When people come to Paris, they often want restaurant recommendations, and the recommendations that they want are usually for one (or several) of the following: crêpes, fondue, and escargots. I always hate to burst their bubble, but the best crêpes come from Brittany, the best fondue from the Alps, and the best escargots from Burgundy: Paris plays host to a hodgepodge of regional cuisines, but it’s not the birthplace of any of these traditional French dishes, nor is it really the best place to try them.
This experience means that I know how Berliners must have felt when I demanded weisswurst everywhere I went on my recent visit. Berlin, maybe even more than Paris, has a booming new food culture, and while I got my sauerbraten and spatzle, I also made sure to visit some places where I could partake in the German capital’s thriving modern food culture.
One foodie event I was lucky enough to get to visit was Street Food Thursday in Kreuzberg. This event is held indoors, thankfully, and kind of resembles Papieroen, the Danish street food market I got the chance to visit in Copenhagen. Filled with stalls selling everything from vegan burgers on bright pink beetroot buns to vegan kimchi tacos, it was a great way to explore the thriving Berlin foodie scene.
Never one to turn down slow-braised meat of any kind, I opted for a short rib sandwich with house-made barbecue sauce, which I devoured in about eight seconds flat.
One other area where I was really vibing the food scene was in the sheer number of places offering great craft coffee. We finally started seeing this in Paris a few years ago, but I was pleasantly overwhelmed by options in Berlin.
Distrikt Coffee was one spot I quite liked and could definitely imagine spending my days working if I lived in Berlin rather than Paris. (The fact that they had awesome cheesecake was the cherry on top.)
Nameless Coffee & Juice was another fave (and not just for their extremely aesthetically appealing bookshelves).
The apple tart here was just the way I like it: huge chunks of apple and even more super cinnamony streusel.
My aunt-godmother-eternal-travel-buddy opted instead for the equally delicious walnut tart.
In deference to the name of this shop, I went for a cold-pressed beet and ginger juice in place of my usual filter coffee. This was hands-down the best juice I had in Berlin (and I drank a lot of them).
This one from Father Carpenter gets runner-up, and whether you opt for juice or not here, I highly recommend that you pay it a visit.
First off, the aesthetic was just too perfect for words (IMHO).
But secondly, the food was some of the best we had in Berlin. We both opted for the roasted veggie bowl on a recommendation (and topped it with a poached egg thanks to our super friendly waiter). The bowl was made up of roasted parsnips, squash, and onions, with a base of lettuce and sprouted pulses, burnt garlic powder, and a cauliflower purée. I will be making this at home as soon as I can figure out how to recreate that dressing.
Even though we were far too full for it, we finished off the meal with a slice of this banana bread that people apparently cross Berlin for. I believe it.
Especially considering how good this homemade whipped peanut butter was. Yes, please.
Street Food Thursdays – Markethalle Neuen, Eisenbahnstrasse 42, Berlin
Distrikt Coffee - Bergstraße 68, 10115 Berlin
Nameless Coffee & Juice -Â Oranienburger Str. 22, 10178 Berlin
Father Carpenter Coffee Brewers - Münzstraße 21, 10178 Berlin