Do your weekly grocery shopping at the turkish market at Maybachufer

Wochenmarkt am Maybachufer: Der Türkenmarkt | BERLIN ICK LIEBE DIR
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Why not ditch your local supermarket that is only five minutes from your house and go on a shopping adventure to the Turkish market in Kreuzberg/Neukölln (even if not for your weekly grocery shopping, then at least for the experience). The Turkish market at Maybachufer is a mix of stalls selling a variety of different things, from household items to fabrics, to books, and of course, lots of, lots of food (including cooked lunch options). Most of the fruit and vegetable is unbelievably cheap in comparision to normal supermarkets. We remember times, where former roommates used to come home with 10 mangos for only 5€ (noone can eat this many mango though). It can get a little crowded, once local shoppers and curious tourists are all heading down the rather narrow path between the stalls. However, this just gives you the time to slow down your pace and immerse yourself into the numerous food options.

Ein Stück Orient mitten in Berlin « Irgendwo – Nirgendwo
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Where? Turkish Market, Maybachufer, 12047 Berlin
When? Every Tuesday and Friday from 11am - 5:30pm

Take the time for some real or vegan schnitzel

SCHNITZELEI MITTE, Berlin - Mitte (Bezirk) - Restaurant Bewertungen,  Telefonnummer & Fotos - Tripadvisor
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One of our favourite restaurants to go to with a group of friends is the Schnitzelei. Not only do they serve the probably most delicious Schnitzel you can find in Berlin (they are huuuge), but  they also make their own Schnaps from all different kinds of fruits (Obstler). When you order the Obstler, they serve it in a big bottle that marks each 5cl.  By the end of the night, you only pay what you ended up drinking  Plus, the first round is usually on the waiter/ waitress. The best day to go is Monday – it’s their Schnitzeltag.  This means  their Schnitzels cost only 13.31 € instead of 19.50 € (and you are free to choose either potatoe salad or pan-fried potatoes on top of your order).  Additionally, you will be handed a small beer on the house upon arrival.  For all the vegetarians and vegans under us or for those who are simply not big fans of a Schnitzel, they offer a variety of vegetarian and vegan Schnitzels and loooots of other super yummy dishes. Check out their menu.

Where? Schnitzelei Charlottenburg, Röntgenstraße 7, 10587 Berlin
Opening hours: Monday – Friday 4pm – 12am and Saturday – Sunday 12pm – 11pm

or

Where? Schnitzelei Mitte, Chausseestraße 8, 10115 Berlin
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 4pm – 12am and Sunday 12pm – 10.30pm

The Cake Guide to Germany

Bienenstich

This cake translates to “bee-sting” and ironically does not contain any honey. Classic yeast dough with a lot of vanilla cream and a caramelized almond flake crust on top.

Bienenstich ohne Hefe | Rezept - eat.de
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Käsekuchen

Made with the German dairy product “quark,” German cheesecake is significantly less sweet than its American counterpart. Please don’t leave Germany without trying it at least once.

Omas Käsekuchen: Seelenwärmer Rezept | EAT SMARTER
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Frankfurter Kranz

To commemorate the city of Frankfurt am Main as the coronation site of the German Kaiser, this “Frankfurt Wreath” is supposed to depict a crown. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s favorite cake from his hometown is basically all buttercream and almond brittle.

Klassischer Frankfurter Kranz Rezept | Dr. Oetker
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Donauwelle

The “Danube wave” gets its name from the wavy layer of vanilla and chocolate cake. Topped with buttercream and a chocolate glaze.

Donauwelle nach Omas Rezept Rezept | EAT SMARTER
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Berliner

The rest of Germany calls them “Berliner” and Berliners call them “Pfannkuchen”. Made from yeast dough and in its most classic form filled with red fruit marmalade. Traditionally eaten on NYE  or during the carnival season (though not in Berlin!).

