Recommended Restaurants

The variety of Berlin's restaurants is legendary - from café or bistro simplicity to palatial opulence, from traditional 1920s style to ultra- modern. Hundreds of restaurants serve the hearty fare for which Germany is famous; alongside them are French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Asian, Caribbean, Mexican and a host of other nationalities. The latest fashionable area for dining out in Berlin is Prenzlauer Berg, the former working-class district just outside the centre, where countless restaurants and bars have opened in recent years. In Kreuzberg, too, there is plenty of scope to eat well and cheaply close to the city centre, while Schöneberg is also making its mark on the restaurant scene.By far the widest choice of places to eat is to be found in Charlottenburg, west of the Tiergarten between the radiating Ku'damm and KantstraBe.
In the eastern section of the city character restaurants have been incorporated into the restored Nikolaiviertel, while just north of the city centre Oranienburger Strasse is the new place to head for.

Eastern City
Luxury
Französischer Hof, Jagerstrasse 56, Mitte, tel: 204 35 70 Art Nouveau splendour on the Gendarmenmarkt; the cuisine is German-French.
VAU, Jägerstrasse 54-55, Mitte, tel: 202 97 30. Top Hamburg chef Josef Viehhauser has helped to establish what has become one of Berlin's leading gourmet addresses.
Zur Gerichtslaube, Poststrasse 28, Mitte, tel: 26 474823. Enjoy typical Berlin fare beneath the vaulted ceiling of the Nikolaiviertel's rebuilt former courthouse, dating from 1270.

Mid-Range
Borchardt, Franzsische Strass 47, Mitte, tel: 20 39 71 17. The place to dine after the show: this restaurant offers late-evening dining for theatre-goers.
Cafe Oren, Oranienburger Strasse 28, Mitte, tel: 282 82 28. Top Jewish and Arab fare close to the New Synagogue.
Fernsehturm Telecafe, Alexanderplatz, Mitte, tel: 242 33 33. The restaurant in the TV tower, 207m (680ft) above Berlin, offers great views and an excellent meal selection.
Opernpalais, Unter den Linden 5, Mitte, tel: 26 47 48 23. Here you can choose from the 0perncafé (breakfast buffet/patisserie), Fredericus (Berlin and Brandenburg cuisine), Königin Luise (gourmet), Opernschänke (buffet) and Weinkeller.
Reinhard's, Poststrasse 28, Mitte. tel: 242 52 95 Effectively recreates therefined atmosphere of 1920s Berlin in the old Nicolaiviertel.
Sophieneck, Grosse Hamburger Strasse 37, Mitte, tel: 28 59 98 60. Good home cooking in a cosy atmosphere.
Zur Letzen Instanz, Waisenstrasse 14-16, Mitte, tel: 242 55 28. Artists and celebrities frequent Berlin's oldest restaurant in a pub just south of Alexanderplatz.
Zlim Nussbaum, Am Nussbaum 3, Mitte, tel: 242 30 95. A recreated 16th-century Nikolaiviertel restaurant bombed out of existence in World War II. Touristy but deservedly popular.

Budget
Café Adler, Friedrichstrasse 206, Kreuzberg, tel: 251 89 65. Next to the former Checkpoint Charlie, it was the last building in West Berlin in its former life as a pharmacy.
Zur Nolle, Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse. Mitte, tel: 208 26 55. Comfortable 1920s- style restaurant in one of the 13 converted railway arches by Friedrichstrasse station.

Western City
Luxury
Alt Luxemburg, WindscheidstraBe31, Charlottenburg, tel: 323 87 30. Enjoy cuisine with a French accent (and one Michelin star) in the refined atmosphere of one of Berlin's top restaurants.
Bamberger Reiter, Regensburger Strasse 7. Schöneberg. tel: 2184282. Reservations are advised for this farmhouse-style venue with one of Berlin's top reputations.
Ponte Vecchio, Spielhagenstrasse 3, Charlottenburg. tel: 34219 99. Fine Tuscan specialities in relaxing and unpretentious surroundings.
Spree-Athen, Leibnitzstrasse 60. Charlottenburg, tel: 324 17 33. One of Berlin's best-known restaurants, it re- captures the spirit of imperial Berlin, with songs to match.

Mid-Range
Arche Noah, Fasanenstrasse 79-80. Charlottenburg, tel: 882 61 38. Widely acclaimed kosher restaurant in the Jüdisches Gemeindehaus (Jewish Community Centre).
Ax Bax Corsica, Leibnitzstrasse 34. Charlottenburg, tel: 31509533. Corsican and French cuisine in tasteful surroundings, with daily specialities.

