Currywurst is the post-war Berlin Imbiss invention: a sliced bratwurst doused in spiced ketchup, dusted with curry powder, served with a paper plate, a wooden fork and a side of pommes.
Currywurst was invented in Berlin in 1949 by Herta Heuwer at her Imbiss at the corner of Kantstrasse and Kaiser-Friedrich-Strasse in Charlottenburg. Heuwer obtained ketchup and curry powder from British soldiers, mixed her own spiced sauce and ladled it over a sliced grilled sausage. The dish was patented in 1959 (under the name Chillup) but the form had already spread across West Berlin. Konnopke's Imbiss at the Eberswalder Strasse U-Bahn arch has cooked currywurst since 1960, claiming East Berlin's earliest version. The German Currywurst Museum operated from 2009 to 2018 on Schuetzenstrasse. The dish remains the city's most consumed street food: an estimated 70 million currywurst are eaten in Berlin each year.
3 editor picks for Currywurst in Berlin, ranked by editorial score. All Berlin signature dishes · Currywurst across every city.
Konnopke's Imbiss ★ 4.6
prenzlauer-berg · Schoenhauser Allee 44B, 10435 Berlin
Konnopke's Imbiss under the Eberswalder Strasse U-Bahn arch has cooked currywurst at this Prenzlauer Berg site since 1930. The East Berlin version is leaner than the Kreuzberg style, the sauce thinner.
Curry 36 ★ 4.5
kreuzberg · Mehringdamm 36, 10961 Berlin
Curry 36 at Mehringdamm 36 has served currywurst in the heart of Kreuzberg since 1980. The ketchup is spiced to a distinct formula and the line at midnight is as long as at noon.
Curry 61 ★ 4.1
hackescher-markt · Oranienburger Strasse 6, 10178 Berlin
Curry 61 near Hackescher Markt serves a well-spiced currywurst with a house sauce that leans sweeter than Kreuzberg versions. Vegan wurst available alongside the pork original.