überlin

I’ve finally learned my lesson: no more proclaiming that I’ve found the best burger in Berlin! Every time I think I’ve found the perfect patty, along comes another that kicks its buns! Which brings me to this week’s favourite bap-house: Tommi’s Burger Joint. The most easterly outpost of the Icelandic chain that’s kicked McDonalds out of its home country is situated on Invalidenstrasse, just a quick drunken amble from Weinbergsweg, Mitte’s best summer hangout spot. Like all of the Icelandic joints, and the one in London, it’s staffed by a family member of the eponymous Tommi – in Berlin, that would be the guy with the epic peroxide-blonde beard! What he’s cooking up is the finest Black Angus beef from a bio farm in Scotland, just one of the discoveries of the farmer Tommi when we travelled the world for a year as research. We think this was time well spent, as you can taste the passion in every perfectly grilled mouthful, in every gulp of delicious milkshake. Yet another awesome Berlin burger joint to check out – watch your waistlines people!

Graefekiez is such a small world! Le Bon was recently opened by the people behind one of our favourite local cafés, Kaffeebar, in the space once occupied by our home away from home, Hudson’s. This means that there’s yet another awesome food place in our area, run by lovely people with a passion for good food. The beautiful Le Bon has absolutely nailed the minimal, rustic aesthetic that dominates Cereal, or whatever interiors magazine you’re currently drooling over, with a culinary focus on the fundamentals to match. We’ve already sampled most of the brunch menu(!) and can happily report that everything is delicious, especially the granola pancakes and pulled pork sandwiches. Now we can’t wait to go back and try dinner!

Photos by Zoë Noble Photography

One of our first ways of bringing the überlin community to life was with our Berlin Burger Tour. The plan was to chomp our way across the city, make new friends, while at the same time settling that important question: where can you get Berlin’s best burger? It was a great idea, but we cut the tour short after just three evenings, as Zoë and myself went to The Bird – and we decided that we’d just eaten the best burgers in Berlin! The only problem? We had to go all the way up to Prenzlauer Berg to get them…

Well we have good news for all lazy burger fans who live south of Pberg – The Bird West is now open on Kottbusser Damm, on the border of Kreuzberg and Neukölln! Larger than the original American expat hangout, and much bigger, the new Bird was nonetheless packed when we first visited. Luckily, we managed to get seats at the bar, conveniently close to a broad selection of beers from the US, the rest of the world, and even back home (Brew Dog FTW). A psychic chef surprised us with what we were planning to order anyway – a succulent beast of a burger topped with bacon and cheddar (The Filthy Harry) and an immaculate fillet steak, both accompanied by a epic stacks of perfectly-crisped fries. The New York cheesecake that followed was both totally uncalled for, and an absolute treat.

If you’ve been to The Bird East, you know what to expect from their Western outpost. If you’ve never been to either location, you’ll probably feel like you’re stepping onto American soil when you walk through the door – a sensation supported by the food, the buzzing atmosphere, the excellent customer service… everything about the place. We’ll leave the investigative reporting to Stil in Berlin and declare the Bird our favourite burger in Berlin, and our favourite environment in which to enjoy it.

La Ultima Cena is a special place. A taste of Mexican authenticity in a city dominated by Tex Mex joints, a shining cultural light glowing among the sex shops and Möbel sellers of Urbanstrasse, a bar/eatery/exhibition space/venue for experimental, industrial music – there’s simply nothing else like it in Berlin.

The founders of La Ultima Cena, meaning “The Last Supper”, have taken inspiration from both the Catholic symbolism and the street life of their home countries of Mexico and Spain, and created a totally unique space. In the front room, decorated in gold and concrete and traditional plastic tablecloths, the food is free – paid for, and washed down with, Corona and tequila, mescal and killer black shots with chillies in. Behind this, a cluster of exhibition spaces show video art and darkly ritual installations, and host the odd musical performance.

La Ultima Cena is an edgy, night-or-day night alternative to the more chilled out spots in neighbouring Graefekiez. We can’t wait to take visitors there in summer to show just how weird and wonderful Berlin can be. ¡Salud!

Photos by Zoë Noble Photography

There are plenty of great places to get American food in Berlin – California Breakfast Slam and Dirty South are just two of them. But nowhere looks as authentically “American diner” as Nalu Diner on Prenzlauer Berg’s hip Dunckerstraße. You can just imagine Agent Cooper sitting at Nalu’s counter and enjoying a slice of pie and a “damn fine cup of coffee”. Sat in our booth, as soon as our generous meals were set down on the table covered in “Presidents of the United States” fact sheets, we knew we’d love the place. Nalu had me at their bursting-at-the-seams Reuben sandwich; by the third free coffee refill, I had promised them my first-born. All this place needs is a lady with a log, and it will be perfect!

There’s no denying the awesome power of the German Frühstück (zum Bespiel) but, as far as we’re concerned, no one does brunch like the Americans. That’s why we headed to Dirty South in Friedrichshain, a restaurant and bar opened by the Philadelphians behind Cupcake Berlin. A down-home diner with a punk twist, Dirty South serves up comfort food for homesick expats and Yankophiles like us.

Zoë opted for poached eggs served with a scrummy biscuit and real(!) bacon, while I went with an epic breakfast burrito – a heavenly heart attack in a wrap! They were out of Brewdog, so I washed everything down with a lovely bottle of HOLYSHIT, from Berlin brewery Schoppe Bräu. If you miss American food, and friendly American service – or if you just want a cool place to hang out and fill your faces – then Dirty South is the place!

[EDIT: this competition is now closed. Click here to see if we’re running any open competitions]

For us, this year’s coffee discovery was Silo, a beautiful Friedrichshain cafe run by Aussie expats with exceptional taste in the black stuff. We’re pleased to announce that Silo are now sharing their obsession with all things caffeinated beyond the Berlin borders with a curated coffee subscription service – AND that they’ve given us three months’ worth of coffee to giveaway! Introducing your prize:

The Silo Curated Coffee Subscription is a guided tour through what we, the owners and operators of Silo, a specialty coffee shop in Berlin, think is the best coffee available.

We will be sending out the best coffees that we can get our hands on. Subscribers can expect to receive coffee from renowned German roasters such as The Barn, Bonanza and Five Elephant on a regular basis, as well as some fantastic roasters from overseas including Drop Coffee, Coffee Collective, and Workshop. We are always looking for the finest coffees of the season and we will be sending out the best we can find. When we are able to, we will reach further afield and bring some coffees back from other renowned coffee roasting countries like Australia and the US.

At the start of every month we select and send one 250g (or 1/2lb) bag of freshly roasted coffee to you. We select one filter and one espresso every month, and you can subscribe to either. If required, we can also grind your coffee to suit your equipment. We select your coffee with the aim of sending out a diverse and interesting range of coffee from a wide range of origins, roasters and profiles.

We have a three month coffee subscription to give away, worth €35! To find out how to win, scroll down…

HOW TO WIN A THREE MONTH SILO CURATED COFFEE SUBSCRIPTION.

Just answer this question in the comments below:

Silo’s first coffee selections were Gichithaini AA (blackcurrant, raspberry with wonderful mouthfeel) and La Divina Providencia (muted maraschino cherry balanced acidity with a syrupy body of fudge/caramel).

If you had to produce a coffee inspired by Berlin, what would it be called and what would it taste like?

You have until 6pm on Friday 27th December. Good luck!

The Boring Bit (yawn, RULES):

1. You must be at least 18 years old to enter.
2. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON!
3. Our favourite comment wins. It’s that simple.
4. We will announced the winners via our Facebook page on Saturday 28th December.