The 14 best restaurants in Berlin
Berlin has it all, from pioneering vegetarian restaurants and Vietnamese noodle joints to upmarket kebab gaffs and Michelin-starred establishments. For something truly old-school, book dinner at Clärchen’s, a glamorous old ball house that has seen everything in its more than one hundred years of operation. After a hearty Wiener Schnitzel or Flammküchen, you can join the dancing or enjoy a concert upstairs in the timewarp mirrored hall, which still features some damage from the war.
Read on for more suggestions. Plan your visit with our guides devoted to Berlin's best attractions, bars, nightlife, hotels, and spending a weekend in the city.
Find a restaurant by area
Mitte
Rutz Restaurant
With its three Michelin stars, this destination restaurant is headed up by chef Marco Müller and his team. The multi-course menus here change dynamically but diners can expect seasonal and regional fish and meat (lobster, mackerel, veal, Wagyu beef, trout) served with simple vegetables (potatoes, leeks, cabbage), all of which are prepared and presented in imaginative and delicious ways. The restaurant also offers a “Berlin size menu” for those wanting to sample the wares at a smaller (and slightly cheaper) level, and also has one of the city’s best cellars, with around 900 listings at the last count. If the weather is warm, try for a table on the courtyard terrace in the backyard.
Contact: rutz-restaurant.de
Prices: £££
Reservations: Essential
Cookies Cream
Berlin’s vegetarian scene was sorely lacking when this restaurant opened, hence cheers went out for not only its meatless dishes but also the kitchen's refreshing flair and innovation. Having won a Michelin star for its efforts back in 2018, the restaurant is still at the cutting edge of the vegan and vegetarian scene. Now helmed by Nicholas Hahn, who joined in 2023, the menu maintains some old favourites such as onsen egg yolk with seaweed caviar and parmesan dumplings with artichoke and pistachio but focuses on multi-course (from four to seven courses) menus that see simple vegetables such as beetroot, pepper, onion and celery elevated into artistic creations that are matched with Japanese ingredients such as koshihikari rice, yuzu, and tonburi, as well as curated wines. The venue’s loft-style interior, all low ceilings, exposed brickwork and an open kitchen, is a hit with the clubbing crowd, and the chic and dimly lit bar downstairs, is worth dropping into for a post-prandial cocktail.
Contact: cookiescream.de
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Remi
This sleek restaurant, located right next to Mitte’s Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, was opened in 2020 by restaurateurs Lode van Zuylen and Stijn Remi, who already made a splash in the city with their Kreuzberg spot Lode and Stijn. The minimal, open-plan space—created in collaboration with Ester Bruzkus Architects—has large glass façades looking out onto bustling Torstrasse on one side and the modernist Volksbühne theatre on the other, and an exposed concrete interior dotted with slick Danish furniture lit by a curved neon tube light on the ceiling. The vibe is convivial and consciously trendy, and the attractive open kitchen puts out a range of modern dishes that draw on regional and seasonal products: think steamed cod with roasted carrots, langoustines and basil butter, and wild boar back served with pepper sauce. Wines, ranging from natural to classic, are served by a sommelier and there’s a daily changing lunch menu (€26 euros for starter and main). For people-watching, bag a table on the Torstrasse side.
Contact: remi-berlin.de
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended at weekends
Kink
Tucked away on the second level of the Pfefferberg complex – a brewery compound that also hosts a brewhouse, theatre, youth hostel and Olafur Eliason’s art studio – this ambitious restaurant and bar concept was inaugurated in 2019 by school friends and gastro-entrepreneurs Oliver Manzaray and Daniel Scheppan. Comprising a two-tier restaurant space connected by a steel staircase and a vast neighbouring bar, the venue carries a bold design – colourful walls, chic mismatched furniture and flashy artworks that include an eye-catching neon tube installation by artist Kerim Seiler above the bar. Aesthetics aside, the real draw here are the excellent food and drinks. The menu isn’t huge but is consistently innovative, with seasonally-informed dishes such as wild octopus and green beans, oysters from the Netherlands, lamb carpaccio served with chimichurri, and creative vegetarian options.
