19 Best Restaurants in Kreuzberg, Berlin

A cross between a craft brewery, a hip outdoor beer garden (spring through fall only), and a casual indoor restaurant inside reused shipping containers, BRLO is a quintessential Berlin spot to spend an afternoon drinking and eating. If the weather's nice, grab a striped lounge chair outside and choose from a range of modern bar snacks at the beer garden, open every day except in winter; otherwise, head indoors for a choice of vegetable-focused mains along with meats cooked in their own smoker. 

This currywurst stand in Kreuzberg has a cult following and just about any time of day or night you'll find yourself amid a crowd of cab drivers, students, and lawyers munching on currywurst mit Darm (with skin) or ohne Darm (without skin). Go local and order your sausage with a big pile of crispy fries served rot-weiss (red and white)—with curry ketchup and mayonnaise.

The 100-plus-year-old Kreuzberg stalwart has managed to stick around thanks in part to its most famous dish, which is still just about all it serves: a crispy, fried half-chicken. The rest of the menu is short: coleslaw, potato salad, a few sausage options, and several beers on tap; for \"dessert,\" look to the impressive selection of locally sourced brandies and fruit schnapps.

An all-female or non-binary staff prepares and serves the organic, low-waste cuisine at this bright and cheery vegan eatery. Vegan cookbook author and chef Sophia Hoffmann creates Alpine Bavarian dishes based on recipes from her childhood for the five-course dinners offered eight times a month; more casual lunches rotate weekly, but always include a stew or soup, salad, a main dish, and homemade focaccia and cake.

In a cozy wood-paneled room with a colorful mural of Berlin scenes along the wall and a sleek open kitchen, Austrian chef Sebastian Frank puts a creative spin on dishes from his native country. Vegetables (along with touches of meat and fish) become the stars of the show with innovative cooking techniques and a judicious use of herbs, many grown on his roof terrace, in a choice of seven-, nine- or twelve-course menus; each dish pairs perfectly with unique wines primarily from Eastern Europe.

Thanks to the efforts of local activists, this century-old market hall was saved from becoming a chain supermarket and instead turned into a center for local food vendors, chefs, wine dealers, and brewers. From Monday to Saturday, a large and rotating variety of food and drink is on offer for lunch and all afternoon, as well as for extended dinner hours on \"Street Food Thursdays\"; from Tuesday to Saturday, you'll find the weekly market with tempting food products for sale, from fruits and vegetables to bread and fish (with an expanded market on Friday and Saturday); and the space also hosts a dazzling array of rotating events, so it's best to check what's on before heading there.

The conservative decor belies the artistry on offer at this Michelin-starred restaurant from Germany's most famous celebrity chef. Upscale Berlin-inspired cuisine, influenced by dishes from Tim Raue's childhood, or Asian-fusion cuisine, combining Japanese, Thai, and Chinese flavors and techniques, can be sampled in seven-course tasting menus for dinner or four- to seven-course tasting menus for lunch (with vegan versions on offer); pair your food with splendid wines from one of the most comprehensive lists in Berlin.

Tucked onto a charming, leafy street, this quirky Michelin-starred restaurant decked out in green jungle wallpaper and wood floral details, with a cozy outdoor terrace, focuses on the \"experience\" of their food, serving up beautiful and interesting dishes using unusual ingredient combinations. Diners enjoy a seasonally changing seven-course tasting menu, and vivacious co-owner Ilona Scholl will happily suggest (and encourage) whimsical international wine pairings to match.

Anchored by an indoor vertical garden filled with vegetables and herbs used in many of its dishes, this casual eatery inside the Gropius Bau museum focuses on ancient Jewish recipes from around the world. Choose from a selection of organic vegetable-forward mezzes including labneh (strained yogurt) with challah bread, cauliflower with herbed tahini, and zucchini latkes, finished off with tasty cakes baked by renowned Berlin pâtissière Cynthia Barcomi.

