Last updated on 10/28/2026
Eisbein with pea puree, Buletten, Königsberger Klopse and Tote Oma: Berlin cuisine is down to earth, hearty and genuinely filling. Among all the international kitchens of this city, the old Berlin taverns keep up an honest stubbornness that is hard not to like. Zur letzten Instanz in Mitte has been pouring since 1621 and is one of the oldest inns in Berlin; the back wall of the house was once part of the medieval town wall. In Friedrichshain, Jäger & Lustig sits in a natural beer garden under chestnut trees and cooks game alongside Hackepeter and Klopse. In Charlottenburg, Dicke Wirtin at Savignyplatz runs its own butchery and pours nine beers on tap. Add the heritage-listed tavern Max und Moritz in Kreuzberg, the corner pub Zum Schusterjungen in Prenzlauer Berg, Schöneberger Weltlaterne with its giant cabbage roulade and the artists pub Diener Tattersall with five hundred portraits on the wall. We have tasted Buletten, inspected the crackling on the Eisbein and put the pub atmosphere through its paces. Where does Berlin taste most like itself?
Ellen Mehrhoff-Roddewig
For me, Berlin cuisine has to be above all one thing: honest. For this list I ate my way through Eisbein, Buletten and Koenigsberger Klopse and paid attention to the things that make the difference: a crispy crust instead of a soggy rind, a smooth sauce, sides like Teltow turnips that you can hardly find anymore, and a tavern with patina where Berliners themselves like to sit too.
Zur Gerichtslaube is located in the heart of the Nikolaiviertel, in a replica of the medieval Berlin high court, whose original was demolished in 1871. It serves Berlin and Brandenburg classics, from pickled pork hock to currywurst, along with two beers brewed exclusively for this establishment. The terrace under two chestnut trees can accommodate 70 guests.
Jäger & Lustig is a restaurant at the eastern end of Grünberger Straße, where Friedrichshain meets Warschauer Straße: inside, a beer parlor with historic leaded windows, outside, a natural beer garden under chestnut trees. The kitchen serves Berlin classics like Hackepeter for 13 Euros and also specializes in game and goose.
Ausspanne is a traditional Old Berlin pub located in the family-run Hotel Kastanienhof, right in the Mitte section of Kastanienallee. The name dates back to the era of teamsters, but the cuisine is modern: Head chef Tom Dörpinghaus reinterprets Berlin classics like calf's liver for 23 Euros and changes the menu approximately every six weeks.
Schöneberger Weltlaterne is an old Berlin pub in the heart of the Rainbow Kiez: dark wood, candlelight, antique furniture, and a small terrace on Motzstraße. The house specialty is the homemade giant cabbage roll with bacon sauce for 18.90 Euros, complemented by Königsberger Klopse, Berliner Eisbein, and its own range of vegetarian dishes.
Zum Schusterjungen is a corner establishment on Danziger Straße that has existed under changing names since the 1920s and has grown from an East German workers' pub into an institution of the Helmholtz Kiez. It serves traditional Berlin home cooking, from Eisbein for 14.50 Euros to the namesake rye roll with Harz cheese and lard.
Mutter Hoppe is located on Rathausstraße exactly where the reconstructed Nikolaiviertel transitions into the modern era of the GDR, and from the terrace, the TV Tower, Berlin Cathedral, and Red City Hall are visible. The menu is unusually broad, ranging from Berlin Eisbein for 19.90 Euros to game dishes and its own section without fish or meat.
Zur letzten Instanz is located in the Kloster district, next to a preserved section of the medieval city wall, and the back wall of the house was once part of it. Since 2020, the second generation of the Sperling family has been running the establishment, offering a weekly menu and a fixed selection of classics, from organic mustard eggs to Berliner style veal liver.
Max und Moritz is a heritage-listed tavern on Oranienstraße in Kreuzberg, opened on Wilhelm Busch's 70th birthday. Busch allowed the name under one condition: soup for the poor. Today it has four rooms, from the taproom to the ballroom, old Berlin specialties such as Eisbein for 24.50 Euros and a house beer brewed especially for it.
Dicke Wirtin is the Berlin pub at Savignyplatz, named after the landlady Anna Stanscheck, who was known for her stews and for her fondness for students from the nearby art college. Today the Drees family runs the place, with its own butchery, nine different beers on tap and a menu that goes by the name Dit is(s)t Berlin.
Diener Tattersall combines two Berlin stories in one name: the Tattersall des Westens riding hall from 1893 and heavyweight boxer Franz Diener, who took over the establishment in 1954. He also created the picture wall with around five hundred portraits, and the house specialty to this day is the Boulette, finely minced and mildly seasoned, with potato salad or a fried egg.
