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AERBIL — FRIENDLY SPOT FOR KURDISH-IRAQI DISHES MADE FRESH

AERBIL — FRIENDLY SPOT FOR KURDISH-IRAQI DISHES MADE FRESH

Brückenstrasse in Mitte is a special place. Loud, busy and fabulously dirty, this street between KitKat and the Chinese Embassy packs in the maximum number of snack bars until turning into something of a no-man’s land as you go towards Alexanderplatz. It’s amidst the busyness that you’ll find this insider tip: Erbil. Sharing its name with the capital of the autonomous region of Kurdistan in Iraq, this restaurant serves – that’s right – Iraqi-Kurdish cuisine. How does it taste? In short: really, really nice. It’s nourishing, warm and aromatic. Erbil’s speciality is home-baked tandoori bread, flat slabs of wheat dough that come fresh from the oven. They’re served either with dips or as a wrap. The sandwich version (laffa) comes with makali (fried vegetables) and lots of fresh herbs or lamb – both are tasty. Those who prefer to avoid wheat can try the bryani, a golden rice dish with sultanas and salad. