Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Eisbein is the Berlin pork-knuckle classic: a cured-and-boiled hind leg served with sauerkraut, pease pudding and boiled potatoes. The dish defines the city's heavy-winter tavern grammar.
Eisbein has been on Berlin tavern menus since the 17th century, when the city's pork-curing economy on the Spreewald edge supplied salt-cured hind legs to working-class kneipen. The boiled (not roasted) preparation is the Berlin specific, distinct from the southern German Schweinshaxe (roasted). The dish was the Prussian soldier's evening meal in barracks across the 18th and 19th centuries. In the GDR, Eisbein was the Sunday family dish at HO-Gaststaetten. Today it survives at traditional taverns like Zur Letzten Instanz (since 1621), Max und Moritz and Henne. Pease pudding (Erbsenpueree) and Sauerkraut are the non-negotiable sides.
3 editor picks for Eisbein in Berlin, ranked by editorial score. All Berlin signature dishes · Eisbein across every city.
Henne Alt-Berliner Wirtshaus on Berlin's Leuschnerdamm has cooked one dish since 1907: a milk-fed roast half-chicken with kraut salad and bread.
OrderThe half-chicken with the kraut salad and rye bread; the only choice on the menu.
TipClosed Monday. Bookings two weeks ahead by phone; ask for the original 1907 dining room when booking.
Max und Moritz on Berlin's Oranienstrasse has cooked Prussian tavern classics since 1902 in the original ceramic-tiled dining room; the Klopse and rouladen.
OrderThe Koenigsberger Klopse with caper-cream sauce; the beef rouladen with red cabbage in winter.
TipClosed Monday lunch. The original 1902 dining room is the seating to book; phone two weeks out.
Lutter und Wegner on Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt has cooked the city's traditional Wiener Schnitzel since 1811; the wood-panelled room runs the long lunch.
OrderThe Wiener Schnitzel with cucumber-potato salad; the Berlin sauerbraten in winter.
TipSunday lunch from 12:00 is the easier seating than weekday dinner. Bookings two weeks ahead by phone.
Eisbein makes more sense with someone from Berlin explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste your way through East Berlin’s transformation. Explore history, street art, and global flavors on a guided food and culture walking tour, vegan-friendly!
Guided tour · 3 hours
Explore Berlin's most exciting historical hotspots, Mitte. Taste delicacies in various restaurants, and hear authentic stories about the district.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Discover the former East Berlin district of Friedrichshain on a guided craft beer tour. Visit microbreweries and brewpubs to try handcrafted beers.
