The currywurst is an institution an sich in Berlin. The crunchy, sliced sausage with curry-ketchup either in combination with a big plate of fries or tucked away into a Berliner Schrippe, is one of the most hated and loved food concepts. When walking across many of the city’s hot spots, you will come across the bratwurst and currywurst vendors – women en men roaming the streets with the sole purpose of supplying the ever-hungry Berlin with their daily dose of wurst. The sausage is one of Germany’s essential classics that you should definitely give a try. When in Rome..

Feeding off flesh in Berlin

Personally, I am not a meat-oriented eater, but I am basically open to anything when hungry. So it will not come as a surprise when I say that I have eaten my fair share of Berlin wursting. And one day, more than a year ago, I had two of my Dutch friends over for a Berlin visit. They are into the sausages and wursts and wanted to experience a typical Berlin bratwurst from one of the street vendors. We found one of the many on Alexanderplatz and my friends got their bread with a crunchy bratwurst inside. Considering the rumors about dying or getting horribly ill after eating something like like from ‘the street’, I have to vouch for all of us that we survived, without any tummy cramps.

Craving currywurst?

But now let’s return to the currywurst. If I would have to choose between bratwurst and currywurst, I would be inclined to go for the latter. I like bad sauces on meats and fries and the currywurst basically fulfills all my naughty and fatty needs. In Berlin, there are a couple of classical currywurst instituations that are incredibly popular among the native inhabitants as well as the tourists. Curry 36 in Kreuzberg (on Mehringdamm) is one of them – and Konnopke’s Imbiss is another.

You find the Imbiss on the Eberswalder Straße, right underneath the U-Bahn where it has been for years and years. This imbiss is really one of those Berlin classics that has been able to withstand the sandy beaches of time. Konnopke’s Imbiss is only an imbiss – you pop in front of the window and give the lady or sir working your order and within two minutes you will get your plate filled with fries, your desired sauces and the currywurst. In summer, they have a couple of benches, tables and chairs in cute nooks and crannies where you can sit yourself down. Konnopke is surely and only to be recommended for a brief bite, as a typical fast food location. One of my collegues has been telling me for months and months that the fries and the currywurst at Konnopke is really the best there is. Challenged and intrigued, I ventured to the Eberswalder Straße and got myself fries and the currywurst.

The best currywurst in Berlin

Now since I was expecting the best currywurst and fries in all of Berlin, the stakes were high. The fries were simply nice fries, that did not particularly surprise me . Then again, how is one supposed to surprise with fries? And the wurst was definitely different from all other currywursts that I had ever eaten. When ordering, I saw the currywurst was explicitly made without intestines – which can be the cause for the difference in flavour. The Konnopke currywurst was somehow softer and more juicy (if you can even say that about a currywurst) than your average currywurst. I liked it, the soft texture that seemed to imply it was somehow less scary in terms of dead animal parts than most currywurst you eat. (And yes, that is an issue for me.)

For 3 euros you can get a big pile of fries, currywurst and as many sauces as you like. Definitely worth a try when you are in need of a quick and fatty bite and are hanging around in Prenzlauer Berg.

Where to go?

Konnopke’s Imbiss
Schönhauser Allee 44a
10435 Berlin
030 4427765

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