Tulus Lotrek

Tulus Lotrek: Michelin-starred cuisine without airs and graces

Romantic dining in Berlin without being stiff or reverent – that’s what Tulus Lotrek stands for. It resides in a beautiful old building in Kreuzberg, with high stucco ceilings, wooden floors, artworks, and original wallpaper. The striking wall design comes from a befriended artist and is so distinctive that host Ilona Scholl often appears in the same pattern. The light remains warm, the murmur of voices lively. No whispering, no museum.

Cuisine that dares

Maximilian Strohe’s cuisine is not purely French but also plays with Japanese influences. The menu is deliberately undogmatic: top-level technique, but freed from the mania of draping everything with tweezers until no life remains. Strohe cooks two multi-course menus, one purely vegetarian, the other omnivorous. Both change seasonally and follow the market. In 2025/2026, the kitchen will work more closely with regional producers and focus on clear seasonality, without making a religion out of it.

Service and Wine Pairing

Ilona Scholl is more than a host, rather a curator of the evening. Her wine list reads like a novel, where the lines between the lines are more important than the bullet points. The wine selection includes both natural wines and classic Burgundies. She explains without lecturing. That’s exactly what makes an evening at Tulus Lotrek so pleasant: if you can’t decide, you get guidance, not a lecture. The ambiance and service are also geared towards well-being. One enjoys sitting in this quasi-living room and being pampered by the relaxed and competent staff. For a candle-light dinner for two, this is a rarity in this price range.