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REI — JAPANESE INSPIRED BAR & IZAKAYA WITH LATE NIGHT FOOD, SAKE & VINYL IN KREUZBERG

REI — JAPANESE INSPIRED BAR & IZAKAYA WITH LATE NIGHT FOOD, SAKE & VINYL IN KREUZBERG

Rei is a little darker, a little more intimate, a little louder — and yet designed with the same signature style that makes Buya Ramen one of the most popular ramen spots. In March 2025, Sascha Brand’s team opened the next chapter with Rei, a bar and izakaya in front of Buya’s premises on Reichenberger Straße. Japanese-inspired, with a focus on comfort food, exceptional drinks, and live performances. The team includes Gennaro De Simone, previously at Soho House London, who is responsible for the exciting cocktail menu. Sake specialist Yuuki Itoh (who some may remember from Sake 36) carefully curates the sake menu and accompanies tastings and events. Luis Velasco, who worked at Buya, is doing his magic in the kitchen. Rei feels like a secret sanctuary: where a Späti used to be, there is now a space with warm textures, an analog sound system, and subdued lighting. A setting with plenty to discover, starting with the window fronts, covered in graffiti and posters. The modular interior, which can be used to separate individual rooms, tables, and events, creates a new look every evening. In culinary terms, Rei is deeply rooted in Japanese street food culture, reinterpreted with local ingredients and an international twist.

The menu is designed for sharing — Karaage Chicken, King Prawns, Pork & Tofu Gyoza, Sticky Ribs, Green-Fired Beef, Charred Cabbage, and Aonori Fries. Vegetarian and vegan dishes such as Tofu Karaage or Celeriac Bites are not alternatives, they’re main protagonists. Music isn’t a backdrop, but another protagonist. In the future, there’ll be changing DJs playing vinyl on Fridays and Saturdays, on Wednesdays there will be “naked jazz” live sessions, on Thursdays occasional acoustic live concerts, and every fortnight on a Sunday, tango dancing.

Text: Robyn Steffen / Photos: Sonni Frej

Rei Bar, Reichenberger Str.36, 10999 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map

@reibar.berlin

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SOUTH ASIAN LUNCH CANTEEN TURNING UP THE HEAT ON AMERICANA — DESI DINER

SOUTH ASIAN LUNCH CANTEEN TURNING UP THE HEAT ON AMERICANA — DESI DINER

I cannot be sure exactly when Desi Diner won me over, but I can tell you it was no later than my second bite of the Reuben sandwich. Comprising homemade pastrami, sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing and mango chutney, this bulging hunk of sourdough was outrageously good, one of the best sandwiches I’ve eaten in a long time, possibly ever. It also points to what Desi Diner is about. The sandwich’s size and core contents transport you to the all-night cafes in the USA, with their swivel stools and pale coffee. But hang on: mango chutney? This diner, while dabbling in Americana, has got one foot firmly in South Asia. Sandwiched between the Bouldergarten climbing gym and the looming Neukölln Finanzamt next door, Desi Diner is the latest food venture by Shabnam Syed – aka Mama Shabz – who ran the eponymous Pakistani restaurant in Reichenberger Straße until the diner doors opened in October 2024.

Shabz’s new place is daytime-only (it shuts at 15h) and housed in a mid-century modern shell that has been given a pink and mint makeover whose approximate vibe is “1980s Miami ice cream parlour”. Also fun is the menu: achingly American classics like fries in baskets and drip coffee sit alongside staples from the Subcontinent, such as the weekly daal that made Mama Shabz such a popular joint. Then there are the mash-ups: a chicken tikka Caesar salad and – my personal favorite – pakora waffles with fried masala chicken, chili maple syrup and gherkins. This is one of those dishes that lights up all your brain’s pleasure centers – my dining companion said she “briefly saw God” upon stealing a bite. In conclusion: a lovely, unfussy lunch.

Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Ruby Watt

Desi Diner, Thiemannstr.1, 12059 Berlin–Neukölln; map 

@desidinerberlin

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SUNDAYS ON TORSTRASSE — STEAK FRITES AT TORBAR

SUNDAYS ON TORSTRASSE — STEAK FRITES AT TORBAR

It has Paris in the name but was actually invented in Geneva… We’re talking about the classic Café de Paris sauce, usually served with steak frites. Just a little fun fact, but let’s not get stuck on that, let’s move on to the real secret sauce of the Torbar Sunday menu: it’s new. You probably know Torbar already. Since 2017, they’ve been serving French brasserie classics under golden palm trees. Wines and cocktails included, the evenings here can easily linger. Now, the team (also behind Bostich) has added a new fixture to the program, the monothematic Sunday, entirely dedicated to steak frites. It kicks off at 16h with an aperitif. The set menu includes baguette and butter, salad, entrecôte, fries, and — of course — the Café de Paris sauce. A weekly changing vegetarian option is also part of the Sunday lineup. So if you’re looking for a laid-back but stylish Sunday dinner spot, this might just be it.

