Admittedly, I try to avoid this area, and if I get lost there, it’s only to get to the nearest neighborhood as quickly as possible. But since February 2024, there’s now a reason to stop here: The Brasserie Dandelion. The bright, open restaurant is an oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Warschauer Straße. High ceilings, plenty of plants, and light-colored wood create the perfect ambiance for this. Qingqing Hu, owner of Dandelion, studied architecture and specialized in gastronomy design. Naturally, she played a significant role in the interior design. The simplicity of form, functionality, and particular attention to detail characterize the brasserie’s interior and the dishes she and Chef Troy Lopez put on the menu. The dishes at Dandelion are inspired by Japanese cuisine but incorporate new influences, including those of the chef. Troy was born in Jamaica and has lived in Berlin for 25 years. After studying literature in New York, he moved to Paris, where his cooking career officially began. Since then, he has been cooking “passionately, romantically, and with an extra dose of pragmatism”. You may have tasted his work at Rosa Caleta, a small restaurant with Jamaican-European fusion cuisine on Muskauer Straße, where he was the head chef and co-founder.
Qing and Troy started on Warschauer Straße with Sandos. They now offer an extensive menu ranging from starters and shared dishes to hot and cold main courses and desserts. The menu remains diverse: you can enjoy traditional dishes such as tantan ramen, vegetable tempura, or cold soba noodles (served with ice cubes, just like in Japan). There are also fusion dishes derived from traditional recipes and enhanced with experimental and diverse influences. One of the classics is the miso carbonara with udon noodles, coated in a creamy sauce of parmesan, egg yolk, and miso, served with crispy fried bacon and shimeji mushrooms. New dishes are already being planned — I’m particularly looking forward to Nikkei cuisine, which combines Peruvian and Japanese influences. Once you’ve visited Dandelion and met Qing and Troy, I’m confident that Warschauer Straße will no longer be an annoying stopover but a final destination.
Text & Photos: Robyn Steffen
Brasserie Dandelion, Warschauer Str.36, 10243 Berlin–Friedrichshain; map
@brasserie_dandelion
