Cookies Cream behind a back-alley service door near Berlin's Hotel Adlon holds a Michelin star on a vegetarian tasting menu; the entrance is the dish-pit door.
Signature dishes: Parmesan dumpling, Beetroot ravioli
Must order: The six-course vegetarian tasting at EUR 105; the Parmesan dumpling is the room's defining course.
Tip: Entrance is a service door off the alley behind the Westin Grand. Bookings open four weeks ahead online.
Address: Behrenstrasse 55, 10117 Berlin
Borchardt on Berlin's Franzoesische Strasse has cooked the city's defining Wiener Schnitzel since 1992; the 1850s dining room runs 200 covers and the political-class lunch crowd.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Kalbsleber
Order: The Wiener Schnitzel with potato salad; the calf's liver Berlin-style is the long-running second pick.
Tip: Lunch from 12:00 is the easier seating than dinner. Bookings open four weeks ahead by phone.
The Duc Ngo's 893 Ryotei on Berlin's Kantstrasse cooks a Japanese-Peruvian izakaya menu with a sushi counter; the dining room runs late and the bar serves until 02:00.
Signature: Yellowtail sashimi, Black-cod miso
Order: The yellowtail sashimi with yuzu-truffle, the black-cod miso, and the chef sushi omakase.
Tip: The bar counter for omakase is the room's best seating; book it eight weeks ahead via the website.
Panama on Berlin's Potsdamer Strasse cooks a modern-European tasting in a former workshop courtyard; the dining room and garden share 60 covers with a natural-wine list.
Signature: Whole sea bass, Smoked-trout tart
Order: The seven-course tasting at EUR 115; the whole sea bass for two is the signature main.
Tip: The garden in summer is the best seating; book three weeks ahead online via the booking page.
The Bird on Berlin's Am Falkplatz has cooked dry-aged ribeye and burgers in a New York-style room since 2008; the bourbon list runs to 60 bottles, the soundtrack runs loud.
Signature: Dry-aged ribeye, New York cheesecake
Order: The 300g dry-aged ribeye with truffle butter; the New York cheesecake for dessert.
Tip: No-frills, cash-friendly, loud. The 22:00 second seating is easier than the 19:30 wave.
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 and Sunday classics.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Sauerbraten
Order: The Wiener Schnitzel with cucumber-potato salad; the Berlin sauerbraten in winter.
Tip: Sunday lunch from 12:00 is the easier seating than weekday dinner. Bookings two weeks ahead by phone.
Billy Wagner and Micha Schaefer's Nobelhart und Schmutzig in Berlin's Kreuzberg cooks a 10-course tasting from ingredients sourced inside Brandenburg's 200-kilometre ring.
Signature: Brandenburg carrot, Spreewald pike-perch
Order: The full 10-course tasting; no a la carte. Carrot, pike-perch and goose top the list.
Tip: Bookings open three months ahead at 09:00 Berlin time. Closed Sunday and Monday, weekday lunch is rare.
