On The Town: Berlin Eats

My recent European jaunt included a 3-day stint in Berlin.  I went to Berlin knowing pretty much nothing about the city. Sure, I knew there was a wall that came down in the 90s and that they probably had some good sausage and beer but that was about it.  Before the trip I tried doing some research and planning but the entirely unfamiliar German words couple with my complete ignorance about all things Berlin were both a hindrance to my usually awesome trip-planning.  Plus I knew that the owner of our hostel (yes, princess stayed at a hostel) would give us a good schpiel about Berlin so i wasn’t too worried.

While in Berlin I drank my fair share of beer.  I felt like it was my duty.  Plus you can drink beer literally anywhere.  We’re talking walking down the street, on the subway, in a park… anywhere.  I didn’t really take advantage of the liberal consumption patterns but beer was definitely my beverage of choice when dining out.

Here’s a look at some of what I ate in Berlin…

While walking through the Flohmarkt am Mauerpark (Mauerpark Flea Market) I noticed that A LOT of people were eating corn on the cob.  Seeing as corn season hadn’t rolled into Ontario yet I had to have corn on the cob.  When I saw the corn sitting in water I was skeptical but tried it anyways and was impressed.

Not to far away from the market we stumbled upon a cute restaurant with a great vibe.  Folks were eating good looking meat and cheese platters and I was totally sold.  This was a really simple lunch but totally hit the spot.  I need to recreate the goodness chez moi.

After checking out the Berlin Wall we decided to hit the beach.  Yes, someone had the brilliant idea of creating beaches on the banks of the river behind the remnants of the Berlin Wall and added bars. Score!  Seriously, after walking the kilometer + stretch it was hard to resist a spot to just stop and chill.  I discovered Schofferhofer Grapefuit.  It reminded me of beer mixed with Ting.  I’m glad they don’t have this stuff at the LCBO because it would totally be a problem.

I couldn’t hit Germany without eating schnitzel.  in fact, I had schnitzel for dinner two nights in a row.  This was superior schnitzel.  The restaurant is Restaurant April and it’s near the Nollendorfplatz subway station. Pretty much everyone in the restaurant was eating the schnitzel… and for very good reason.

Our last meal in Berlin was on the fancier side. Or maybe just on the touristy side. We had a late lunch/early dinner at a restaurant on Pariser Platz where the Brandenburg Gates are called Theodor Tucher. The restaurant boasts the fact that Bill Clinton ate there. I decided to forgo my usual beer and instead ordered a Rhubarb Spritzer. It kind of tasted like diluted and kind of flat rhubarb pop but was actually kind of refreshing.

My friend Ben ordered a Berlin specialty… the Currywurst. It’s basically a sausage in what I’m sure is curry spiced ketchup. It’s odd but kind of satisfying. Since we were at a fancy restaurant they made the Brandenburg Gates out of curry powder and then brought the sausage out separately. I won’t lie, it was kind of impressive.

After consuming A LOT of meat over the previous two days I decided to switch it up a bit and have fish… and potatoes! The fish was really fresh and simply prepared. The potatoes were quite possibly the best potatoes I’ve had. Period. The potatoes were fried with bacon and onions… need I say more?

Of course I couldn’t leave Germany without trying a pretzel while chilling in Pariser Platz.

Berlin is a great city worth visiting.  Next time I would do more research into the food scene, but honestly, we didn’t really have any bad meals.