Kategorie: Best Eats and Drinks

Discover new flavors at Umami

Umami in XBerg

For us, Umami finds the perfect balance between traditional asian flavours and slightly more unusual creations. This is not only true for their food, but also for their homemade lemonade and tea offers (our tip for tea fans: order the ‚Herbstlaub‘ tea). Don’t be discouraged by the queue that is forming at peak times. Waiting time is usually not that long and well worth it (we can only speak for the Kreuzberg location though). Try the ‚Buddah Burger‘:  a sautéed seitan patty with mango-coleslaw and sweetpotatoe fries or the ‚Dragon Barbeque‘: grilled king prawns with honey, vegetables and sweetpotatoe fries on the side. For a glimpse into Umami’s menu, visit their website here. If you come with a larger group, plan ahead and try to make a reservation for the seating area where you sit – traditional asian style – on the floor.

Where? Umami XBerg, Bergmannstr. 97, 10961 Berlin
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday, Noon – 11:30pm
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Where? Umami PBerg, Knaackstr. 16, 10405 Berlin
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday, Noon – 11:30pm
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Eat with your hands at Lalibela

Lalibela in Neukölln

Lalibela is a cute little place in the heart of Neukölln that serves delicious Ethiopian food. This is the perfect place to come with a small group, not because of the place’s size (au contraire, it’s rather small, so you might want to reserve a seat, if you don’t want to wait -> reservations can be done online), but because of the fact that the typical Ethiopian dish, the injera, is the perfect meal to share. Injera is an Ethiopian flatbread (made out of teff flour) that is served flat on a big iron plate with a variety of toppings, like lentils, salads, vegetables, potatoes, stews, etc., with more injera served on the side. What might need a little getting used to at first is that you will not be served utensils, since this dish is traditionally eaten with your hands, using small pieces of injera to scoop up the toppings. This makes the injera simultaneously a food, an eating utensil and also a plate. We recommend to mix and match the combos to get the full hands on experience.

Where? Herrfurthstraße 32, 12049 Berlin
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday, 2PM – Open end.
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Go to dumpling heaven at Momos in Mitte

MOMOS - ORGANIC VEGGIE DUMPLINGS, Berlin - Mitte (Bezirk) - Menü, Preise & Restaurant Bewertungen - Tripadvisor

Dumplings – who doesn’t love these cute little wonders of dough full of delicious sweet or savory fillings? One place that does them especially well is Momos (named after the South Asian version of dumplings) in Mitte, a small restaurant that specializes in dumplings of all kinds. Here, you can choose between six kinds of dumplings (all vegetarian or vegan), such as spinach and cream cheese, pumpkin and chickpea, or broccoli, mushroom and tofu, pick your dips, and decide if you want them steamed or fried. For the indecisive ones, mix and match plates are available, which are great for sharing (or trying them all by yourself if you’re greedy like we are and don’t like to share your dumplings). And if your plate is empty and you still have room for some dessert, try the sweet momos filled with banana, cinnamon, and maple sirup! In addition to their delicious food, Momos is a business worth supporting because they only use organic ingredients, they care about sustainability (all their to-go containers are compostable and they use green electricity), and they are active in sustainability organizations.

Where? Chausseestraße 2, 10115 Berlin (U Oranienburger Tor)
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday 12PM – 10PM
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Eat yourself into a tapas food coma at Alaska

Alaska is a plant-based Spanish tapas bar that serves a number of delicious small plates of food that are perfect for sharing, as well as Spanish wine and beer. The Spanish/Catalan owners are incredibly welcoming, and make you feel like you’re visiting friends, which is underlined by the relaxed atmosphere, cozy couches and fun art on the walls. While the name does not immediately make one think of a Spanish tapas bar, the owners picked it to pay homage to Spanish singer and animal rights activist Alaska, combining two of Alaska’s central elements. The small size of the dishes makes is easy to try many different things, and our personal favorites are the Spanish tortilla and the croquetas, as well as the patatas bravas and of course, the Spanish beer. While some of the dishes are always available, you can be sure to find something new and exciting with every new visit, and prices are reasonable, starting at 3,50€ for a dish.

Every once in a while, Alaska hosts one of their legendary pintxos parades, were you can get one tapa for 1€ and eat yourself into a tapas induced food coma. While it’s their most popular event and always incredibly crowded (so wear comfy shoes because you might have to stand), it’s a great way to get into a conversation with people (and practice your terribly rusty Spanish with all the Spaniards who frequent the bar), plus having to stand at the bar just means easier access to all the food. Overall, Alaska is the perfect place to spend a nice evening with friends, share some delicious food, have a few drinks, and you’ll likely meet some incredibly friendly faces there as well.

Where? Reuterstraße 85, 12053 Berlin Neukölln
Opening Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday 6PM - 12:30AM, Friday and Saturday 6PM - 3AM
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Drink at Velvet

We do not fall in love easily, but we did fall in love with Velvet, a small cocktail bar in the heart of Neukölln. This bar is located a little bit off the bar packed streets, but we would still suggest coming here early, as it gets crowded quickly. The menu changes on a regular basis, so we cannot recommend a specific drink, but are sure that whatever you will end up getting, will certainly challenge your taste buds in a very positive way (maybe you will never have a better cocktail in Berlin). Velvet believes in regionality, so instead of the standard pineapple, you’ll find local herbs, fruit and vegetables in your drink. Examples for some special ingredients are: mushrooms, black walnuts, plums, sorrel,… . Waiters are happy to help you with your choice and are eager to explain flavors and ingredients. The cocktails are quite pricy (around 10€+), but definitely worth it!

Velvet Bar: Wo die Ernte in den Cocktail wandert

Where? Ganghoferstraße 1, 12043 Berlin Neukölln
Opening hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 8pm - Close