10 Places Where Locals Love to Eat in Berlin

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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 specialities 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.

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 supermarket.

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.

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.

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 flavours 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 coriander, or shakrieh, a creamy and aromatic lamb stew. Inside is simply furnished and homely and there’s also a terrace where you can dine al fresco.

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.

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.