Berliner von CookBakery | Chefkoch
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Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

The “Black Forest Cherry” Cake is probably Germany’s most famous cake. Made with “cherry water” (very much not water, actually high percentage alcohol) and – you guessed it – a lot of buttercream.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte - das klassische Rezept
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When the bagel hunger strikes you…

Shakespeare and Sons is an English-language bookstore located close to the railway station Warschauer Straße in Berlin-Friedrichshain, selling a wide variety of new and used books and offering a great selection of the best (allegedly) bagels in town. And granted, bagel dreams do come true when you stand in front of their bagel display. The hard part comes when you need to decide for your kind of bagel: poppy seed or sesame? Onion or rosemary? Plain or cinnamon raisin? You finish your order by picking your spread to go with it (for example standard cream cheese, avocado, hummus, goat cheese, and a few special compilations). This sounds mouth-watering to us, but don’t come super hungry, as there probably will be a waiting line.

Where? Warschauerstrasse 74, 10243 Berlin
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 8am-8pm 
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Useful apps for your stay abroad

Going Local Berlin – is an unconventional travel guide. 700 personal tips for Berlins 12 boroughs. The app includes personal Berlin tips for „Hidden Places“; „Must-Sees“ and „Food & Drink“ as well as annual event highlights.
BVG FahrInfo Plus – is a free app that covers all public transportation in Berlin and helps you to easily navigate your way through the city.
The Berlin Wall – is an interactive map that shows the exact location of the Wall. Photos, audio clips and texts about the respective site are stored at historically important locations between Brandenburger Tor and Potsdamer Platz.   
Splitwise – is a free tool to track bills and other shared expenses, so that everyone gets paid back. Perfect for friends travelling together.
  
Happycow – is a worldwide restaurant finder for vegetarian and vegan restaurants.
Komoot – Hike &Bike GPS Maps- is an app that provides you with offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation and recommendations on hikes, cycling routes and mountain bike trails.   
Street Art Berlin – displays 25 walls to help you discover giant paintings, wonderful cut-outs and lovely stencils. This guide will take you right to the hotspots of the Berlin Street Art.
Berlin History Guide – is an interactive city guide directed by the GPS in your smartphone.

 

Kamino – is the perfect app for those of you who love to walk and explore the city without public transport. It offers walking tours created by travel experts and locals – stops for shopping and enjoying yummy food is guaranteed.
DB navigator App – is a convenient app by Deutsche Bahn (the German railway service) that makes plannung your weekend get-aways a little easier.

 

Living room feels at Frollein Langner

As is the case for so many of Berlin’s bar establishments – when you enter Frollein Langner for the first time, you don’t quite know if you have just stepped into your Grandma’s living room or have found a cool bar in Berlin Neukölln. Here, the latter is the case. Fun fact: next to the many cosy sofas and sofa chairs, a bath tub also belongs to the bar’s interior. However, due to the numerous comfortable seating options, we think it should be neglected. They have a good selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and even small food options (which are cooked at the place next door).

They sometimes do special events, like pub quizzes and music events. For this keep up to date on their Instagram.

Where? Weisestr. 34, 12049 Berlin, Neukölln
Opening Hours:  Monday-Friday 4pm-2am, Saturday-Sunday Noon-4am, Public Holidays 4pm-Midnight.
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Suggestion for humus lovers: Yafo Berlin

There are, obviously, tons of places in Berlin where you can get yourself some real‘ good Humus (bad as well, I might add, but to find those places we leave up to you).  This being said, at Yafo Berlin you can enjoy delicious Humus AND a very cozy environment. This certainly invites for a long and extensive humus feast. Prices lie above the usual Berlin humus price, but in return you get some top-notch quality for your money. One humus plate is probably enough for two people, if each has another main course to go with it (we learned this the hard way, struggeling to finish our own). As far as the humus dish is concerned, we highly (!) recommend their „Yafo über alles“: Humus garnished with slow roasted cauliflower, matbucha, zchug and tahini.

