vietnamese-style kebap and the truffle kebap are two special selections as far as the Turkish kebap is concerned; the Vietnamese-style kebap has the taste of turkey and Vietnam together, and truffle kebap is the luxury version of a traditional kebap. The restaurant has more of an outside seating area, which is absolutely lovely if you are in the mood for an al Fresco dining.
Location: Gipsstrasse 2, 10119 Berlin
Phone: +49 30 35529966 - Babaleison
Turkish Cuisine
In Kreuzberg, it is possible to find another intermediary step in the process of modernization of Turkish street food, which is Babaleison, where one can try such refined classics as adana kebap, lahmacun, and tombik döner. It has good breakfast value and is served with excellent service; hence, it is recommended that the place should be booked in advance. Prices are moderate.
Babaleison is an excellent restaurant located in the ever-vibrant district of Kreuzberg. The place where the restaurant is located and the interior design of the location is modern, which makes the guest comfortable while eating. Drawing specific attention is adana kebap – tender spicy meat that is grilled to the requested doneness. Other foods that one has to try include the lahmacun, a thin pizza in Turkish style, which is garnished with minced meat and vegetables. This döner, in particular, is presented in a fluffy bread roll, filled with meat and vegetables that give out a powerful punch of taste.
Location: Kottbusser Str. 1, 10999 Berlin
Phone: +49 17 44943636 - Zola
Pizzeria | Price: €
This place is another Kreuzberg venue you can try what is Neapolitan-style pizza for €10-€12. It is not too large, designed for individual use and not as bulky as the ones stated in the previous point. The customers can either eat directly at the eating place or order for take away. There is another Zola instance at East Side Gallery, but the Zola at Paul-Lincke-Ufer is preferred.
Thus, Zola’s pizzas are delicious and made of Neapolitan dough and real ingredients, which gives it a dense texture and is tender to the biting and slightly scorched.
