Berlin has a persistent reputation for bad food — a reputation that was perhaps deserved in the 1990s but is now significantly outdated. The city’s food scene has undergone a transformation driven by its cosmopolitan population, high density of creative people with limited budgets, and a genuine interest in the world’s food cultures.
The International Advantage
Berlin is home to people from 190+ countries — and they cook. The Turkish, Vietnamese, Korean, Ethiopian, Georgian, Lebanese, and Sichuan cooking available in Berlin has been shaped by communities who brought their food culture with them. Berlin’s Neukölln has become one of Germany’s most interesting food neighbourhoods, driven largely by Arab and Turkish communities who have been there for decades. Wedding has some of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Germany. Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg have the highest density of international food quality.
The Natural Wine Movement
Berlin has emerged as one of Europe’s leading cities for natural wine — wine made with minimal intervention, no added sulphites, and from small producers who farm biodynamically or organically. Wine bars (Weinbar) in Mitte, Neukölln, and Schöneberg serve wines by the glass from producers most wine drinkers have never heard of, at prices that undercut equivalent establishments in Paris or London. The natural wine movement and the food culture around it (charcuterie, aged cheeses, oysters, fermented vegetables) have elevated Berlin’s food scene substantially.
Where Berlin Actually Does German Food Well
Traditional Berlin food (Berliner Küche) — Eisbein (pork knuckle with pickled cabbage and pea puree), Königsberger Klopse (white meatballs in caper cream sauce), Bulette (Berlin meatball, similar to Frikadelle), and Boulette — is available at old-school Gaststätten (traditional restaurants) in Wedding, Prenzlauer Berg, and the eastern districts that have retained their pre-gentrification character. These are not tourist restaurants; they are neighbourhood restaurants where the same customers have eaten for 20 years.
