Zur Letzten Instanz is a german restaurant in Mitte, Berlin.
Editorially verified May 19, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: Listed in every guidebook but largely missed by food travellers who stop at Mitte restaurants.
Tip: Book the small low-ceilinged room rather than the larger hall; it is the original 17th-century space.
Guided tour · 2h 30m
Explore Berlin Mitte on a guided food tour. Taste currywurst, döner kebab, fish sandwiches, and donuts, with seamless vegan and vegetarian options available.
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
Surely, you want to try Berlin's delicious food away from the typical tourist-filled spots, right? Join us and savor Berlin's culinary treasures like a local!
Address: Waisenstrasse 14-16, 10179 Berlin
Henne Alt-Berliner Wirtshaus on Leuschnerdamm in Kreuzberg has served one dish for over a century: a half-roasted milk-fed chicken with kraut salad and rye.
Why locals goHenne has cooked one dish since 1907 and is barely online. The room has no booking widget; you phone two weeks ahead and ask for the original 1907 dining room.
TipPhone reservations only: +49 30 614 7730. Ask for the original 1907 room when booking; the annex is less atmospheric.
Big Stuff Smoked BBQ inside Berlin's Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg pulls brisket and pork off an 80-kilo Texas-style smoker; the counter runs Wednesday.
Why locals goBig Stuff trades from a single counter inside Markthalle Neun behind an 80-kilo smoker shipped over from Tennessee.
TipBrisket sells out by 14:00 Thursdays during Street Food Thursday; arrive before 13:00 or accept the pulled pork.
Ottenthal on Berlin's Kantstrasse in Charlottenburg has cooked a Vienna-style Austrian menu since 1996; the wine list runs 400 Austrian bottles.
Why locals goOttenthal occupies a wood-panelled Kantstrasse corner in Charlottenburg most Mitte visitors never cross town for. The Austrian kitchen runs Vienna-style schnitzel.
TipClosed Sundays. Lunch from 12:00 weekdays is the easier seating; the candle-lit window tables need a booking two weeks ahead.
Cielo on Berlin's Lenbachstrasse in Friedrichshain pairs Mediterranean sharing plates with a natural-wine list chosen by Yannick Kern; ex-Kink chef Ivano.
Why locals goCielo opened in early 2025 on a residential Friedrichshain block away from any tourist map.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. Walk-ups for the counter seats from 18:00 Tuesdays; tables need a booking a week ahead.
Vagabund Brauerei in Wedding's former boiler house brews American-influenced craft ales and a proper Berliner Weisse from a building most Berliners have not.
Why locals goVagabund sits in a Wedding Kesselhaus on a street most visitors never reach. The brewery's American-influenced craft ales are better-known in San Francisco and London press than.
TipThe taproom runs live events most Fridays; check the calendar before showing up mid-week.
Barra in Neukoelln's Schillerkiez, on the edge of Tempelhofer Feld, cooks ever-changing shared plates built on local produce with a natural-wine list.
Why locals goThis Neukoelln Michelin Bib Gourmand room in the Schillerkiez holds only 35 covers and takes no walk-ins; it never appears on the tourist circuit.
TipBook at least two weeks ahead via the website; Tuesday and Wednesday are the easier tables.
