These places where locals love to eat in Berlin answer to avid foodies looking for authentic flavors in the German capital. This city knows its food and it does it well. Throughout Berlin, you’ll find crowded eateries serving tasty German specialties, such as schnitzel and pork knuckle, alongside snack bars where the currywurst is so good locals are prepared to queue down the street.

Add to the mix a liberal sprinkling of eateries representing cuisines from across the globe. A sizeable Middle Eastern community makes this a good place to dine on Syrian or Lebanese food, while the Southeast Asian community more than holds its own with several authentic Thai and Vietnamese restaurants. Here are our top picks for Berlin’s best local restaurants.

  • 1

    Schnitzelei

    Schnitzel for gourmets

    Schnitzelei
    • Families
    • Food
    • Group

    Schnitzelei branched out into Mitte following the success of its original Charlottenburg restaurant. In this centre-city space, exposed brick meets clapboard on the walls. Stylish oak furniture completes a rustic yet contemporary design aesthetic.

    The food, though, is the star. Alongside the classic Wiener Schnitzel, the menu includes more unusual variations such as vegan oyster mushroom, boiled or fish schnitzels. Whichever you choose, wash it down with a glass of craft beer – there’s a range to choose from, including IPA, pilsner and a gluten-free option.

    Location: Novalisstraße 11, 10115 Berlin, Germany

    Open: Monday–Saturday from 4 pm to 11 pm and Sunday from noon to 11 pm

    Phone: +49 (0)303 2519422

    Map

    photo by bloomsburys (CC BY 2.0) modified

  • 2

    Max und Moritz

    A traditional Berliner pub serving hearty German fare

    Max und Moritz
    • Families
    • Food
    • Group
    • Nightlife

    Max und Moritz is a traditional Berliner gastropub that first opened its doors back in 1902. The interior has changed little in the intervening years, and you’ll dine surrounded by blue-green wall tiles and Art Nouveau decor. This Kreuzberg gem even has its own ballroom.

    Max and Moritz are the 2 naughty protagonists in the children’s book by Wilhelm Busch. Cartoons illustrating the much-loved tale hang on the wall. Dine on German classics such as pork knuckle, veal schnitzel and flavoursome meatballs followed by a slice of apple strudel.

    Location: Oranienstraße 162, 10969 Berlin, Germany

    Open: Wednesday from 6 pm to 11 pm, Thursday–Saturday from 6 pm to 2 am and Sunday from 6 pm to 1 am

    Phone: +49 (0)306 9515911

    Map
  • 3

    Curry Baude

    Try Berlin’s signature fast food at this popular snack bar

    Curry Baude
    • Budget
    • Families
    • Food

    Curry Baude ranks high among the many currywurst eateries in the German capital. Currywurst was invented in Berlin in the late 1940s. It comprises a pork sausage smothered in curry sauce and is usually served with fries. It’s such a part of Berlin life there’s even a museum devoted to it.

    Throughout Berlin, you’ll find snack bars and fast-food joints selling currywurst. Yet Curry Baude is one of the best. Its owner makes his sausages and sauce from scratch, using his personal own recipes which are a closely guarded secret.

    Location: Badstraße 1-5, 13357 Berlin, Germany

    Open: Monday–Friday from 6 am to 9 pm, Saturday from 9 am to 9 pm, Sunday from 9 am to 8 pm

    Phone: +49 (0)304 941414

    Map
  • 4

    Hackethal’s

    A Berliner brewpub with a tried and tested menu

    Hackethal’s
    • Families
    • Food
    • Group

    Hackethal’s is a highly regarded Berlin pub that serves traditional German food and brews its own beer. Don’t be fooled by the plain, unassuming exterior. Inside, the food is delicious and the portions are generous.

    Make sure you bring an appetite and prepare to translate the dishes of the day from the chalkboard on the wall. You might, for instance, be treated to slow-cooked goose or succulent veal liver, accompanied by bread or potato dumplings, sauerkraut, and lashings of gravy. 

    Location: Pflugstraße 11, 10115 Berlin, Germany

    Open: Monday–Friday from 6.30 pm to midnight (closed Saturdays and Sundays)

    Phone: +49 (0)302 8387765

    Map
  • 5

    Lebensmittel in Mitte

    A delightful deli and restaurant combo in Berlin

    Lebensmittel in Mitte
    • Families
    • Food
    • Group

    Lebensmittel in Mitte successfully marries a delicatessen out front with a lively neighbourhood cafe to the rear. This is the place to come for classic South German specialties such as Käsespätzle (pasta-style noodles with a generous amount of cheese), schnitzel with sauerkraut (pickled cabbage), roast pork with potato dumplings and of course, sausages.

    The food at Lebensmittel is well-cooked using high quality, seasonal ingredients. This is a no-frills place that manages to be stylish at the same time and a must if you’re in the vicinity.

