Once squat and counter-culture, now the densest food borough in the city: Markthalle Neun on Tuesdays, Turkish bakeries on Kottbusser Damm, Burgermeister under the U-Bahn.
Billy Wagner and Micha Schaefer's Nobelhart und Schmutzig in Berlin's Kreuzberg cooks a 10-course tasting from ingredients sourced inside Brandenburg.
OrderThe full 10-course tasting; no a la carte. Carrot, pike-perch and goose top the list.
TipBookings open three months ahead at 09:00 Berlin time. Closed Sunday and Monday, weekday lunch is rare.
Tim Raue's two-Michelin-star room near Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin Kreuzberg cooks a chef-led Asian-French tasting; the Peking duck is the city's defining.
OrderThe Peking duck, the wasabi langoustine and whichever pork-belly course is on; Raue's signatures stay on the carte.
TipLunch tasting at €178 is the easier entry vs the €248 dinner. Book four weeks ahead at minimum.
Sebastian Frank's two-star Horvath on Berlin's Paul-Lincke-Ufer cooks a vegetable-led Austrian tasting; the canal-side terrace runs the summer.
OrderThe Carinthian-style cheese dumplings and whichever goat course is on; both stay on the tasting year-round.
TipThe terrace at lunch in summer is the room's best seating. Bookings open eight weeks out at 10:00 Berlin time.
Maximilian Strohe's one-star Tulus Lotrek in Berlin Kreuzberg cooks a French-rooted modern-European tasting in a former corner kneipe with 20 covers and one.
OrderThe seven-course tasting at €165; the foie gras and the pigeon course are the signatures.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. Bookings open three months ahead via the website and burn the first day.
Long March Canteen in Berlin Kreuzberg is the city's dim-sum reference, with hand-folded dumplings from an open kitchen and a long bar pouring tsingtao.
OrderThe dim sum platter for two, mapo tofu, and the steamed-fish special of the night.
TipNo reservations. Arrive before 19:00 on weekdays or expect a 45-minute wait at the bar.
Long March Canteen on Berlin's Wrangelstrasse cooks the city's reference dim sum with hand-folded dumplings from an open kitchen; the bar runs natural wine.
OrderThe dim sum platter for two, the mapo tofu, and the steamed-fish special of the night.
TipNo reservations. Arrive before 19:00 weekdays or wait 45 minutes at the bar.
Marktlokal inside Berlin's Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg has cooked seasonal regional plates from market produce for over a century; chef Bjoern Persson.
OrderThe fish of the day from the in-house counter; the wood-fired flatbread with seasonal toppings.
TipOpen during market hours plus Thursday Street Food Thursday evenings. Walk-up only; arrive before 19:00 Thursdays or wait at the bar.
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.
Five Elephant in Berlin Kreuzberg has roasted its own beans and pulled the city's reference filter coffee since 2010; the New York-style cheesecake.
DrinkFilter coffee (single-origin)
TipThe Reichenberger flagship runs all-day.
Bonanza Coffee Roasters in Berlin Kreuzberg has helped define the city's third-wave coffee scene since 2006; the Adalbertstrasse roastery-cafe pulls.
DrinkEspresso
TipNo Wi-Fi by policy; the cafe is for drinking, not working. Ask the barista for a flat white.
Fjord Coffee Roasters in Berlin Kreuzberg roasts its own beans at the Schoenleinstrasse cafe and runs an all-day brunch carte; the filter coffee and toasted.
DrinkFilter coffee
TipThe Sunday brunch from 10:00 books out by mid-morning; the filter coffee runs until 17:00 daily.
Concierge Coffee on Berlin's Paul-Lincke-Ufer pulls espresso from a tiny 8-cover counter built into a hotel lobby; the single-origin filter list runs four.
DrinkSingle-origin espresso
Tip8-cover counter only, no laptop tables. The single-origin filter is the order on a quiet weekday morning.
Westberlin now runs at the St. Agnes complex on Alexandrinenstrasse in Kreuzberg, pouring Bonanza beans over two floors; filter coffee and tartines.
DrinkFilter coffee
TipThe magazine shelf is the second draw; weekday mornings are the calm window for the filter bar.
Alfredo Sironi's bakery counter inside Berlin's Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg bakes Italian sourdough breads; the pane casareccio and focaccia run.
Worth the queuePane casareccio
TipClosed Sunday with the market. Friday and Saturday from 09:00 are the busy windows; loaves sell out by 14:00.
Albatross Bakery on Graefestrasse in Kreuzberg bakes naturally leavened sourdough loaves and pastries from a small open kitchen; the country loaf.
Worth the queueSourdough country loaf
TipOpen seven days 08:00-18:00. The kouign-amann sells out within an hour of opening on weekends.
Le Bon on Berlin's Boppstrasse in Kreuzberg bakes French-style viennoiserie at the level of any Paris boulangerie; the croissant aux amandes and the pain au.
Worth the queueCroissant aux amandes
TipClosed Monday. The Saturday morning queue runs 20 minutes deep from 09:00; arrive before 09:00 for the full case.
Five Elephant has roasted in Berlin Kreuzberg since 2010 with a direct-trade origin program; the Reichenberger flagship cafe is the consumer-facing window.
BeansEthiopia, Colombia, Kenya, Brazil
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
TipThe bean retail wall has the full single-origin range; the cheesecake remains the standing second order.
Bonanza Coffee Roasters started in Berlin Kreuzberg in 2006 and now roasts at Oranienplatz with cafes at Adalbertstrasse and Chausseestrasse.
BeansEthiopia, Colombia, Honduras
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail, Subscription
TipThe bean subscription with two rotating origins per month is the home-coffee deal; pick up at the cafe.
Fjord Coffee Roasters has roasted at the Schoenleinstrasse cafe in Berlin Kreuzberg since 2013; the small-batch Scandinavian-style roast runs three origins.
BeansEthiopia, Burundi, El Salvador
BrewsEspresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
TipThe Sunday brunch from 10:00 books out by mid-morning; the filter coffee runs until 17:00 daily.
Concierge Coffee on Berlin's Paul-Lincke-Ufer is a multi-roaster bar serving four rotating roasters per week (Five Elephant, Bonanza, Onyx, Square Mile).
BeansVarious third-wave roasters (multi-roaster)
BrewsEspresso, Filter
TipMulti-roaster format means the bean rotates every 48 hours; check the chalkboard for the day's pull.
Schwarze Traube on Muskauer Strasse in Kreuzberg has run a no-menu bespoke cocktail room since 2012; tell the bartender a spirit and a profile and they build.
DrinkBartender's choice cocktail
FoodNone
TipNo menu. Tell the bartender a spirit and a taste profile. Ring the bell, reservations by email; small room, 18 covers.
Mustafas Gemuese Kebap on Mehringdamm 33 in Kreuzberg serves Berlin's most-photographed doener, layered with grilled aubergine and courgette alongside.
TryDoener kebab with grilled vegetables
Curry 36 at Mehringdamm 36 has served currywurst in central Kreuzberg since 1980. Open daily 09:00-05:00. Booking recommended. Reservations advised.
TryCurrywurst
Imren Grill on Boppstrasse in Kreuzberg cuts the lamb from a vertical spit that has been turning since 1995. Open daily 11:00-03:00. At Boppstrasse 10.
TryDoener kebab
Street Food Thursday at Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg runs every Thursday evening since 2013 with 20-plus vendors: Thai dumplings, Korean bao.
TryInternational street food
Maroush on Adalbertstrasse has wrapped Kreuzberg's benchmark chicken shawarma since the 1990s, toasted in a flatbread with tahini, tomato and pickled chili.
TryChicken shawarma sandwich
Heidenpeters brews inside Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg and pours through a taproom window in the same hall. At Eisenbahnstrasse 42-43. Booking recommended.
Markthalle Neun in Kreuzberg, restored from an 1891 iron-and-glass market hall, anchors Berlin's food scene with Friday and Saturday produce markets.
The Marheineke Markthalle at Bergmannkiez in Kreuzberg is a covered organic market with 40 stalls including Greek specialities, a Biobackhaus.
Curry 36 on Mehringdamm has served Berlin's most consistent currywurst since 1980 at prices that have barely shifted relative to inflation. At Mehringdamm 36.
TryCurrywurst with pommes
Maroush on Adalbertstrasse in Kreuzberg has wrapped Berlin's benchmark chicken shawarma in flatbread since the 1990s. At Adalbertstr. 93. Booking recommended.
TryChicken shawarma sandwich
Cafe Mugrabi at the edge of Goerlitzer Park in Kreuzberg cooks an Israeli-inspired Levant brunch from locally roasted coffee to warm mezze plates.
OrderThe hummus plate with green chili; the shakshuka with labneh and za'atar-roasted tomatoes.
Albatross Bakery on Berlin's Graefestrasse in Kreuzberg runs a counter-style bakery brunch from 08:00 daily; the unconventional savoury croissants.
OrderThe pumpkin-cream stuffed croissant.
Mustafas Gemuese Kebap on Mehringdamm keeps its grill running past midnight on weekends. Located in Kreuzberg. At Mehringdamm 33. Booking recommended.
TryDoener kebab with grilled vegetables
Curry 36 on Mehringdamm is Berlin's most dependable late-night Imbiss, open until 05:00 every day. Located in Kreuzberg. Booking recommended.
TryCurrywurst
Imren Grill on Boppstrasse stays open until 03:00 every night and is Berlin's go-to late-night doener after the clubs. Located in Kreuzberg.
TryDoener kebab and duerüm wrap
Henne Alt-Berliner Wirtshaus in Kreuzberg runs its single dish, a half-roasted milk-fed chicken with kraut salad and rye bread, through the evening.
TryHalf a milk-fed roast chicken with kraut salad
Yorckschloesschen has run on Yorckstrasse for over 120 years and books jazz, blues, soul, swing and funk Wednesday through Saturday in a smoky old-Berlin.
TipLive music Wednesday through Saturday; the kitchen runs until 22:00 weekdays and later on event nights. Cash at the door.
Lido reopened in 2006 in a 1950s former cinema on the corner of Cuvry and Schlesische Strasse, booking indie, rock and pop concerts followed by DJ sets.
TipStanding room only; the floor is flat so arrive early for sightlines. After-show club nights run until early morning.
Privatclub fills the old Schlesisches-Tor post office basement with newcomer bookings, alternative DJ nights and small touring shows on Skalitzer Strasse.
TipCapacity is small (around 300); buy ahead for buzz acts. The bar runs cash plus card.
Solar sits on the 16th and 17th floors of an anonymous Kreuzberg tower near Anhalter Bahnhof; a glass lift on the outside delivers guests to a panoramic.
TipThe free lift is the entry; queue at the ground-floor entrance after 21:00. Cocktails skew classic; the restaurant upstairs takes OpenTable.
Schwarze Traube opened in 2012 on Wrangelstrasse with no menu and no obvious sign; bartenders Atalay Aktas and Yalcin Celik build daily-changing drinks.
TipRing the bell; if full nobody enters. No menu, brief the bartender on what you like. Cash plus card.
Wuergeengel near Kottbusser Tor occupies a former pharmacy with a glass-tiled ceiling and apothecary shelves; the bar runs classic-cocktail service alongside.
TipNo reservations; arrive before 21:00 on weekends. The connected restaurant Gorgonzola Club next door takes overflow.
Galander on Grossbeerenstrasse occupies an 1889 corner pub that Dominik Galander reopened in 2009 in 1920s style, with leather stools at a dark wooden.
TipWalk-up only; arrive before 21:00 on Friday and Saturday. Bartender will build to your taste; mention sweet or dry.
Moebel Olfe occupies a former furniture store at Kottbusser Tor with raw concrete walls and rotating queer theme nights: Tuesday women-leaning.
TipDoors 18:00; the room fills by 22:00. Beer is cheap, the staircase to the bar narrow; no card at the door.
Roses on Oranienstrasse runs next door to SO36 with hot-pink fake-fur walls and a cocktail list under 10 euros; an institution of the Kreuzberg queer scene.
TipDoors 22:00 most nights, 02:00 on Mondays after the SO36 parties. Cash; small room, fills fast.
Unkompress on Fichtestrasse plays full vinyl albums on a high-fidelity rig across ambient, balearic, jazz-funk and downtempo, paired with natural wine.
TipMusic goes album by album; arrive between sides. Natural wine list rotates weekly.
Bei Schlawinchen on Schoenleinstrasse has run 24 hours a day since 1978, with bicycles and toy dolls bolted to the ceiling, two-euro beers, a foosball table.
TipOpen literally always; arrive at 04:00 to see the room at full strength. Cash only; smoking inside.
Trinkteufel on Naunynstrasse runs as Kreuzberg's hardcore-and-metal dive: loud guitars, cheap pours, a foosball table that's always busy, and a crowd that has been coming for decades.
TipDoors at 15:00, no closing time; cash only. The kicker table is the centre of gravity.
Private tour · 2 hours
Dive into the urban life of Berlin and see artworks by well known street artists on a 2-hour walking tour in Kreuzberg. Get to know why artists are transforming the wa...
Treat yourself to a luxurious Champagne breakfast from a Berlin breakfast institution. Enjoy our new classic dishes, Champagne and coffee from a local roastery.
Guided tour · 1h 30m
Discover craft brewing in the heart of Kreuzberg. Tour the brewery, learn about beer styles, and sample three unique beers, including a fresh Zwickel.