Bleibtreu, Bleibtreustrasse 45, Charlottenburg, tel: 88147 56. Highly popular and a personal favourite. Bags of atmosphere, wide German menu. The typical Berlin breakfast buffet, served from 09:30-15:30 weekends and holidays, is a speciality.
Café Kranzler. Kürfürstendamm 18, Charlottenburg, tel: 882 69 11. Berlin's best-known coffee and cake house, it was formerly situated on Unter den Linden. A tourist hot spot, but the terrace is good people- watching territory.
Cassambalis, Grolmanstrasse 35, Charlottenburg, tel: 885 47 47. Spacious Italian restau- rant with a wide menu and a delightfully relaxed atmos- phere -a far cry from its early incarnation as boisterous Hecker's Deele.
Cour Carree, Savignyplatz 5, Charlottenburg. tel: 312 52 38. Tempting fish selection on an imaginative French menu. Dine on the leafy terrace looking on to the fashionable Berlin square.
Der Ägypter, Kantstrasse 26, Charlottenburg, tel: 313 92 30. Dine authentic Egyptian without having to cross the Mediterranean: lots of lamb and Felafel and a great vegetarian selection, all beneath a back-lit mask of the boy king,
Tutankhamun. Florian, Grolmannstrasse 52, Charlottenburg, tel: 313 91 84. Popular with the literati for its Bavarian cuisine.
Laternchen. Windscheidstrasse 24, Charlottenburg, tel: 324 68 82. Traditional Berlin-style cooking at reasonable prices.
Storch, Wartburgstrasse 54, Schöneberg, tel: 784 20 59. Berlin's leading Alsatian restaurant, Storch is just a few minutes walk from Schöneberg Town Hall.

Budget
Luisen-Bräu, Luisenplatz 1, Charlottenburg, tel: 34193 88. A cheap and highly cheerful restaurant - good plain food washed down with home-brewed beer. Near Schloss Charlottenburg.
Prenziauer Berg Istoria, Kollwitzstrasse 64, Prenzlauer Berg, tel: 44 05 02 10. Authentic Greek fare, ranging from commonplace to creative, situated just off Kollwitzplatz.
Lappeggi, Kollwitzstrasse 56, Prenzlauer Berg, tel: 442 63 47. Named after a brothel owner, this spacious but relaxing trattoria covers the Italian range, from simple pasta upwards.
Pasternak, Knaackstrasse 22-24, Prenzlauer Berg, tel: 441 33 99. Well-rated Russian speciality restaurant.
Restauration 1900, Husemannstrasse 1, Prenzlauer Berg, tel: 442 24 94. Acclaimed bistro-style eating and drinking house on the north side of Kollwitzplatz.
Kreuzberg Altes Zollhaus, Carl-Herz- Ufer 30, Kreuzberg, tel: 692 33 00. Restored customs house by the Landwehrkanal in north Kreuzberg serving mid-priced German fare. Attractive summer garden.
Austria, Bergmannstrasse 30, Kreuzberg, tel: 694 44 40. Enjoy Viennese coffee specialities and wholesome Austrian cooking in rustic surroundings.
Hostaria del Monte Croce, Mittenwalderstrasse 6, Kreuzberg, tel: 694 39 68. Good Italian eatery in west Kreuzberg. The restaurant has its own courtyard.
Siralti, Schleiermacherstrasse 14, Kreuzberg, tel: 69 04 13 80. Enjoy classic Turkish cuisine in the south of Berlin's Turkish Quarter.

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Recommended Bars.

If a beer beckons after a long day's museum bashing, look for a sign saying 'Kneipe' - it means 'pub'. There are hundreds, if not thousands, in Berlin, so it won't take you too long to find one. Many Berlin bars also serve light meals and most keep extremely sociable hours - closing time is generally reckoned to be any time between midnight and 04:00.
Bar am Lützowplatz, Lützowplatz, Schöneberg, tel: 262 68 07. This is a large, traditional cocktail bar that claims to be among the best in the world.
Broker's Bier Börse, Schiffbauer Damm 8, Mitte, tel: 26474823. Customers determine the prices for 16 draught beers in this stock exchange theme pub - the greater the demand, the higher the price (and vice versa) Good food too.
Eierschale im Landhaus Dahlem, Podbielskiallee 50, Zehtendorf. tel: 832 70 97. All kinds of concerts are on offer here, including jazz on Sundays. Large beer garden.
Felsenkeller, AkazienstraBe 2, SchOneberg. tel: 781 34 47. This is an established bar which now attracts a much younger clientele.
Irish Harp Pub, Giesebrechtstrasse 15, Charlottenburg, tet: 882 77 39. This pub is full of traditional Irish cheer, often with live music. More Guinness at the Irish Bar in the Europa-Center and Quinns at Schönhauser Allee 6-7.
Leydicke, Mansteinstrasse 4, Schöneberg, tel: 2162973. Old-style drinking establishment worth visiting for the traditional ambience alone. It has been run by the same family for over a century.
Mutter Hoppe, Rathausstrasse 21, Mitte, tel: 24156 25. Old-fashioned Berlin pub serving good hearty food. Songs from the 1920s and 1930s on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Robbengatter, Grunewaldstrass 55, Schöneberg, tel: 853 52 55. Pool bar offering good food and drink.
Zur Weissen Mus, Ludwigkirchplatz 12, Charlottenburg, tel: 882.22 64. Big-city atmosphere in this cocktail bar playing music from the 1930s and 1940s.