Contact: kink-berlin.de/en
Prices: ££-£
Reservations: Recommended
Coccodrillo
Located in Mitte’s small but pretty Weinbergspark, this latest iteration from the Big Squadra company who have already created buzzy Italian spots in Hamburg and Munich offers a splashy interior, great food and a spacious terrace. Designed by Studio Kiki, the interior feels like an American diner with added Italian maximalism, with reams of red lacquer, bright neon signage, mirrors, photos and posters filling the walls – extra playful are the one-way mirrors in the bathrooms stalls whereby you can see others but they cannot see you. The menu here is a considered selection of popular Italian dishes spanning classic pizza and pasta dishes but strays into more adventurous terrain with octopus served with roast potatoes, carpaccios of seafood and bresaola, and a pistachio tiramisu on the dessert list. A fun and satisfying place to dine either inside out on the patio overlooking the park.
Contact: bigsquadra.com/en/restaurants/coccodrillo-berlin/
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Charlottenburg
Prism
Israeli culinary powerhouse Gal Ben Moshe opened this upscale, warmly-interiored restaurant in 2019 – and had won a Michelin star by 2020. Joined by sommelier Jacqueline Lorenz, the theme is contemporary Levantine cuisine with ambitious and exotic pairings that change seasonally but include unique concoctions such as langoustine kadayif with hollandaise. Japanese sea bream, dry-aged guinea fowl with wild broccolini and lemon, and a delectable ‘rubia gallega’ rib eye matched with coffee and walnuts. The six-course fixed menu costs €215 (£180), with wine pairings – Middle Eastern-themed or fine wines; there are over 530 bottles on-site, almost all available by the glass – and other add-ons available for a surcharge. A menu is also on offer for vegetarians and service is famously friendly and professional.
Contact: prismberlin.de
Prices: £££
Reservations: Recommended
OH, PANAMA
Founded by local gastronomy entrepreneur Ludwig Cramer-Klett, creator of food and art project the Contemporary Food Lab and popular restaurant Katz Orange, OH, PANAMA presents an eclectic take on German cuisine in a colourful but elegant art-filled interior that’s themed around a 1970s German children’s book. Set in a courtyard off bustling Potsdamerstrasse, the two-storey space blends large–scale landscape photographs with eye-catching neon installations and artworks by the likes of Alicja Kwade. The thoughtful menu offers seasonal dishes like butter dumplings sautéed in chanterelle goulash with onsen egg and green salad, glazed beef cheeks with mashed potatoes and parsley gremolata, and grilled zander with eggplant, butter beans and Moroccan mint, and the atmosphere tends towards the smart-but-informal. Afterwards, enjoy a highball or draft beer at the associated Tiger Bar across the courtyard.
Website: oh-panama.com
Prices:​ ££-£££
Getting in: Reservations essential
Mine Restaurant
This swanky yet low-key spot in Meinekestrasse has managed to fly under the radar of many travel guides, but is nonetheless a fave amongst the local and international foodie cognoscenti. Set inside a building that used to house Berlin’s first Michelin-starred restaurant (Maitre) its urban-chic interior design is a comely mix of exposed brickwork, contemporary lighting and refined tableware. The food, consistently excellent, spans Italian classics with subtle twists: think ravioli cacio e pepe with braised veal and sea bass with asparagus and Amalfi lemon zabaione—there are also sharing plates such as slow-cooked lamb shoulder and ribeye steak. Service is warm and friendly and the wine list spans classics and new Italian wines, natural and biodynamic, as well as private label proseccos; oenophiles might want to enquire if the tiny but charming wine bar next door, run by the restaurant and used primarily, but not exclusively, for private events and chef’s dinners, is open. A sister restaurant, MINA, serving Italo-Levantine cuisine, opened in 2024 at 61-64 Mühlenstraße, with views onto the Spree.
Contact: minerestaurant.de
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended
Lon Men’s Noodle House
Blink and you’ll miss Lon Men’s Noodle House, which is tucked in amongst an array of Asian-themed restaurants and outlets along West Berlin’s Kantstrasse. Although it has a rather unassuming exterior leading into an equally basic interior mostly dominated by a busy kitchen with a few small tables, this is the place to come for Taiwanese food. Soups are made with authentic, handmade Taiwanese noodles which are vastly superior to the store-bought versions. Don’t miss out on the exceptional chilli beef wontons nor the soft and juicy steamed duck buns.
