FREUNDSCHAFT
https://www.istdeinbesterfreund.com/
Located in Berlin Mitte, in the center of Berlin, near all hotels, museums, embassies and Brandenburg Gate.
Bottom-line, the best wine-bar in Berlin.
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This is 3 blocks from my hotel
Perfect, they have extremely good wines and the 2 hosts are one of the best wine experts in Berlin. Funny, both are from Austria.
About the same for me. Weâre staying at The Westin Grand Berlin. Google maps shows a 400m walk.
Hotel Luc
Staying at Radisson Collection, 1 km away but will still visit FREUNDSCHAFT
I went pre pandemic and here were some spots that I enjoyed beyond some of whatâs already been shared:
Thelonious Bar (great vibes near Kreuzberg)
Maria (great vegetarian cafe option if youâre near Gorlitzer Park)
Dots - hip brunch place
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Iâll be staying there in mid-October. Iâll be interested to hear your thoughts!
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Just got back from my trip recently. Hotel Luc was nice (particularly the suite upgrade they gave me), and while the location was useful for sightseeing, I would probably stay elsewhere next time Iâm in Berlin.
I went to Shiori on my first night. Itâs a kaiseki counter with around 10 seats. The food was good and interesting â a mix of things you might know and many that are unfamiliar. Service was friendly and it was nice to be able to speak with the chef. A good stop if youâre looking for something different in terms of cuisine, pace, and format.
Freundschaft is a must for anyone interested in wine (anyone reading this, I expect!). The list is long with lots of back vintages to choose from. Some bottles that might be more challenging or expensive to find stateside. The food is hearty and wine-friendly, and though the menu is all in German, the staff was helpful. Fun, convivial atmosphere â I ended up sharing a few bottles with some of the guests seated nearby.
eins44 was a little difficult to find - itâs set back in a courtyard off the street, so leave yourself a few minutes to find it if you go. I thought the food was good, though in retrospect, nothing I ate here stood out. Somewhat sleepy atmosphere â I think I visited on a weekday.
ernst was the best meal I had in Berlin. The restaurant was started by two chefs from Vancouver who met in Berlin and started a supper club. That grew into a 10-seat restaurant (all seats are at the bar). The staff includes four others, and the whole team was engaging and friendly. The food is cooked and plated right in front of you. Thereâs no menu - the team reviews the ingredients they have available to them each morning and sets a menu. On the night I visited, I think we had 40 courses (no joke!), though all were small bites. Several were unlike anything Iâve had previously and made me wonder âwhy didnât I think of that?â Almost all were delicious. Highly recommended if you can snag a seat. On that note, itâs worth getting on their email list if youâre planning a visit, as they occasionally have extra tickets or cancellations.
I felt Cordo was good, not great. I think I would have preferred it in its prior iteration as a wine bar. For what itâs worth, I visited right after they switched their menu for the fall â it was evident that they were still working out a few of the kinks.
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My wife and I are heading to Berlin for a few days at the beginning of June. Looking for good food, but really nothing too posh or fancy. Appreciate any recent recommendations anyone may have. Thanks.
I would highly recommend Freundschaft.
Thank you Evan! I just went back to this to see if there were any responses and just noticed yours.
Any other not too fancy but good comfort food (e.g. Sauerbraten) suggestions for berlin?
I was only there a couple nights, but I did drop into a restaurant near my hotel one very rainy day for a hearty lunch of sauerbraten. The place was called Lutter & Wegner and struck me as a very traditional spot (but with a dash of tourist trap).
I have a close family member who swears by spending the first night of a trip abroad at a local bar, and makes a point of asking the bartenders for recommendations for where to eat. Apparently, thatâs worked well for them, and I could see that going pretty well in the right bar in Berlin.
Freundschaft was really an exemplary wine bar for me â the kind of place where bottles get passed around. Over the course of an evening there I tasted a '19 Schafer Frohlich Felseneck, '97 Musar Blanc, '18 Bouchard Roses de Jeanne, and a '93 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese to give you a sense of the list.
I understand youâre seeking more casual spots, but I feel I should mention ernst because it was one of my two favorite meals of last year. It definitely leans fine dining, but it was a pretty casual atmosphere.
Itâs been since pre-Covid but a couple of more casual places:
Tajik Tea House - sit on the floor on pillows for a traditional tea service with Russian dishes
Peking Ente
https://www.peking-ente-berlin.de/ - near the site of Hitlers bunker south of the Jewish memorial and Brandenburg Gate - the duck was very good and rated one of the best and more economical choices for Peking duck
And not as casual - we did high tea at the a hotel Adlon and that was also a nice afternoon
Yesterday I recommended this Hotelguide to a friend in Copenhagen.
Hotel Oderberger is new to me and a must-go for swim fanatics.
Hotel Stue I like for the glamour. Great also if you have kids, the Zoo is nearby.
The Gault Millau heavily praised 3 new restaurants in Berlin a few days ago. All three are open less than 5-6 months.
Hallmann&Klee
Pars
Victor&Victoria