Eating and Drinking

You can spend as much or as little as you like on food in Berlin; it's one item, at least, that won't break the bank. The city's compressed, cosmopolitan nature means that it has restaurants offering a whole gamut of cuisines from around the globe. Indeed, ethnic eateries - many of which serve full meals for under DM15/?7.50. - are at least as ubiquitous as traditional German Gaststätten. And nowhere is more than a stone's throw from a bar , at least in the western part of the city. Just about every street corner has a small Kneipe, ranging from lugubrious beer-swilling holes to slick, upscale hangouts for Berlin's night people. Most stay open later than elsewhere in Germany: it's quite feasible to drink around the clock here, the result of a law that requires bars to close only for an hour a day for cleaning. It's worth bearing in mind that many are excellent (and inexpensive) choices for food, especially breakfast, which may be served till afternoon - or later.

The city's most distinctive drink is Berliner Weisse , a top-fermented, very pale-coloured wheat beer with a low alcohol content (usually around 2.5 percent). It has an acidic taste when drunk neat, but it's normally pepped up with a shot of fruity syrup, or Schuss , and served in a large bowl-shaped glass as a summer refresher. Ask for it mit grün and you get a dash of woodruff, creating a greeny brew with a strong herby taste; mit rot is a raspberry-flavoured kiddy drink that works wonders at breakfast time. The city's two large breweries, Kindl and Scultheiss, both make Berliner Weisse , in addition to their own version of Pils . A broader portfolio of beers is available from an ex-GDR brewery, Berliner Bürgerbräu, whose products include a dark Bock and an even darker Schwarzbier .

Restaurants
The more established restaurants are in the west, but in the last few years the eastern districts of the city have experienced a restaurant boom. Generally speaking, these eastern establishments cater to a young and savvy crowd and emphasize ...
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Snack bars
The cheapest places for a meal are the Mensas of the Technical University on Ernst-Reuter-Platz and at Hardenbergstr. 34, which are officially for university students only and open Mon-Fri 11.15am-2.30pm. In addition to these, there is a wide...
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Hausbrauereien
Berlin has supplanted Munich in the leading role in the national enthusiasm for new-generation Hausbrauereien, where beer is brewed in the bar-cum-restaurant where it is served. Alter Fritz , Karolinenstr. 12, Reinickendorf. A popular...
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Bars and café-bars
Berlin's bar and café-bar scene is focused on a number of distinct areas. Both drinking and eating are generally best done away from the obvious tourist strips like Unter den Linden and Kurfürstendamm, where standards tend to be lower and prices higher....
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Bars and café-bars
Berlin's bar and café-bar scene is focused on a number of distinct areas. Both drinking and eating are generally best done away from the obvious tourist strips like Unter den Linden and Kurfürstendamm, where standards tend to be lower and prices higher....
read more >>