Shops, markets, restaurants, and other things that bring us back. If there’s something you think should be on the list, let us know.
Charlottenburg
- Centro Italia - Wholesale Italian groceries available to the public. Astonishing selection of salumi and cheeses including fresh salsiccie, full range of Voiello and Barilla pastas, much stuff you can’t find anywhere else. Mediocre wine selection, looked like to this non-expert. Sophie-Charlotten-Str. 9-10 (ew)
Friedrichshain
- Nil Sudanesischer Imbiss — a two-table, tiny-countered stop at Grünberger Str. 52, offering a Sudanese take on inexpensive meat-in-a-pita snacks, along with more substantial dinner plates . But the flavors offer a definite twist for those used to Turkish or Lebanese fare, with peanut sauces, tofu plates, and fried maniok available. Fast, cheap, and delicious. (jb)
Kreuzberg
- Hasir, Adalbertstr. 1 : While this original modest restaurant has now expanded into a veritable Turkish cuisine empire, this Kreuzberg location still serves up some of the most authentic Turkish grilled specialties around. Don’t miss the Mutebbel, a grilled eggplant, garlic and yogurt dip served hot. (Note: the Mitte location is a disappointment and geared primarily for touristas: prices are higher, portions smaller and not nearly as expertly prepared.) (am)
Mitte
- Mitte Meer — Another wholesale market, this one Spanish. Huge wine selection, big room with salames and cheeses, but the real secret here is the freshest fish (small selection, high prices, but top quality) in town. Invalidenstr. 50-51, behind the Hamburger Bahnhof. (ew)
- Galleries Lafayette: The Malongo boutique is gone, but Malongo beans, the freshest and cheapest in town, are still available at the bakery counter. Selection is haphazard — sometimes they’ve got it, sometimes they don’t — and sales help ranges from helpful to hopeless. Friedrichstraße 76-78 (ew)
- Makato — A ramen shop with good house-made noodles. Very much Japanese home cooking, nothing fancy like sushi available, but an excellent bite to the soup noodles and wok dishes. Alte Schönhauser Str. 13 (am & jb)
Prenzlauer Berg
- “Gözleme” stand, Kollwitzplatz farmer’s market : This savory (and fairly inexpensive) snack that looks like a stuffed quesadilla is perfected by a husband and wife team who staff this tiny booth during the Saturday market. Lots of other gözleme offerings in the city seem a tad greasy and not completely authentic; this is the real deal. (Usually located on the Knaackstr. arm of the market.) (am)
- Weinstein - I’d given up on German food and on finding a restaurant with the winning trio of good food, good service and good ambiance. Looking for a table for six fast on a Friday night, a “help me!” phone call took me to this amazing gem, which has restored my faith (und wie!) in the possibility of good eats in Berlin. Wow, wow, wow. (And I promised myself I wouldn’t spill the beans! Darn!). Lychner Str. 33. (jw)
- Wok Show - Go there now. Don’t wait around. Anything else you’re doing isn’t this important. This out-of-the-way corner Chinese restaurant has homemade plates of jiao zi dumplings that provoke shivers of ecstasy. Side orders of marinated tofu and lily blossoms, or crunchy shrimp, are definitely worth trying. Have the dumplings boiled or fried, vegetarian or meat-filled. But have them. Greifenhagenerstraße 31. (all of us)
Schöneberg
- Sona Food Traders. If you’re in the mood for Indian, need a huge selection, and don’t want to buy it at a Chinese food story, Sona is the place for you. You might think you’re lost trying to get there, but don’t worry — the loading dock really is the front door. They’ve got rare veggies in season, cheap green chilies all the time, and more types of Bombay Mix than is probably legal here. Look for secret price savers here, too. You won’t find pinenuts anywhere for less. Bülowstr. 57 (jw)
Wedding
- Vinh Loi Far East Food — an extensive selection of Asian green vegetables, most impossible to find at ordinary grocery stores, (along with a huge selection of other goodies double or triple the size of the ordinary Asia Markt). Find it at Müllerstr. 40. (jb)
Wilmersdorf
- Tian-Fu Food, a little Chinese restaurant and dim-sum place. Tops are the fresh handpulled Chinese noodles, with pretty authentic sauces and soups. Noodles are better than the dim sum. Berliner Str. 15. (jb — thanks to Ben Perry)