Where? Gormannstraße 17B,10119 Berlin.
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday Noon - 3am.
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Share a meal at La Lucha

Let us start by saying that it is probably a good idea to reserve a table at La Lucha, as it seems to get extremely busy. The high demand is justified though, as La Lucha adds a very interesting and, more importantly, very delicious twist to Mexican staples.

Large corn tortilla with baby corn, baby zucchini, shimeji mushrooms and chilie poblano

What seems to become a trend right now – La Lucha orientates itself toward authentic flavors, but takes them up a notch. For example, what would you say about ‚blue corn tortilla with smoked ricotta, melted gouda, crispy parmesan and figs‘? We’d say „yes, please!!“ Modern cuisine might often have the problem that it wants to be too modern, too pretty and too visual and then forgets all about the flavour. As far as we are concerned, this certainly is not the problem here. The food tastes as good as it looks, if not better.

Guacamole; Tacos with miso glazed sweet potato, cucumber & celery salsa fresca, peanuts and habanero; Blue corn tortilla with smoked ricotta, melted gouda, crispy parmesan and figs

We also especially like the restaurant’s belief in sharing food. To encourage this, every order is served as soon as it is ready, without a schedule in mind. We thus recommend to order a bunch of smaller meals and then share everything once it is on the table (have we mentioned the blue tortillas!? Because they are amazing).

In Spanish, La Lucha means “the struggle.” Mexicans are passionate and hard working people, and they use the term La Lucha in a positive way, to refer to their drive to achieve what they believe in. We share the drive and passion of the Mexican people, and strive everyday to bring you an honest, delicious and authentic Mexican experience. La Lucha is our struggle to bring Berlin a taste of the real Mexico.

Where? Paul-Lincke-Ufer 39–41, 10999 Berlin.
Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday, 6pm – 10pm, Friday & Saturday
6pm - 11pm

Discover a new spin on Vietnamese food at Con Tho in Kreuzberg

Right opposite the Volkspark Hasenheide (*rabbit-heath*) in Kreuzberg, you find the restaurant Con Tho, which is Vietnamese for rabbit. Coincidence? We don’t think so. If you like Vietnamese food, but are a bit bored of the same old standard menu, Con Tho offers a different take on the typical Vietnamese cuisine. It’s a fusion of local ingredients and typical Vietnamese staples. Appetizers are sorted by small and medium dishes (recommendable are the black rolls or the in coconut water simmered tofu with garlic-mayonnaise sauce). For the main course you need to decide between Com Tam (different rice dishes served in a hot stone bowl), Banh Xeo (different variations of a riceflower crepe) and a Hue Bowl (different interpretations of lemongrass soup). Also recommendable are their own creations of lemonade and tea. As far as we are concerned, it’s almost impossible to make a choice that you’ll regret. Seating situation in the warmer months is perfect due to the nice outside terrace. As long as temperature is on the chilly side, you’ll find a cosy spot inside between bamboo sticks and big lampions. Consider making a reservation, if you come to prime time dinner times (8pm onwards), because it gets crowded quickly.

Where? Hasenheide 16, Berlin, Germany 10967
Opening Hours: Mon&Wed-Sun 12-22PM / Tuesday closed 
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Eat through a burrito baby at Burrito Baby

This little joint in Neukölln has not been named Burrito Baby for nothing. Upon ordering one of their burritos, be ready for being handed an almost toddler sized one. Seating is scarce, which makes it especially nice during the summer months, because you can sit outside. This being said, we still recommend coming here, no matter the season, simply for the following dishes: one of their well-filled burittos or their ‚House Nachos‘. Find their full menu here.

Taco, Mexikanisches Essen, Taco Kawaii

Where? Pflügerstr.11, 12047 Berlin, Neukölln
Opening Hours: Tuesday-Friday 5pm-10:30am, Saturday-Sunday 3pm-10:30pm.