Clubs
Berlin's night scene is an ever-changing collection of discos, music bars and the like. What is there one year may have gone the next; here are a few of the over-presents.
Big Eden, Kurfürstendamm 202, Charlottenburg, tel: 882 61 20. Rolf Eden's nightclubs were a focal part of the pre- Wende West Berlin night scene and remain so today.
Far Out, Kurfürstendamm 156, Charlottenburg, tel: 32 00 07 17. One of the classic Berlin discos - the place for dance fans to be.
90 Grad, Dennewitzstrasse 37, Tiergarten, tel: 262 89 84. Classic club venue pumping out disco, acid jazz, hip hop and funk.
Oxymoron, Rosenthaler Strasse 40-41 (Hackescher Höfe), Mitte. tel: 28391885. This popular nightspot in Hot 1 recaptures 1920s flair with its stylish bar.
Quasimodo, Kantstrasse 12a, Charlottenburg, tel : 312 80 86. Long-established venue for live jazz, funk, blues and soul. It is usually packed; there is no charge on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Cabaret
Berlin's reputation for all-singing, all-dancing, cabaret is legion, though nowadays the performances are more akin to variety shows aimed at international consumption. Visitors should take care not to confuse cabaret with Kabarett, the acerbic political satires for which rather more than a working knowledge of German is needed.
Bar jeder Vernurft, Schaperstrasse 24, Wilmersdorf. tel: 8831582. Adventurous theatre a few blocks south of the zoo; be prepared for the unexpected.
ChamäleonVarieti, Rosenthaler Strasse 40-41 (Hackesche Höfe). Mitte, tel: 282 71 18. Traditional variety in the restored Hackesche Höfe: clowns, jugglers, acrobats and the like.
Chez Nous, Marburger Strasse 14, Chartottenburg, tel: 2131810. Berlin folk are fond of their transvestite shows - this one is especially popular and therefore reservations are advised.
Friedrichstadtpalast. Friedrichstrasse 107.-Mitte.tel: 28 46 6207. Europe's biggest revue theatre and the eastern city's best-known night spot. It is very popular with tour groups-book early.
Scheinbar Varieté, Monumentenstrasse 9, Schöneberg, tel: 784 55 39. Twenties-style revues in Berlin's southern suburb.
Wintergarten Variete, Potsdamer Strasse 96, Tiergarten. tel: 250 08 80. Top-quality entertainers make it a night out to remember - this venue offers a great mix of cabaret and variety. Dine before the show.

