Cogai is one of the most fabulous little Thai/ Asian restaurants I have had the pleasure of exploring. We mentioned it before, briefly, in our Valentine’s day exploration of Berlin restaurants. It is cute, quaint and originally located in-between Schöneberg’s hot spots Nollendorfplatz and the Bülowstraße. Merely a stroll away from the epicenter of Berlin’s business life at the Potsdamer Platz. However, Cogai is not restaurant where you will find tourists or big groups of loud-mouthed Berliners. Cogai is hidden away on the corner of the Bülowstraße, the street where some of the city’s ladies of the night crawl out of their houses as soon as dawn falls. Strange? Scary?
No way, it’s Berlin in all its glory. Schöneberg is notoriously known for its gay scene, of which the center is the Nollendorfplatz (worth a stroll! the coolest gay bars in town!).

Cogai: real Asian delights

And hidden away next to the U-Bahn is Cogai. A hip, design-y little restaurant that serves authentic Thai food. And it really does. They offer the best appetizers (they do amazing Sommerrolle and a great Wantan soup), have a large range of exciting salad (mango with beef salad, papaya salad) and a great collection of sushi on offer to boot! The sommerrolle is one of my all-time favourites, a combination of salad, shrimp (or beef), fresh koriander and thin noodles, all wrapped up in a thin layer of un-fried dough, with a great satay-ish sauce to dip. But of course that is not all. Many ‘classical’ rice dishes and soups as main courses are represented on the luscious Cogai menu.

This is basically one of those restaurants where I would order the entire menu if I could manage to fit it into my stomach. I have been here a couple of times, and the food remains fabulous. The staff is very friendly and there is always a calm and relaxed atmosphere to lull you into a nice state of lethargy. It is hip and pretty, but due to its location, it is really a perfect Sunday-evening atmosphere kind of place. They carry a nice selection of wines and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

What makes this restaurant fabulous:

• The menu, which is great, varied and large. Ranging from exciting soups, nibbles, rice dishes up to sushi.
• The quality of the food which tastes simply fantastic. I have not yet eaten anything that did not entice my tastebuds.
• The price, as it is not expensive. Very decently priced with appetizers starting at 3 euros, main dishes between 5-12 euros.
• The staff, they are very friendly and attentive. Authentic Thai people.

What makes this restaurant less fabulous:

• The location. I like it, but some people might be put off by the U-Bahn racing by.
• The mellowness, which is again something that I like. But if you’re looking for a hip, happening and busy restaurant, you might want to skip Cogai.

Where to go?

Cogai
Bülowstraße 9
10783 Berlin
030 47595688‎

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