Favorite Restaurants-Bars-Cafes in Berlin
 

We will be in Berlin from 19-27 JUN and looking for advice on non-touristy places to dine, hang, drink, etc....
Also, any day trips that you can recommend?
Thanks!

In general, I think Charlottenburg, while having a vivid restaurant and bar scene is much less touristy nowadays than the former East Berlin Mitte district.

A few choices you might enjoy are:

Pan- Asian food at <b>Nu</b>. Stylish eatery with still reasonable prices. Address is Schlueterstr. 55, corner of Niebuhrstr. It is close to Kurfuerstendamm. Tel. 030- 88 70 98 11.

Also Pan-Asian food, and also very hip these days is <b>Pan Asia</b>, which is not in Charlottenburg, but rather in Mitte in one of the Hackesche Hoefe (Hacke's Courtyards). Address is Rosenthaler Str. 38 (located in the courtyard, not visible from the street). Minimalist interior and interesting food at reasonable prices. Tel. 030-279 08 811.

Austrian/ German style cuisine at <b>Lutter &amp; Wegner</b>. They have an outfit in Charlottenburg right next to &quot;Nu&quot; on Schlueterstr. 55, Tel. 030- 88 13 440.
They have also a nice place on Gendarmenmarkt, a beautiful square in Mitte. Address is Charlottenstr.56/ corner of Taubenstr. Tel. 030- 202 95 40. Good wine selection.

<b>Ottenthal</b> is another option to sample Austrian style cuisine. They are located on Kantstr. 153, Tel. 030- 313 31 62.

German/ French style cuisine may be enjoyed at <b>Diekmann</b> in Charlottenburg. Address is Meinekestr. 7, Tel. 030- 883 33 21. Good food, good drinks and friendly competent service.
They also have an outfit at the <b>Weinhaus Huth</b> on Potsdamer Platz (just a few steps from the Marriott you are staying at). However you'd be more likely to encounter tourists there than at the one in Charlottenburg.

Even though you are likely to encounter a few visitors to the city (since German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder once visited with some head of state), I also like <b>Gugelhof</b> in the trendy Prenzlauer Berg district in the East. Cuisine is Alsatian style, prices are reasonable and the setting is relaxed. Address is Knaackstr. 37, Tel. 030- 442 92 29.

For drinks you might want to give <b>Hefner's</b> a try. Relaxed bar and lounge with a 70ies style interior on Savignyplatz/ Kantstr. 146 in Charlottenburg. A good brew on tap (Holsten Pilsener) and an extensive Martini and cocktail list.

I also like <b>Newton Bar</b> on Gendarmenmarkt in Mitte, Charlottenstr. 57, right next to Lutter &amp; Wegner. Very cool and hip place that serves drinks of impeccable quality that come at a price. Most likely there will be tourists, too, but there is also a gorgeous view of Newton's photography and the terrifically illuminated German and French Dome cathedrals outside.

Hope this helps and have a fun trip!
hsv

HSV,

Thanks for the lengthy details -- I really appreciate you taking the time... anyone else?

Joe, thanks for posting this. We'll be in Berlin in September so I'm saving posts like this. Please report back on all the great places you find when you return. I and others will be looking for your first hand info.

If you're going to be in Berlin over a weekend, and are tired of the 'vanilla' breakfasts at your B&amp;B, I can heartily recommend the buffet breakfast served on weekends at the B&amp;B where I stayed for a week last month: Schall und Rauch (&quot;Noise and Smoke&quot;).

Breakfast starts at 9 AM and goes well into the afternoon both Saturday and Sunday. It truly offers a rich selection of both hot and cold dishes, and it's 'all you can' eat for a relatively modest price (8-9 Euros, I think)

It *is* a bit out of the way, however: Gleimstrasse 23, about 2 blocks from the Schoenhauser Allee U-Bahn stop (train U2). Still, Prenzlauer Berg is an interesting neighborhood, so perhaps a post-breakfast stroll around the area would make an excursion worthwhile for you.