Text: Sven Hausherr / Photos: Valentin Semsedini & Torbar

Torbar, Torstr.183, 10115 Berlin-Mitte; map

Steak Frites Sunday: Sundays from 16h. You can reserve here.

@brasserietorbar

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OH BOII BOII: FUN DINING & THAI-INSPIRED DRINKS AT PAUL-LINCKE-UFER

OH BOII BOII: FUN DINING & THAI-INSPIRED DRINKS AT PAUL-LINCKE-UFER

Outside, the last of the spring rain pitter-patters on asphalt. Inside, spicy aromas fill the air — food is prepared, grilled and flambéed in the open kitchen. A DJ creates a relaxed atmosphere at the bar, and all the tables are occupied. Opened just last week (09.05.2025), the rush to try Boii Boii is huge. Nita and Niklas Wolff are behind the new restaurant. You may already know them from their legendary pop-ups: the “Thai Noods” have been making a name for themselves in the scene since last summer 2024, and have now found a permanent location. And although there is a lot that is new to the Boii Boii concept, many things haven’t changed at all, such as the ambition to surprise, and thus to reinterpret traditional Thai cuisine without losing its essence. Nita grew up in Thailand and learned to cook from her mother. After studying in the USA and Munich, she made her way into gastronomy with Khwan and LOBB. Niklas comes from Hamburg and has marketing and business experience. They moved to Berlin together in search of freedom and inspiration. Boii Boii is located in the former Lode & Stijn premises — which now look completely different in color and design, with art by Janes Haid-Schmallenberg, a new bar and warm lighting. They call the cuisine “Fun Dining” – Thai cuisine with a clear signature, without the heaviness of fine dining.

The menu remains deliberately clear with ten to twelve dishes ideal for sharing. Some Thai Noods classics have remained, like the Pad Thai, of course. New additions such as beef tongue cooked sous-vide for 15 hours and grilled on charcoal, or loup de mer with a Thai curry marinade on a banana leaf, demonstrate the almost endless possibilities for new ideas in the big kitchen. The drinks menu is experimental too: Thai-inspired cocktails and natural wines that are constantly changing. The gimlet with pandan, palo santo and sesame from the opening? That’s staying. Finish the evening with the Tian Ob: herbal smoked coconut basque cheesecake with pandan foam (even a full belly is no excuse here). Boii Boii is a place born out of curiosity, a desire to cook without being tied down, to create, to bring people together. And perhaps that’s precisely why it’s so special: here you can feel that everything has grown together naturally.

Text: Robyn Steffen / Photos: Florian Renner, Nicole Fiser, Niklas Wolff

Boii Boii, Lausitzer Str.25, 10999 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map

@boiiboiiberlin

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NO CHICHI AT LO FŪFU — WHERE ITALIAN CLASSICS & JAPANESE CRAFTSMANSHIP COME TOGETHER, OMAKASE STYLE

NO CHICHI AT LO FŪFU — WHERE ITALIAN CLASSICS & JAPANESE CRAFTSMANSHIP COME TOGETHER, OMAKASE STYLE

It was one of those rainy winter evenings when I first walked past the glass front of Lo Fūfu. The window was foggy from the rain — only a shadowy scene could be seen behind it, like something out of a movie: a chef in motion, concentrated, almost dramatic. In the middle of bustling Charlottenburg, where Asian markets, designer stores and international restaurants share the street, find a kitchen that unites Japanese craftsmanship and Italian light-heartedness. It’s all in the name: “Lo” as the Italian article and “Fūfu” as the Japanese word for couples. Influences from both cultures are interpreted as a multi-course menu in omakase style and served almost as if in a personal conversation. At the heart of the restaurant is a long stainless steel counter, where chef Amodio Iezza prepares his dishes right in front of the guests. Iezza refines, he asks, he prepares. For those who prefer a more intimate setting, there are small seating areas for two under soft lighting. The menu features what the team lovingly calls “Omakase Italiano” (highly recommended!), and you can combine individual courses as you wish at any time. They are accompanied by sake, wine and classic cocktails.

Lo Fūfu’s Italian interpretation of the traditional omakase combines eight courses based on four types of fish — sometimes with potato foam, soft egg yolk and bottarga, sometimes with tagliolini and truffle, lemon and parsley. Every single plate delights and surprises — and the similarities between the two cuisines speak for themselves: the fresh seafood, the high-quality meat, and the love of regional and seasonal produce. With room for 26 guests, a visit to Lo Fūfu is intimate yet interactive. As I leave, I take another look through the small glass windows, now even steamier than they were a few hours earlier. I now know what’s hidden behind them, and I can only say it remains just as enchanting as the view from the street hints.

Text & Photos: Robyn Steffen

Lo Fūfu, Kantstr.144, 10623 Berlin–Charlottenburg; map

@lofufu.berlin

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