Germany » Dining in Berlin

The Germans are about as cultured in their dining as anybody on earth. Germany has a variety of restaurants and eating places for every budget and mood. However, most people coming to Germany like to try the traditional specialties.

A dish extremely popular among the people of Berlin is Currywurst. This is a large frankfurter topped with tomato sauce made with curry and pepper.

A Cafe is a place where you get coffee and pastries, and some snacks and other beverages. A Bierstube is a pub that serves a limited menu, but lots of beer. A Biergarten offers outside seating, some food items, and a wonderful, informal atmosphere.

A Ratskeller is a restaurant in the cellar of a usually historic town hall. The environment is great in these places and the food tends to be wonderful. 

On the Baltic and North Sea coasts seafood are the word; clams in dough, fish soups, crayfish pastries, and all kinds of smoked fish, with importance on herring (type of edible fish) and salmon.

Other meat dishes that retain their popularity include the Schnitzel (cutlet) which is usually served breaded, but has numerous other variations Jägerschnitzel with gravy and mushrooms, and the Zigeunerschnitzel with spicy vegetables. The basic meat in a Schnitzel is usually veal, but pork is also used. Roast pork also remains very popular, and is eaten with gravy and those giant, almost chewy dumplings that have long been popular. Still another pork specialty is the Rippchen, a juicy cured pork chop. It goes nicely with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes.

Among the egg dishes the Bavarian Bauernomelett, is popular. Potatoes and onions are mixed in with it. And then there are the pastries, made with chocolate, marzipan, honey and anything else that is good and calorie-laden. A Konditorei is a pastry shop that sells Germany's famous pastries. They often have a place where you can sit down and order tea or coffee. 

 

The restaurants Austria, Gugelhof, and Anita Wronski have been voted the most popular restaurants in Berlin.

You normally won't get a check at all. The waiter will come to your table and calculate the cost of your meal, and you pay him right at your table. The tip, or service, is usually included in the price of a meal or beverage. However, it's customary to round up to the next Mark and give the change to the waiter.