Contact: instagram.com/lonmensnoodlehouse
Price: £ (credit cards not accepted)
Reservations: Not possible
Prenzlauer Berg
ORA
This former pharmacy, which dates back to 1860, was turned into a restaurant and cocktail bar in 2015 and has an alluring ambiance all of its own. The high-ceilinged interior still features plenty of nods to its original nineteenth century incarnation, including old cabinets and extensive wood carvings, brass details and stone floors, which are tastefully balanced with contemporary touches, creating a comely and captivating melange. The kitchen prepares fresh breads and pastries and offers three-course menus (herbivore or omnivore versions) that are big on seasonal ingredients: dishes include polenta gnocchi with aubergine and canestrato, summer duck with chanterelles and shiso, and Provençal tomato and onion tart. The associated cocktail bar can get bottlenecked at weekends, but it does churn out top-notch drinks, many often infused with home-made syrups and mixers, as well as locally grown herbs and spices.
Website: ora.berlin
Prices:​ ££
Getting in: Reservations best at weekends
Osman’s Tochter
Despite Berlin’s abundant Turkish population, solid mid-range Turkish restaurants are surprisingly difficult to come by in Berlin. Enter Osman’s Tochter, which serves up traditional Turkish cuisine with a modern twist in a smart, charming interior that’s all exposed brick walls, multi-coloured tables and chairs, and overhead lights fashioned from glass jars. The menu is built around the concept of meze-style sharing, spanning dishes such as manti, köfte, octopus with potatoes and grilled chicken thighs on skewers. There’s plenty for vegetarians too, and the Turkish panna cotta (“Osman‘s sweet angel”) is worth saving space for. In summer, try and book a seat in the lovely little backyard terrace.
Contact: osmanstoechter.de
Price: £-££
Reservations: Recommended at weekends
Friedrichshain
Michelberger Hotel
Occupying a decent swathe of the Michelberger hotel’s ground floor, the Michelberger restaurant has gradually become one of Friedrichshain’s best dining spots. With large windows overlooking the daily bustle of Warschauer Strasse, the open, light-filled ceramic-tiled interior has a suitably Berlin ambience supported by casual, friendly staff. The lunch and dinner menus, created by Irish chef Alan Micks and Andreas Rieger, offer modern European dishes with an emphasis on vegetables and an omnivore option in the main course, daily fish and meat specials from time to time, as well as desserts. The ingredients are locally sourced, often from the hotel’s own farm, with occasional seafood treats such as grilled scallop from famed ocean don Roddie Sloan.
Contact: michelbergerhotel.com
Price: ££
Reservations: Recommended for weekends
Elsewhere in the city
Restaurant Ei-12437-B
Restaurant Ei-12437-B – colloquially known as “Ei”, or “egg”, for short – is so-called due to its location in the historic Eierhäuschen (“Egg-House”) in Treptow’s leafy Plänterwald area. Dating back to the nineteenth century, the handsome building was created as a destination spot for Berlin day-trippers and has been recently renovated to recreate that status for contemporary Berliners. The light-filled interior is smart but unpretentious, with views through the generous windows onto the Spree river. The small but considered menu—modern German with some Francophone twists – has a commitment to sustainable, seasonal and regional ingredients and offers lighter dishes such as salads, soups and vegan sausages as well as more substantial fare including whole trout, pork ragout and pretzel dumplings. The prices are reasonable and the generous riverside terrace is a fine spot for a coffee and cake or an aperitif. There’s also an adjacent 500 square-metre outdoor beer garden that’s open in summer with pop-up snack stalls and a playground, plus the adjacent Spreepark Art Space to explore.
Website: ei-12437.berlin
Prices: ££
Reservations: Recommended at weekends
Coda
Tucked away in a residential part of Neukölln, this small, dark, seductive restaurant is run by patisserie masterchef René Frank. Germany’s first and only fine dining dessert restaurant, it has earned two Michelin stars since opening in 2016 for both its innovative concept and immaculately created and presented cuisine, which makes a point of rejecting refined sugar and artificial ingredients. The low-key industrial-chic interior consists of just a dozen or so tables and several bar stools that overlook the open kitchen sets an affable, intimate tone that leaves the food as the star of the show. “Dessert” has a broad interpretation here, with the multi-course menu creatively balancing sweetness with saltiness, acidity and other umami tastes in inspiring and unexpected ways: think whipped chickpea foam, waffles with raclette cheese, lollipops that blend ice cream and caviar. The delectable chocolate elements are made over days with the kitchen’s own chocolate-blending machine and drink pairings buck convention too with classic champagnes and fine wines alongside treats such as house-made infusions, artisanal spirits and sake. A unique and unforgettable experience.
Website: coda-berlin.com
Price: £££
Reservations: Essential
How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller’s taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.
