Five Must-Try Restaurants in Berlin
CORDO: Amazing wine list and an innovative kitchen with dishes that change often.
Cocolo: Great ramen joint with fast service and super fair prices.
Dong Xuan Center: This sprawling airport hangar is the place to head to pick up fresh Asian produce, and the casual dining spot in the front has the best green papaya salad in town.
Kin Dee: Thai Chef Dalad Kambhu offers a delicious and well-priced tasting menu of flavors from her homeland in a stylish setting.
La Premiata Ditta: Our go-to spot on our day off. Fresh pastas and deli delights direct from Italy. The goat cheese truffle gnocchi in Parmesan butter is a triumph.
Our Personal Favorite Dishes at Mrs. Robinson
Ben: Sweetbread ‘Schnitzel’, Aged Beef Tartare and Shiso Béarnaise Sandwich. I feel this dish defines our food: casual, street food with a luxurious twist in a sleazy, oozy bite. Best eaten with your hands!
Samina: Beef Carpaccio w/ 36 month parmesan & toasted bun (no longer on the menu). This is still one of the tastiest things I have eaten and reminds me of when we were first dating, before we opened. Ben used to make it for me for dinner in our apartment and I had to beg him to include it on the menu, as he felt like it was too traditionally “Western” for a place like ours. It went on and it was a big hit; he used delicious and slightly bitter olive oil from Syria and drizzled the aged beef in a ponzu with yuzu and ginger. I ate one on the bar most nights after the last guests left!
The Best Sausages in Berlin
Konnopke’s Imbiss. Go with Bockwurst mit Senf or Knackewurst, and I like to order extra Sharf Zwiebel (chopped spicy red onion).
Our Guilty Pleasures
Ben: Burgermeister sliders and fries at Kottbusser Tor.
Samina: Ice cream at Hokey Pokey or waffles at Kauf Dich Glücklich next to Mauer Park. (My heart hopes for a collab between these guys at some point before I die or leave town.)
The Best Thing About Berlin’s Food Scene
We love the fact that Berlin is still a place in which it is affordable for young restaurateurs like us to open a place. This gives a youthful energy and a sense of possibility that is in stark contrast to the old-guard and establishment feel of a place like London or Paris.
Ben and Samina’s Shortlist
Mrs. Robinson’s, Pappelallee 29 (Prenzlauer Berg); Asian, dinner only Thursday–Monday, closed Tuesday–Wednesday.
Recommended: Sweetbread ‘Schnitzel’, Aged Beef Tartare and Shiso Béarnaise Sandwich.
CORDO, Große Hamburger Straße 32 (Mitte); casual fine dining and wine bar, dinner only Tuesday–Saturday, closed Sunday–Monday.
Cocolo, Gipsstraße 3 (Mitte); ramen, dinner only Monday–Saturday, closed Sunday.
Dong Xuan Center, Herzbergstraße 128 (Lichtenberg); Asian market, open 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Wednesday–Monday, closed Tuesday.
Recommended: Green papaya salad.
Kin Dee, Lützowstraße 81 (Mitte); Thai, dinner only Tuesday–Saturday, closed Sunday–Monday.
La Premiata Ditta, Weinbergsweg 4 (Mitte); Italian wine bar and café, lunch and dinner daily.
Recommended: Goat cheese truffle gnocchi in Parmesan butter
Konnopke’s Imbiss, Schönhauser Allee 44B (Prenzlauer Berg); sausage stand, lunch and dinner Monday–Saturday, closed Sunday.
Recommended: Bockwurst mit Senf (bockwurst with mustard), Knackewurst, Sharf Zwiebel (chopped spicy red onion).
Burgermeister, Skalitzer Straße 136 (Kottbusser Tor); burgers, lunch, dinner, and late night daily.
Second location: Oberbaumstraße 8 (Schlesisches Tor); lunch, dinner, and late night daily.
Recommended: Sliders, fries.
Eispatisserie Hokey Pokey, Stargarder Straße 73 (Prenzlauer Berg); ice cream, open daily.
Recommended: Ice cream.
Kauf Dich Glücklich, Oderberger Straße 44 (Prenzlauer Berg); café and clothing store, lunch and dinner daily.
Recommended: Waffles.
About Samina and Ben: Opened in 2016, Mrs. Robinson was born to fill a void in their adopted city.
“We opened Mrs R’s to be a breath of fresh air in the casual Berlin dining scene,” Samina explained. “We wanted to offer delicious and high quality food with professional, knowledgeable service in a casual setting: something easy to find in London (where Samina is from) or Tel Aviv (where Ben is from) but much rarer here.”
Offering an ever-rotating menu based on the seasons, Mrs. Robinson’s offers dishes that, in the owners’ words, are “fun, delicious, and not taking themselves too seriously.”
And while many might assume Ben and Samina’s restaurant is named after Simon & Garfunkel’s classic, it turns out there is a much deeper, personal connection to the name.
“There is a real Mrs. Robinson,” said Ben. “She was the first client of Samina’s small business in London and we wanted to honor her support by naming the place after her.”