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Shopping

Berlin takes quite some beating for the quality of its shopping. Tourists generally make a leisurely stroll down Kurfürstendamm a priority, if only to window-gaze at the vast array of quality goods for sale in the shops. But nowadays the city's number one shopping street is facing some tough competition from other parts of the city - mainly from the new gallery at Potsdamer Platz and also from the fast-evolving Friedrichstrasse. And those visitors who prefer to avoid the shopping crowds will still be able to find an excellent selection of stylish individual shops in the Hackesche Höfe area of the city.
Berlin's shopping mecca is KaDeWe (which is short for Kaufhaus des Westens), Europe's largest department store that appears to sell just about everything you can imagine. The food floor is a particular treat. Right across Tauentzienstrasse is the Europa-Center, an indoor shopping complex on two floors enhanced by its watery centrepiece complete with hanging greenery. Close by is the start of the Ku'damm, crammed with department stores, high-fashion shops and boutiques -along with several cinemas and a good few restaurants in which to recover from the activity of the buying spree.
Off the Ku'damm, situated along side streets such as Fasanenstrasse and Bleibtreustrasse, are the most expensive fashion houses: big names represented here include Jil Sander, Rene Lezard, Prada, Zegna and Windsor. Here, too, are top jewellers Cartier and Tiffany. Also on the Ku'damm is a Meissen shop selling the expensive German porcelain (there is another on Unter den Linden).
While Unter den Linden offers relatively few retail outlets, nearby Friedrichstrasse is currently being developed as the shopping hub of the eastern city. To the south of Unter den Linden, Galeries Lafayette has opened its first store in Germany, while Quartier 206, with its boutiques and designer out- lets, is also well worth visiting. Close by, near the former Checkpoint Charlie, the British Bookshop at Mauerstrasse 83-84, tel: 238 46 80, is well stocked with British and American books, newspapers and magazines.
Situated at the heart of the Potsdamer Platz development, the twin-level shopping arcade offers all kinds of shops - a contrast to the cluster of gift shops that adorn the revived Nikolai-viertel. In and around the Hackesche Höfe, on Oranien- burger Strasse, Rosenthaler Strasse, Auguststrasse, Sophienstrasse and GipsstraBe, are more unusual fashion and designer shops. Among the city's most popular souvenirs are the ubiquitous Berlin bear, models of the Brandenburg Gate and pieces of the Berlin Wall - it is really quite amazing just how long pieces of the Wall have survived.
If you are in Berlin in late November or December, take in the Christmas markets with their many colourful stalls - and sample the mulled wine called Glühwein. The two principal Christmas markets are by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at the end of the Ku'damm and on Alexanderplatz. They open from late morning until 21:00 or 22:00.

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Other Useful Information.

Getting There:
As the new federal capital of Germany, Schönefeld Berlin is well served by flights from most of the European capitals and increasingly from points much further a field. From the UK, British Airways offers direct services from London and also provides connections for travellers without direct flights. You can now fly direct to Berlin from around 200 airports in 70 countries. Some 80 airlines, including charters, use Berlin's three airports - Tegel, Schönefeld and Tempelhof. Tegel, formerly West Berlin's main airport 8km (5 miles) north of the city centre, handles mainly traffic from western Europe. British Airways flies from Heathrow to Tegel, which has its own Autobahn link to the city. Buses connect the airport with U-Bahn stations - 109 and X9 go to Jakob-Kaiser-Platz and 128 to Kurt-Schuhmacher-Platz. On Berlin's southeastern fringe, 20km (12 miles) from the centre, the former East Berlin airport of Schönefeld serves Eastern Europe and Asia and also handles charter flights. Schönefeld also serves AB Airlines flights from Gatwick. The red double-decker Airport Express train, which operates from 04:30-23:00, takes 30 minutes into central Berlin; a free shuttle bus operates to the airport station. There are plans for Schönefeld to become Berlin's sole international airport, with a much-expanded terminal and passenger handling capability- possibly 55 early as 2007.
Driving to Berlin along Europe's comprehensive motorway network on to the Berliner Ring Autobahn that surrounds the city is straightforward enough. If you are bringing your own car, you will need a valid national driving licence, registration document and continental insurance cover. An amenable route from the UK is by Scandinavian Seaways ferry from Harwich {year-round) or Newcastle (summer only) to Hamburg, from where Berlin is a 460km (256-mile) drive away. The cheaper option is to cross from Harwich to Hook of Holland with Stena Line's fast ferry for the longer drive through Holland and northern Germany. Eurolines operates long-distance coaches to Berlin from the UK and other European countries. Arrival in Berlin is at the central coach station opposite the ICC conference centre on Messedamm.
Berlin's new status as Germany's capital has now brought big investments in rail links to the city: new Inter City Express (ICE) trains now reach Berlin in 1hr47min from Hanover and 3hr 49min from Frankfurt am Main, where there are connections from much of western Europe.

