As the third most-visited city in Europe, Berlin holds its own against first-place Paris and runner-up London when it comes to important historic sites and grand museums. And while its culinary reputation has yet to match them — Paris boasts a whopping 116 total Michelin stars; London has 78 — Berlin is catching up.
The city was just awarded another three stars, for a total of 19 — up from 16 last year and 12 five years ago (though there are no three-star establishments — yet).
Here are four dual-starred spots to try in this rising foodie capital.
Now going on its seventh year with two Michelin stars, it’s not surprising that dinner at the elegant Fischers Fritz, inside the five-star Regent Hotel, can be rather pricey. But it’s a bargain at midday, with a business lunch menu that starts at 24€, including tax and tip. A must-order is chef Christian Lohse’s signature Onsen egg appetizer. Slow-poached inside its shell, the egg is then deep-fried; the oozing yolk provides a subtly sweet contrast to the earthy asparagus fricasse and wild garlic pesto underneath (accompaniments change with the season). There’s no mistaking the formal ambiance here — lots of chandeliers, wood paneling and white tablecloths — but the service is remarkably warm and attitude-free. Fair warning: the bread selection is vast, addictive and just keeps coming.
Secreted away down an alley off a residential block in Mitte, Reinstoff feels like a wonderful discovery, yet the sleekly designed, dimly lit resto has been on the radar since 2009, when it nabbed its first Michelin star. Split into two prix-fixe menus — the locally sourced “Quite Near” or the more exotic “Far Away” (no mixing and matching) — Chef Daniel Achilles’s seriously inventive cuisine is complemented by a revelatory presentation. Take, say, an amuse bouche of scrambled egg and green beans that comes nestled in an eggshell atop a nest of real grass; or a dish of wild-herb and white-garlic porridge with plump morels and a local snail that looks like a forest floor — and has a complex, earthy taste to match. A five-course menu is 100€; eight courses are 160€.
With direct views of the Brandenburg Gate, Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer , inside the grand Hotel Adlon, has some stiff competition in its dining room. But chef Hendrik Otto’s beautifully executed European cooking will draw your attention right back to the plate. It can be amusing (meat foam, beet root and a “snowball” of horseradish is his version of a German meatball) and downright enlightening — his crispy sardines, cooked in a fragrant olive stock, will change your mind about those typically oversalty fish. To a traditional free-range chicken dish, Otto cheekily adds a nugget, onion rings wrapped in paper and gherkin ice cream. Be sure to put yourself in the sommelier’s hands — his pairings are inspired. The four-course menu is 110€; with wine pairings, 200€.
Tim Raue is as close as Berlin has to a star chef, with three buzzworthy restaurants under his belt, including his eponymous one just steps from Checkpoint Charlie. Mere months after opening in 2010, Tim Raue was awarded a Michelin star — two years later, it got another for its delicate, deconstructed take on traditional Asian dishes. Here, Peking duck is served on a single plate in multiple jewel-like arrangements — a duck breast perched atop a spiced waffle, a duck-liver terrine with ginger-leek cream, soup with the tongue, heart and stomach of the bird (not for the faint-of-heart). A set four-course lunch menu is 38€.
STAY: Most of the Michelin-starred restos in Berlin are in the east, which makes the luxurious Hotel de Rome’s central Bebelplatz location ideal. The 1889 former bank, reimagined with modern touches throughout, is filled with surprises — including an indoor pool housed in what was once the vault. There are 146 spacious rooms along with four enormous, grandly decorated historic suites. (From 295€) West Berlin is slowly catching up to its cool eastern neighbor. A number of new hotels are rising around the massive Zoological Garden, including the Waldorf Astoria Berlin, which will celebrate its first anniversary in January. Also in the hotel is French chef Pierre Gagnaire’s Les Solistes, which earned its first Michelin star in the 2014 guide. (From 230€)