A Week of Food in Berlin
Vegetarian’s paradise, meat lover’s bane?
Brunch from KoRo Café. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
I visited Berlin, Germany as a solo traveller October 8-16, 2023. All opinions expressed are my own.
Berlin is a vegetarian phenomenon. I’ve never seen so many specialty vegan/vegetarian options before in a city. That said, I am a meat lover, and I found it incredibly hard to satisfy my meat cravings as a visitor. Perhaps things might’ve been different if I’d had my own kitchen to cook in, but I took the budget hostel route, so I was stuck with eating out.
I couldn’t seem to find a place for some simple, grilled chicken or meat that wasn’t a) currywurst, b) steak, or c) fried. And as I’m sure we all know, meat portions from dining out are never as much as you’d like.
I felt like a rabbit in Berlin. I never knew if I was still hungry or just full from the fibre. Still, the vegetarian options pleasantly surprised me in their flavour and variety.
Here are some of the places I ate at, both meat- and non-meat-serving:
Frittenwerk
Fitting that my first meal in Berlin was currywurst.
I arrived on a Sunday evening, so there wasn’t much open. Luckily, I was near Alexanderplatz, and being the tourist hotspot it is, some shops around the area still catered into the night.
Frittenwerk is a chain of fast food. I usually keep away from these, but my currywurst and drink were surprisingly tasty. The Alexanderplatz location also has a very high rating on Google.
There are touchscreens like at McDonald’s for you to order at, but I still got nervewracked because they called out orders in German for pickup. I stared diligently at each meal to check if it was mine.
Tip: The toilet code for restaurants and cafés, if there is one, is printed on the receipt.
Frittenwerk Alexanderplatz. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
Mio Berlin
Mio Berlin is a huge restaurant and bar located right in the heart of Alexanderplatz. It serves breafast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Its price is mid- to high-end. The nice thing about food establishments in Berlin is that they display their menus outside, so you can check the prices before going in.
I came here twice, once for dinner and once for brunch. The dinner menu didn’t excite me too much. The brunch and breakfast menus are pretty hefty with the usual cuisine: eggs, bacon, toast, fruits, peas (oh gosh, the Europeans love their peas), etc.
Service isn’t really a thing in Europe like it is in North America, so be prepared to wait quite a while for your waiter to come back. It’s a fancy place in general, but I only recommend it if you have the time to spare.
Mio Berlin. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
Coffee Fellows
Coffee Fellows is the equivalent of your local coffee franchise, wherever you’re from. Think Second Cup in Toronto. It serves a healthy amount of pastries, porridge, and galore, but it’s pretty standard overall. They also do breakfast, as you can see in my photo. My friend recommended it as a prelude to Checkpoint Charlie. What can I say? It’s a coffee shop. It does its job.
Coffee Fellows - breakfast oatmeal. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
Mikkeler Berlin
To me, Europe doesn’t really have “bars” like they are in North America. They’re more cozy spaces for gatherings with some alcohol involved. Mikkeler Berlin is one of these spaces.
Located in Rosenthaler Platz, I met up with a friend here for late-night drinks. I’d wanted him to bring me somewhere authentically German. We immediately met a girl from London working the counter, so I can’t say how German the establishment is, but we tried. Another staff offered me samples of the drinks, and I chose #24 Schlenkerla, which earned me a, “We’ve got a unicorn!” Apparently Schlenkerla is as German as it gets for beer, and most people find it too strong. To each their own ;)
Mikkeler Berlin. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
Mein Haus am See
After Mikkeler, we moved to Mein Haus am See across the way. It used to be a cool place for locals, according to my friend, but since COVID, it’s turned into a popular tourist stop. We ordered some sort of apple concoction (apfelwein?). I didn’t have a baseline to compare, but my friend said it was subpar.
The space itself is very unique. It runs pretty deep and tall, and the back of the room is a tiered staircase for lounging on, with couches, sofas, and beanbags. A DJ spins tunes in the corner.
This is where I noticed once again that stores keep money in actual wallets in Berlin. You’ll see it at restaurants, bars, etc. The waiter or bartender will bring over a whole wallet of change when you pay. Cash is still widely used in Europe and sometimes the only accepted payment method.
Mein Haus am See. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
The Barn
The Barn is another coffeehouse, a bit more upscale than Coffee Fellows. I’d heard they do organic and premium roasted coffee beans, so I checked them out the day after bar-hopping for a late brunch. I’m not a coffee coinoisseur; I have no idea if what I was drinking was great or not, but it met my needs just fine, and the pastries were nice.
The Barn. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
Shimosen Vegan Ramen & Cocktails
Stop the party. Shimosen Ramen is a must-eat. Their Sakura Dream Cocktail in particular is TO DIE FOR. I’m not one for alcohol, usually, but I definitely had my fill of it during this Europe trip. The Sakura Dream is the definite winner, not only in taste but aesthetics as well.
Vegetarians and meat-lovers alike will love this little corner eatery. It’s located right next to the Holocaust Memorial at the bottom of some residential apartments. It’s very popular, and I can see (and taste) why.
Below photos by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
What Do You Fancy, Love?
This is definitely more of a local joint. I found it deep-diving on Google Maps for a nice breakfast place, and the storefront is located on a small residential street, away from the bustle of traffic.
I tried muesli for the first time here. Their menu is entirely vegan, and the décor featured posters of Marilyn Monroe, sex, and the like. Not exactly hippie, but definitely alternative.
The muesli was very filling. One is enough, especially if you’re not a huge eater. I enjoyed the taste overall, but I don’t think it’d be a go-to for me at first choice (by this time, I’d been in Berlin for several days, and I was severely needing some meat protein).
Like many other cafés in Berlin (including The Barn), this place had several small tables and one large one for sharing. It’s usual to sit right beside or in front of a complete stranger to finish your meal.
Muesli. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
Käfer
Käfer is the bistro atop the Reichstag Building. I booked an apero (afternoon snacks) reservation. It’s a nice place for a view of Berlin on the patio, but you probably have to request it.
I ordered a simple set of cakes and finger sandwiches, which came with champagne. It was tasty, for sure, but extremely expensive. For the budget solo traveller, you can find similar cuisine elsewhere.
Afternoon tea. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
Little Green Rabbit
Little Green Rabbit is a pretty cute vegan eatery near Alexanderplatz and Museum Island. It’s also close to Staatsopher Unter den Linden (Berlin State Opera), so you can catch a show afterward.
Their menu includes unique blends of vegan and vegetarian pizza, salads, and wraps. We ordered a tuna pizza to share; the crust was thin and crispy. I’m personally a fan of thicker crusts because they feel more hearty, but the flavour was good.
There was a huge lineup for it, owing to its location. Get someone to snag a table before you order.
Café Bell Chicco
Now this is a neighbourhood gem if I ever ate at one. I needed breakfast while I waited for my laundry to finish at Waschsalon, so I entered this family-run restaurant and was treated to one of the best meals I had in Berlin.
Their breakfast options are pretty standard: plates of eggs, bacon, toast, a bit of fruit, etc., but the taste was just amazing. They also serve takeout coffee and pastries at the counter. The place is very small and casual, so I didn’t know what to do with myself. The owner gestured for me to sit down and took my order at the table.
It’s not too busy, but the seats do fill up. Come here at a slower time, so you can sit down to eat and enjoy.
Breakfast platter. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
The Rabbit Café
This joint is more local. It’s located in the middle of a residential neighbourhood, near the Berlin Wall Memorial. It serves Asian-inspired and fusion dishes, along with your usual coffee and tea. I ordered curry, and my tea came in a very cute rabbit cup.
The only thing is that my curry sauce was too creamy, and I’m a bit lactose intolerant. Objectively it was very tasty, but I’d order a simple katsu dish next time. I still highly recommend this place (the store’s resident shiba ibu has nothing to do with it…).
Curry and tea. Photo by Lonely World, Lonely World.
Brotgarten
Brotgarten is a casual neighbourhood hub for sandwiches, coffee, meat, and spreads. I’m not usually a fan of sandwiches with hard bread/crusts, but this one was delightful. The coffee was also minimalist and aromatic.
Breakfast. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
Restaurant “Mittmann’s”
Finally. Authentic German food (maybe). According to Google, they’re authentic. We went for dinner here before dancing at Kater Blau, and it was SO delicious. I got the hamburger platter. Just look at the portions; they’re huge! My meat craving was finally satisfied.
It wasn’t busy, from my experience, but we went rather late. If you’re in need of some dire carbs and protein, this is the place.
Restaurant “Mittmann’s".” Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
Marktlokal
Marktlokal is a restaurant adjoined to Markthalle Neun, a food market in Kreuzberg. It’s very upscale fine dining. The portions are pretty small for their price, but you’d forgive that for its taste. We ordered some fish, olives, meat, and salad, amongst other things. The lighting is dark and moody; think candlelight dinners.
KoRo Café
Open on Sundays. That’s the most important part (for me, haha).
I had dumped my laundry at Waschsalon again and went to Café Bell Chicco for breakfast to see it closed, shutters down. That’s when I slapped myself figuratively in the face and remembered it was Sunday, the Germans’ rest day.
Thankfully, KoRo Café was open nearby, and I ordered a protein oatmeal cup with bread and tea. The café is very small, and all the seats were taken, so I took my tray outside. It was slightly cold and windy, not the best for patio service, but you take what you can get.
The food was fine, but I’d rather have had some hearty eggs and toast. I’m way more of a salt girl than sweet.
Brunch. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
Falafelli
A small, local falafel joint that only takes cash. I was hungry for something hearty to meet my late-night cravings before dancing it up at Berghain, and this was close to my hostel. There was a long wait time, as they asked me to hold on until they could translate, but my wrap was pretty great.
Falafel. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.
So there you have it: my week of food in Berlin. Berlin didn’t impress me too much overall with its cuisine, but there were definitely standout local joints. If you’re vegetarian or have specific dietary restrictions, you can be sure there’ll be something for you here.
Pastries. Photo by Lonely Girl, Lonely World.