Public Transport:
Berlin has an excellent network of S-Bahn (suburban) and U-Bahn (underground) lines that is constantly being expanded to ease inner-city travelling and reach further into the suburbs. The S-8ahn (denoted by a white 'S' on a green cirde) and U-Bahn (a white 'U' on a blue square) trains run from about 05:00-00:30. At weekends trains operate round the clock on the S7 suburban line (Schbnefeld-Westkreuz) and also on two U-Bahn lines - the US (Rathaus Steglitz-Osloer Stra3e) and U12 (RuNeben-Warschauer StraBe).
Double-decker buses operate throughout the city, but trams run only in the eastern part - rare foresight on the part of the former East Berlin's communist administration. The tram lines were ripped out of western Berlin back in the 1960s and the authorized vandalism is now regretted; moves are afoot to put trams back on western streets before long. Berlin's night-bus network is extensive; buses run half-hourly on designated night routes from 01:00-04:00 and are good for getting back to the hotel after a late night out on the town.
Tickets for Berlin's comprehensive transport system, operated by the Berllner Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVG), are valid on trains, buses and trams. Single tickets are valid for two hours and you can interrupt your journey as many times as you like. Short-distance tickets are valid for three stops on the train or for one bus or tramline. For one-day, seven- day or monthly tickets you buy a ticket for zones A and B, B and C or all three from a station ticket machine - they cannot be bought on the bus or tram. For a single bus or tram journey you pay the driver. The Berlin WelcomeCard, valid for three days, allows one adult and up to three children under 14 to travel on the BVG network at no extra cost and gives reductions of up to 50 per cent off a long list of attractions - including city sightseeing tours, boat trips, museums and theatres.
The metered beige Berlin taxis can be flagged down in the street -they are for hire if their yellow taxi sign is lit up. There are cab stands all over the city. All the leading international car hire companies are represented in Berlin. You can hire a car either from the airport on arrival, or at the companies' offices in the city centre. If you are driving yourself around Berlin, beware the weekday rush hours from 07:00 - 09:00 and 16:00-18:00. Parking ticket machines operate in the inner city area. The BVG transport network also includes ferry services in the Wannsee and Köpenick areas.

Berlin's rather wide streets make the city ideal for sightseeing from the comfort of a twin-deck excursion bus, and full-day and half-day tours operate daily. The classic hop-on, hop-off City-Circle sightseeing tour with commentary in eight languages operates from April to October with Berolina, BBS, BVB and Severin+Kühn. The complete trip takes two hours, but half-hourly departures allow you to jump off and re-board at 15 stops around the city; your ticket is valid for a day. A similar Top-Tour-Berlin offer from the local transport authority BVG makes 20 stops along the way and includes Schloss Charlottenburg.
Cheaper by far is the 100 regular bus service, which runs from the Zoo station right through the middle of Berlin to Prenzlauer Berg. A standard single ticket allows you two hours to get off as many times as you like while heading in the same direction. Full-day trips operate to Dresden and Meissen, and also to Spreewald, including a punting trip. There are half- day excursions to Potsdam / Sanssouci and trips out to the Berlin lakes.
For many, however, the best way to see Berlin is on foot, and Berlin Walks has three walking tours of the city. You do not need to pre- book - all you have to do is turn up at the meeting point by the Zoo station. More information is available from the tourist office.

BBS Berliner Bären Stadt-rundfahrt, Seeburger Strasse 19b, 13581 Berlin-Spandau, tel:35195270.
Berolina, Meinekestrasse 3, 10719 Berlin-Charlottenburg, tel: 88 56 80 30.
BVB Bus-Verkehr-Berlin, Kurfürstendamm 229,10719 Berlin-Charlottenburg, tel: 885 98 80.
Severin+Kühn, Kurfürstendamm 216,10719 Berlin-Charlottenburg. tel: 880 4190.
Top-Tour-Berlin, BVG Stadt-touristik, Helmholzstrasse41, 10587 Berlin-Charlottenburg, tel: 256 247 40.

A number of companies operate boat trips in and around Berlin - there are trips on the Spree and the Land-wehrkanal, and you can also go further afield between Spandau, Wannsee and Potsdam. Contact one of these:
Reederei Bruno Winkler, Mierendorffstrasse 16,10589 Berlin-Charlottenburg, tel: 349 95 95.
Stern und Kreis, Puschkinallee 16-17,12435 Berlin-Treptow, tel: 536 36 00.

Berlin Tourist Information Center:
Europa Center - entrance is on the Budapesterstrasse side. Open Monday to Saturday 8:30am to 8:30pm and Sunday 10am to 6:30pm.
South wing of the Brandenburg Gate - open daily 9:30am to 6pm.

Useful Contacts:
Half-price tickets for theatre, cabaret and concert performances, tel: 24 31 2431.
Airports - Schönefeld, tel: 60 910; Tegel,tel:41011; Tempelhof, tel: 69 51 0.
ADAC - German Automobile Club, tel: 018 05 10 11 12.
Train information, tel: 19419.
BVG (local transport authority) timetable and ticket inquiries, tel: 1 94 49 or 752 70 20 (daily 06:00-23:00).
Central lost property office, tel: 69 93 64 44.
Taxis, tel: 6 90 22, 26 1026, 210101,210202,6910 01, or 96 44.

All material reproduced with permission.
Copyright © 2000 New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd