RACHAEL JENNINGS RECOMMENDS: COMMONGROUND

Looking for delicious brunch in Berlin? These days it couldn’t be easier thanks to the founders of Commonground, cousins Morgan Love and James Maguire who brought high-quality coffee and a lively brunch culture from Australia to Berlin. Starting with Silo in Friedrichshain in 2013, they expanded a few years later with a bar, restaurant and lobby space at the buzzy Circus Hotel at Rosenthaler Platz. Familiar comfort food is given an innovative twist. Smoked salmon is perched on perfectly crunchy Sironi toast and complemented with a light and creamy smoked egg mousse. The staple avocado toast is topped with thin slices of crunchy apple and a hint of wasabi. A cauliflower and lentil salad is tossed with spicy radicchio and an intriguing, addictive sunflower seed dressing. Of course you’d be remiss not to pair this with a Bloody Mary, citrusy and balanced – it’s one of the best Berlin has to offer. The interior is modern yet layered and inviting. After the brunch rush is over you may be tempted to retire to a leafy corner and linger over a brunch cocktail like the Jungle Bird, a little slice of tropical, bitter sweet perfection. The next time you’re hungover on a rainy day at Rosenthaler Platz, step into Commonground and kick back. (Text: Rachael Jennings / Photos: Commonground)

Rachael Jennings is an Irish architect and designer who returned to Berlin after a four year hiatus in New York. She enjoys cycling around Berlin in search of delicious food, drinks and outdoor adventures. She is also the founder of Cohort Design.

Commonground, Rosenthalerstr.1, 10119 Berlin–Mitte; map

Mon–Thu 7.30–24h, Fri 7.30–2h, Sat 8.30–2h, Sun 8.30–24h

@commonground.bln

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Guests, Restaurants

ZEYNEP LOKMANOGLU RECOMMENDS: LIU CHUAN CHUAN XIANG UND NUDELHAUS

Just as I was losing all hope that my taste buds will ever find that searing sedating sensation of a Sichuan peppercorn anywhere in Berlin, Liu 成都味道 Chuan Chuan Xiang und Nudelhauscame my way. The Chengdu–style noodle shop is run by Liu Linqian and her husband, Bernhard Sroka, and is just off the Stadtmitte stop. It all started when the Chengdu–born expert baker couldn’t find authentic noodles to her tasting in Berlin. She began experimenting in the kitchen and soon became popular in Berlin’s Chinese expat community via WeChat. The shop is a no frills, order at the counter, sit and eat your delicious noodles and then make way for the new guests type setting. Pandas are everywhere as your playful companions, holding the straws, pointing the way to the bathroom, frolicking coyly over the beverage selection. If you’re like me and like to feel your food burn its way through your body, get the hottest spice level (and a side of coconut milk to serve as your safe word). If you’re less keen on being dominated by food, there are mild and non–spicy options. You can’t go wrong with any of their dishes, but my personal favorite is the Sichuan Zhajiang noodle. On weekends, try their delicious hot pot made with twenty-two separate spices imported from southwest China. (Text: Zeynep Lokmanoglu / Photos: Mina Aichhorn)

Zeynep Lokmanoglu moved to Berlin in 2018 after living in New York for most of her 20s. She has been working on a book of short stories, and enjoying the “Kaffee und Kuchen” lifestyle.

Liu 成都味道 Chuan Chuan Xiang und Nudelhaus, Kronenstr.72, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Noodles: daily 11.30–15h
Chuan Chuan Hot Pot: Fri–Sun 16.30–22h
@liuchengduweidao

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Events, Restaurants

OTTO: GERMAN COMFORT FOOD AND NATURAL WINE FROM VADIM OTTO URSUS AND JAN HUGEL AT MRS ROBINSON’S

Vadim and Jan have something in common: an appreciation for premium-quality products and recently, a pop-up restaurant named “Otto” after another thing they share, their middle names. The portions on their à la carte menu are perfect to share. The sourdough bread from Domberger Bakery, served with raw milk butter and pickles, is a must, especially when ordered with a pickled egg. Continue your meal with the wild boar tartare and smoked sturgeon stuffed with cabbage and a cured egg yolk dip. It’s the epitome of German comfort food. Likewise, the beautiful beetroot with sloe juice, oxalis and crème fraiche not only look like abstract art but taste sublime. In the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve, the 27-year-old Vadim experiments with all that Brandenburg can deliver, and his passion for fermentation appears thematically in every dish. Definitely leave room for the dried plum cake with black walnuts. Jan Hugel of Wagner Cocktail Bistro provides the artisan German wines. Local has never tasted better. (Text: Eva Biringer / Fotos: Jason Fasco, Cate Gowers, Marianne Renella, Vadim Otto Ursus, Mrs Robinson)

Otto x Mrs Robinson’s, Pappelallee 29, 10437 Berlin–Prenzlauer Berg; map

14.02.–11.03.2019; Thu–Mon, 18–11.30h

@mrsrobinsonsberlin

@otto_berlin

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Guests, Restaurants

GENAZVALE: GEORGIAN CUISINE RECOMMENDED BY NELE KRÖGER

Georgia, a beautiful land between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, stands for hospitality, an abundance of wine and, above all, delicious food. In Berlin, the most authentic Georgian cuisine to be found is at Genazvale on Hohenzollerndamm. Once you set foot in this restaurant, the decorated ceilings, high wood-clad walls, Georgian landscape paintings, countless wine bottles and traditional dolls exude a longing ache for a faraway place. It is a splendid display of illuminated kitsch. The walnut is the star ingredient in Georgian cuisine, making the pkhali starter plate – balls of walnut, spinach, beetroot, and eggplant – a must try. Pair them with khinkali – traditional dumplings filled with cheese or minced meat that melt in your mouth. For the main course, a selection of vegetarian and meat dishes awaits: veal garnished with fresh herbs and prunes, chicken in a garlic milk sauce, mushroom shashlik and stewed vegetables in a clay pot. The knowledgeable staff will happily pair and liberally serve wine en masse. You’ll be saying “didi madloba” (many thanks) after this culinary journey! (Text: Nele Kröger / Photos: Pamina Aichhorn)

Nele Kröger has been living in Berlin and working as a writer and editor since 2016, with Friedrichshain as her home-base.

Genazvale, Hohenzollerndamm 33, 10713 Berlin–Wilmersdorf; map

Mon–Fri 15-24h, Sat–Sun 14–24h

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Restaurants

YAFO: A MULTICULTURAL KITCHEN RECOMMENDED BY YASHA WALLIN

If you like your hummus with a side of atmosphere, look no further than Yafo. Inspired by the 4,000-year-old port city near Tel Aviv where Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived side by side, an ethos of openness is at the heart of one of Mitte’s best Israeli restaurants. To reflect this multiculturalism, the menu reads in Arabic, Hebrew, German and English. And, contrary to Berlin’s reputation for brusque service, expect unrestrained hospitality when you walk into Yafo. It’s as if you’re entering a family member’s buzzing living room, especially if you have the type of relatives who freely pass around shots of arac, a quintessential Middle Eastern liquor. To eat, you’ll find hefty helpings of creamy hummus, whole heads of perfectly charred cauliflower and ever changing lamb options served minced, spiced or kebab-ed. Yafo is open for lunch, but dinner at the bar is a favorite choice. (Text: Yasha Wallin / Photos: Mina Aichhorn & Yafo)

A native of sunny California, Yasha Wallin has called Berlin, Mitte home since 2013. To finance her hummus habit, she works for Business Development at H&M and as European Editor of A Hotel Life.

Yafo, Gormannstr.17b, 10119 Berlin-Mitte; map
Daily 12-3h

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Language

RACHAEL JENNINGS RECOMMENDS: COMMONGROUND

ZEYNEP LOKMANOGLU RECOMMENDS: LIU CHUAN CHUAN XIANG UND NUDELHAUS

OTTO: GERMAN COMFORT FOOD AND NATURAL WINE FROM VADIM OTTO URSUS AND JAN HUGEL AT MRS ROBINSON’S

GENAZVALE: GEORGIAN CUISINE RECOMMENDED BY NELE KRÖGER

YAFO: A MULTICULTURAL KITCHEN RECOMMENDED BY YASHA WALLIN