Within view (and earshot) of the elevated U1 line, Café Morgenland is a relatively unremarkable neighborhood haunt on weekdays but on weekends it devotes an entire room to the extremely popular brunch buffet, which means table space can be scarce. The Turkish-inspired dishes (an ode to the home country of many a Kreuzberg native) are a delicious alternative to the more traditional brunches served elsewhere in Berlin.

In a city full of Turkish restaurants, Defne stands out for its exquisitely prepared food, friendly service, and pleasant setting. Beyond simple kebabs, the fresh and healthy menu here includes a selection of hard-to-find fish dishes from the Bosphorus, such as acili ahtapot (spicy octopus served with mushrooms and olives in a white-wine-and-tomato sauce), as well as delicious meze and typical Turkish dishes like \"the Imam Fainted,\" stuffed eggplant with tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and pine nuts.

In addition to brewing first-rate, quality coffee from beans roasted on the premises, Five Elephant serves some of the best cake in town, including a cheesecake that has become something of a local legend. Inside, the café is bright, modern, and welcoming, usually with cool jazz playing on the sound system. Like most of its coffee-brewing brethren, the café sources its own coffee directly from growers, and makes sure interactions along every step of the chain are fair and humane.

This much-hyped burger joint near the Kottbusser Bridge—helmed by two former three-Michelin-star chefs—has a short but spot-on menu: smashburgers (also in veggie and vegan versions) with various toppings and fries. There’s limited seating, so make your way over to the nearby riverside to enjoy your meal.

The front bar area and a cozy dining room are usually filled with chattering locals and the occasional dog peeking out from under the table (pets are allowed in unexpected places in Berlin, including many restaurants). The house specialties include Viennese classics like Wiener schnitzel and apple strudel, along with a few \"modern\" Austrian dishes, but look for surprises, too, on the seasonal weekly menu, which is full of interesting ingredients and unusual combinations.

This bright, welcoming space just off Kreuzberg's Lausitzer Platz serves tasty Catalonian tapas created from locally sourced ingredients that put a bit of sunshine on the plate during the dreary months. The colorful dishes on the daily changing menu are often unique pairings of sweet and savory ingredients, which combine well with the list of Spanish wines. Expect at least one fresh fish dish, like octopus with potatoes and grilled tomatoes; one soup, like the classic Spanish salmorejo (tomato and bread); and a few meat dishes with at least one expertly cooked, juicy steak, best accompanied by a glass (or bottle) of tempranillo.

In a city where it seems as if 10 new restaurants open every day, this Spanish and Portuguese tapas spot has been spared much of the hype, but that's a good thing: Marqués serves high-end, inventive food and Mediterranean wines, without pretension. The menu is extensive, so talk it over with friendly staff, who will advise and serve you delights like sizzling plates of chorizo, and salted, fried pimientos de padron, the small, green, Spanish peppers. To sate a larger appetite, try the beef fillets or pasta with mixed seafood—a rarity in land-locked Berlin. The cocktail bar in the basement serves stellar creations.

For the traditional döner kebab, head to Mustafa's for mouthwateringly delicious vegetable kebabs (also available with chicken for those who can't resist a bit of protein, but the vegetarian is what people rave about). The line can sometimes stretch down the block, but it's well worth the wait, and this is a traditional street stand, so no seating.

On an industrial Kreuzberg street, Richard isn't relying on foot traffic to bring in customers; but everyone who knows about it raves. The unassuming facade hides an elegant white interior with stained-glass windows, an intricate, carved wood ceiling, and modern paintings. The food, which is French influenced, is equally elegant: try the appetizer of clams, mussels, and octopus, a simple but perfectly prepared dish of polenta with mushrooms and black truffles, and excellent mains like venison or roast suckling pig. You can order à la carte or choose one of the prix-fixe options.

Along the Landwehr Canal, this charming half-timber former customs house turned Rutz restaurant’s little sister has a cozy interior with arched windows inside and an expansive outdoor terrace in summer. Chef Florian Mennicken, who trained at Michelin-starred Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer and Facil, prepares hearty German classics, accompanied by a wonderful selection of wines from both Germany and across Europe.