Fritzrl

We were there at the end of April : here's a link to my trip report in which I listed all the places we ate - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34614269. We particularly liked the Nikolaiviertel area &amp; didn't see any other tourists in the 2 typically German inns at which we ate there. We also liked the Lutter und Wegner in the Gendarmenmarkt but there were other obnoxious British people there :-) I can also speak for the quality of the martinis in Bar Newton...

Topping in case anyone has any new recommendations since June?

papagena,

I would add Meinrad's in Charlottenburg, another Austrian restaurant, located on Wielandstr. 38 in Charlottenburg. Not grand cuisine, but down to earth food prepared with care by the owner himself.

There is also a nice Tapas Bar on Grolmanstr., right off Savignyplatz in the direction of Goethestr., also in Charlottenburg, which I believe goes by the name of &quot;Tapas&quot;.

Should you care for some coffee and cake in a classic &quot;Kaffeehaus&quot; environment, where you might even spot some German politicians of some fame, head for Caf&eacute; Einstein on &quot;Unter den Linden&quot; Blvd. in Mitte district. I believe it is at No. 46, basically across from the Komische Oper Theater.

Hi
For a somewhat different eating experience try the food counters at KaDeWa department store. I believe it's on the 6th or 7th floor in their food dept. The counters are placed abour the floor. Past fall, they had Asian, Paul Bocuse recipes, Cheese and wine, German food. Can't recall if any other. We had the German food for lunch and it was very good and reasonably priced. we also stayed at the Movenpick Hotel and the breakfast buffet was magnificent, both quality and quantity.

A fun place to have brunch on weekends is Kollwitzerplatz in Prenzlauerberg. The sidewalk cafes/restaurants north of the square are full of young locals, including young families with dogs &amp; kids playing in the square. Great for watching or chatting with the locals. It's a block east from Gugelhof.

Prenzlauerberg also has a cool Starbucks coffee lounge on Rosenthalerstrasse. It's a block northeast of Hackeshermarkt S bahn station which is also full of restaurants with outdoor dining. You may want to join the pub crawl tour in Berlin (costs around 10 euros per tourist if I remember correctly).

Diekmann on Meinekestrasse (Charlottenburg) was full of happy &amp; drunk French tourists when we were there last September but the food was great. We enjoyed staying at the Swissotel on Kudamm (Charlottenburg). The lobby has rows of lounge seating with lounge music piped in and quite a nice cool bar. Our bedroom had a great view of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church ruin (dramatically lit at night)

I second Lutter &amp; Wegner in Gendarmenmarkt, it's fun place for a meal or just wine. We go there everytime we are in Berlin. Usually we ended up chatting with a few friendly locals &amp; german tourists as the tables are set close together. From our experiences, people in Berlin seem to be more open/interactive with tourists than in other northern cities.
Have a great week in Berlin!

DAX's advice is spot on IMHO (as always). BTW, Gugelhof, which I suggested in my first post on this thread is actually on Kollwitzplatz in Prenzlauer Berg. Knaackstr., which it is located on, passes by Kollwitzplatz.

You're right hsv (of course!),it didn't dawn on me that Gugelhof is on the western border of the park.
Joe, you've got to try Gugelhof for dinner, great food &amp; lively surrounding. It looks better at night and the menu is more extensive at night. Lunch menu doesn't have their good stuff.

For a drink, try the Caf&eacute; Orianenburg, about one block from the Neue Synagog. They also serve meals, but since I did not eat there, I can't talk about the quality of the food.

Don't miss the authentic Italian food at Tavola Calda on Leibnizstrasse. Small, informal and frequented mainly by a neighborhood clientele. Excellent calves liver. Though they are a bit touristy, two places in Charlottenberg to 'hang and drink' that attract a chic crowd are Paris Bar and Florian.

All great advice - saving for later...

Beware!
Lutter &amp; Wegner in Schluterstrasse 55.
Are not affiliated with the other restaurants bearing the same name!
This is the original Lutter &amp; Wegner and it is highly recommended.
Relaxed atmosphere, nice staff, real good meals, friendly prices.
Excellent value for money!
But please keep it a secret!