Whether it’s steaming ramen or endlessly long hand-pulled noodles: the cravings for them haunt me at regular intervals, and after scrolling through my feed at the latest, they usually have to be satisfied at the same time. The choice is huge, making the decision all the more difficult – here are three spots that will help if you want to warm yourself up from the inside: One of my favorite places for ramen has been Fukagawa at Tenzan Lab (Prenzlauer Berg) since last year 2024. This is partly due to the incredibly tasty broths and ingredients, of course, but also because the small store with its calm and relaxed atmosphere really brings me down after a stressful day. For an evening out with a large group of friends, however, I have always tended to go to other places. So I’m all the more pleased that Fukagawa opened a larger location in Kreuzberg, not far from Moritzplatz, at the end of January 2025. Flooded with light in a mix of concrete and warm wooden furniture, all your friends really will find a place at the table here. In addition to ramen such as “Shoyu Truffle” and “Shio”, which have been on the menu since day one, I am particularly excited about the new creations with Japanese Wagyu beef, “Kamo” with Barbarie duck breast, and the king crab served in brown butter. Leonardo is also trying out new starters – these will soon be added to the menu. Ippai no Ramen, on the other hand, opened its first store in Berlin in January 2025 – and has been causing long queues at Boxi ever since. When you enter, you feel like you’re on a short trip to Japan, as the small store relies on a concept that you can find on almost every corner in Tokyo. You order from a vending machine outside and eat at separate booths at the counter.

You can choose from tonkotsu or vegan curry ramen, for which you can order additional toppings, such as sous-vide chashu, an extra load of noodles or extra eggs. However, only a limited number of portions are sold each day – so if you want to make sure to get a bowl, get there early! If you fancy hand-pulled noodles and there’s nothing worse than having to queue for a long time when you’re really hungry, I can highly recommend The Noodle Town. I always order the Biang Biang noodles, cucumber sticks and an extra portion of noodles or Xiao Long Bao dumplings, depending on how hungry I am. While I usually order the meat option in other places, I often go with the vegetarian tofu version here, as it soaks up the strong broth particularly well. (But the tender beef is also highly recommended!) For me personally, the perfection of Noodle Town’s noodles lies in their imperfection: some are super long, others have particularly thick and chewy ends. And since all three stores are spread across the city, I’d say you’re all set for your next cravings! 

Text & Photos: Robyn Steffen

Fukagawa Ramen XBerg, Prinzessinnenstr.17, 10969 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map

Ippai no Ramen, Gabriel-Max-Str.2, 10245 Berlin–Friedrichshain; map

The Noodle Town, Große Hamburger Str.24, 10115 Berlin–Mitte; map

@fukagawaramen
@ippainoramen
@thenoodletown

It was only in September that I flew to New York for the first time – while my credit card probably suffered more in these two weeks than my feet after 30,000 steps a day, nothing could have stopped me from stopping off for a slice of pizza in the last hours of the evening – and what a pizza! The thin, crispy dough, the simple yet delicious tomato sauce – topped with pepperoni, which you rarely get here. With their new store Slice Society on Torstraße, Marcus and Alex are now making it possible to bite into a New York-style slice of pizza without having to spend a lot of money or travel far. With Slice Society, they want to get as close as possible to the real NY Slice, and in my opinion, they have succeeded: To achieve this, they have teamed up with a local butcher to create their own pepperoni, which is just as spicy and tangy as you would expect the ones from New York. They also tested their way through countless types of flour, cheese and toppings before arriving at the final product. Of course, my absolute favorite is “Pepperoni Pie” with stracciatella and hot honey topping, but I was most surprised by “Tomato Pie” – the vegan version with garlic butter breadcrumbs and chili oil.

Add the homemade lemonade or iced tea, and if you can’t decide, simply order both together as half/half. You should definitely leave room for one of the soft serves – you can choose between three variations: with olive oil, honey or Maldon salt. And if you’re not just a fan of the pizza, but also of the brand identity, next time you can order your slices at the counter in matching merch, for example with the T-shirt or hoodie that both invite you to join the Slice Society. Whether as a quick slice on the hand or as a whole pizza to share: Anyone who misses the long evenings on the streets of New York should definitely stop by here.

Text & Photos: Robyn Steffen 

Slice Society, Torstr.173, 10115 Berlin–Mitte; map

@slicesociety