Mutter Hoppe

Berlin Restaurant at the Edge of Nikolaiviertel

Rathausstraße forms one of the boundaries of the Nikolaiviertel, and it’s precisely on this edge that Mutter Hoppe stands at house number 21. This is no urban planning coincidence: when the district was historically rebuilt between 1980 and 1987, the section of Rathausstraße facing the TV Tower and Marx-Engels-Forum was explicitly excluded from this design. Standing here at the doorstep, one finds on one side the narrow, car-free alleys of the rebuilt old town center with around forty small shops, and on the other, the wide, straight axis of post-war modernism. The Berlin Cathedral, the Red City Hall, the TV Tower, and Museum Island are just a few steps away, and some of them can be seen from the house’s terrace. The Spree flows past behind the district, the Mühlendammbrücke in the southeast is currently being rebuilt, and Alexanderplatz can be reached in a few minutes on foot. The district also includes about thirty cafés and restaurants, as well as several small museums, including the Knoblauchhaus, the Ephraim-Palais, and the Nikolaikirche, whose construction dates back to around 1230. Mutter Hoppe is thus located at one of the most visited corners of the city center, yet still away from the main thoroughfares.

Eisbein, Game, and House Brands in Bottles

Mutter Hoppe’s menu is broader than that of most Berlin restaurants. In addition to Berlin specialties, there are soups and stews, traditional pot and pan dishes, fish, poultry, cold dishes, a children’s menu, a night owl’s menu, and a special section the house calls “Neither Fish nor Meat”. Classics include the Berlin Eisbein for 19.90 Euros, the crispy pork hock, the Berlin giant cabbage roll, the Berlin meatball platter, homemade Eisbein aspic, and the Strammer Max; furthermore, there’s rump steak, Havel zander, pan-fried salmon fillet, and game dishes. Meat-free options include spinach gratin, spinach dumplings, the allotment garden pan, and giant mushrooms, the latter two also available vegan upon request, and the Berlin potato soup for 5.90 Euros is also available in a vegan version. For drinks, the house stays regional: Märkischer Landmann dark beer on tap, Berliner Weisse with woodruff or raspberry syrup, Rixdorfer Fassbrause according to old Berlin tradition, and juices from a Brandenburg manufacturer. Additionally, there’s live music for dinner, a small gallery, and a gift shop with its own herbal liqueurs and an in-house Riesling sparkling wine. For travel groups, weddings, and company parties, menus and a flying buffet are available for ten people or more.