    Location: Rochstraße 2, 10178 Berlin, Germany

    Open: Monday–Saturday from noon to midnight (closed on Sundays)

    Phone: +49 (0)302 7596130

    Map
  • 6

    Markthalle Neun

    Freshly-cooked food in a historic Berlin market

    Markthalle Neun
    • Budget
    • Food
    • History
    • Shoppers

    Markthalle Neun is a food market in the Kreuzberg district that first opened in 1891. Constrained by Eisenbahnstraße and Pücklerstraße, it boasts a glass roof and lofty ceiling. A little over a decade ago, under the threat of closure, locals fought to prevent the market site from being redeveloped as a grocery store.

    The reimagined Markthalle Neun reopened in 2011. Today, the emphasis is on small-scale artisan producers, seasonal ingredients and reducing food miles as much as possible. Alongside the butcher’s, baker’s and greengrocer’s stalls, you’ll find a canteen with an open kitchen which sometimes hosts cooking classes. Opening times for the different food outlets vary.

    Location: Eisenbahnstraße 42/43, 10997 Berlin, Germany

    Open: Monday–Friday from noon to 6 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm

    Map

    photo by Dirk Ingo Franke (CC BY-SA 4.0) modified

  • 7

    The Bird

    Berlin’s classic US-style burger joint

    The Bird
    • Budget
    • Families
    • Food
    • Group

    The Bird is an American-style restaurant that does a roaring trade in gourmet burgers. The corn and grain-fed Black Angus beef that forms their patties are freshly ground every day. The burgers are cooked well, juicy, and pink on the inside, lavishly adorned with onion, gherkin slices, cheese and homemade sauce.

    The team at The Bird works hard to create an atmosphere that is laidback, sometimes raucous. This is a place to let your hair down and have a good time.

    Location: Am Falkpl. 5, 10437 Berlin, Germany

    Open: Monday–Thursday from 5 pm to 10 pm, Fridays from 4 pm to 11 pm, Saturdays from noon to 11 pm, Sundays from noon to 10 pm

    Phone: +49 (0)305 1053283

    Map
  • 8

    Malakeh Restaurant

    Authentic Syrian cooking in a convivial setting

    Malakeh Restaurant
    • Budget
    • Families
    • Food
    • Group

    Malakeh is a cafe-style restaurant that serves Syrian food in Berlin. Its founder came to Berlin via Jordan, where she had her own cooking show on television. When she arrived in the German capital, she wanted to share her passion for Middle Eastern flavors and put her heart and soul into opening a restaurant.

    The menu at Malakeh changes often. Perhaps you’ll find shish burak, dough stuffed with meat and cilantro, or shakrieh, a creamy and aromatic lamb stew. Inside is simply furnished and homey and there’s also a terrace where you can dine al fresco.

    Location: Potsdamer Str. 153, 10783 Berlin, Germany

    Open: Tuesday–Thursday 4 pm to 10 pm, Friday from 4 pm to 11 pm, Saturday from 2 pm to 11 pm, Sunday from 2 pm to 10 pm

    Phone: +49 (0)176 22160998

    Map
  • 9

    Madame Ngo Une Brasserie Hanoi

    A notable Vietnamese restaurant in Charlottenburg

    Madame Ngo Une Brasserie Hanoi
    • Families
    • Food
    • Group

    Madame Ngo is a Vietnamese restaurant in the Charlottenburg neighbourhood of Berlin. Its founder was born in Hanoi, but like many of the city’s Vietnamese community, fled political upheaval and arrived in Europe in the late 1970s. The restaurant does justice to his native cuisine.

    Since Madame Ngo opened in 2015, its menu has evolved, but pho has remained a staple. Try the delicious pho – a tasty traditional Vietnamese soup – here. There’s even a vegan version alongside those which feature chicken or beef.

    Location: Kantstraße 30, 10623 Berlin, Germany

    Open: Monday–Saturday from noon to 10.30 pm, Sunday from noon to 10 pm

    Phone: +49 (0)306 0274585

    Map
  • 10

    Mogg

    An authentic New York deli in Berlin with bags of character

    Mogg
    • Families
    • Food
    • Group
    • History

    Mogg is a New York deli in the heart of Berlin’s Mitte district. It opened in 2012 and has been receiving rave reviews ever since. From the outside, however, it doesn’t look much like a restaurant. In fact, it was once a Jewish girls’ school, its modernist facade relatively plain and unexciting. But step inside and it’s a different story, a modern space that’s pleasing to the eye.

    Mogg is an ideal lunch choice – regulars recommend the home-cured smoked pastrami on rye, followed by a slice of New York cheesecake, which purports to be the best in the city.

    Location: Auguststraße 11-13, 10117 Berlin, Germany

    Open: Monday–Saturday from noon to 8 pm, Sunday from noon to 6 pm

    Phone: +49 (0)176 64961344

    Map
Julia Hammond | Contributing Writer