Several new City West restaurants have also capitalized on the reclamation of old-world magnificence, such as the sophisticated and German celeb-heavy Grosz (Kurfürstendamm 193, Charlottenburg. Tel: 030-652-142-199. www.grosz-berlin.de).
Dining is indeed now a big deal in the new Berlin, with the latest Michelin guide upping the city’s star quotient by some 20% in just a year’s time. Long gone are the days when bland and heavy German cuisine was the norm. A steady influx of cultures and creative types from around the world has helped inspire a mind-boggling and mouthwatering array of food in Berlin, running the gamut of price points and palate adventurousness.
While you’re in Berlin, you’ll want to sample local go-to comfort foods like currywurst and doner kebab, but when you’re not just soaking up booze, do yourself (and your stomach) a favor and try out some of the city’s new gems. Two great places to start are La Soupe Populaire (Bötzow Berlin, Prenzlauer Allee 242, Prenzlauer Berg. Tel: 030-206-039-880. www.lasoupepopulaire.de), Chef Tim Raue’s arty new offering inside the sprawling Bötzow Brewery complex, and Long March Canteen (Wrangelstrasse 20, Kreuzberg. Tel: 0178-884-9599. www.longmarchcanteen.com), which presents eclectic Chinese cuisine in an upscale and trendy setting (it’s as if a little bit of Mitte plopped down into very unfussy Kreuzberg).
Just around the corner, Markthalle Neun (Eisenbahnstrasse 42/43, Kreuzberg. www.markthalleneun.de) is at the forefront of the city’s exploding street-food movement, offering everything from Peruvian ceviche, Nigerian fufu, and Korean buns to American barbecue at its Street Food Thursdays, weekly from 5 to 10 P.M.
Of course the elephant in the “What’s New in Berlin�? room is what’s not new, at least not yet: the city’s much ballyhooed Brandenburg Airport. Originally slated for a 2010 debut, after multiple reschedulings (and a major blow to the concept of German efficiency) the multi-billion euro airport is still sadly without an official opening date. Never mind: Locals love the convenience of Tegel Airport anyway, and airberlin (www.airberlin.com) now offers numerous direct flights here from the US, including daily summer service from both New York and Chicago, and five times a week from Miami.
This article originally appeared in the March 2014 issue of Passport Magazine.
