I love weasels. It is this thing that I have always had, ever since I saw my first weasel in the wild. Fuchsbau in Kreuzberg is the first bar-cum-brunch-spot that combines my love for alcohol and food with my love for weasels. Its name already implies a link to foxes, but Fuchsbau actually sports a stuffed weasel too.
Brunch in Berlin is an essential activity, also adopted by trendy parents in the outskirts of Prenzlauer Berg. In Kreuzberg and Neukölln brunching is still young and populated mostly by the trend setting hipsters that Berlin is so well-known for. Mathilda is one of these places, with its small-scaled restaurant located in the Graefestraße right in the middle of Kreuzberg.
I wandered the streets a few Sundays ago in the the most Wochenende Bezirk of all: Friedrichshain. I wanted classy, slightly posh and simply cosy, classic and à la carte for my brunch location. The night before had lasted traditionally long and with a tired and slightly post-intoxicated smile, we came across Kuchenrausch (Rush of Pie). I used to suspect this place is only interesting for their pies and cakes, but Kuchenrausch is actually a great breakfast restaurant too.
Berlin sports a great many of Asian eateries. Good lunch locations for a warm and spicy meal, atmospheric elaborate restaurants for romantic dinners and easy quick fixes for a brief bite. Amidst traditional places such as Goodmorning Vietnam and funky Transit, Berlin does know how to keep the Asian cuisine fresh and lively. We used to frequent the Berlin Mitte restaurant Ho Vang that does a great lunch meal. Not dissimilar, we recently checked out the Indonesian and Thai restaurant Goodtime on the Hausvogteiplatz in Berlin Mitte.
More than a specific cuisine, I like cool concepts of dining. We tried Pret a Diner, we have been up for some supper club dining and we even ventured outside of Berlin to look for nice places for food. A really fun and fabulous restaurant in Neukölln, hidden away in a backyard, is the Italian old laundry factory Lavanderia Vecchia.
I love and adore Turkish food. Yes – not just döner. I mean real Turkish food. Delicious bread products, cous cous, rices, meats, yoghurts, herbs, sauces and much much more. The most predominant “Turkish” food in Berlin is the döner. But I am not going to write a review on döner foods. Because I like restaurants. And I ended up in this very nice Turkish place on Kottbusser Tor in Kreuzberg.
Extremely centrally located right in the middle of Mitte, on the crossing of the Neue Schönhauser Straße, the Alte Schönhauser Straße and the Münzstraße (close to the COS shop and the Adidas flagship store), one finds the restaurant Adebar. But Adebar is not just a restaurant, it is also a hotel.
On the beautiful Carl-Herz-Ufer with a stunning view of the canal languidly floating by and in the middle of Kreuzkölln – probably a bit more Kölln than Kreuz – you ought to pop into the brand new a.horn bar and brunch, lunch and dinner location. It is a restaurant, a brunch hot spot and a great bar all rolled into one.
Looking out over the Volksbühne, a classical architectural landmark in Berlin’s pulsating Bezirk Mitte, one stumbles across the small restaurant called Voss. Due to its location next door to the cult cinema Babylon, Voss is either relatively empty and relaxed – or brimming with people who have just wandered out of the cinema. Voss is a relatively large restaurant, but due to its casual atmosphere, it feels small and cosy. Its staff is always friendly and willing to lend a hand – and with its great and diverse menu with a large stamp of budgetproof-ness on it, Voss is a safe bet for any occassion.
I had mentioned it briefly before, in our best locations for drinking a cup of coffee in Berlin. But Café Bilderbuch (Café Picture Book) deserves a lot more than a brief coffee recommendation. It is a library, a place for art, a gallery and a restaurant all in one.
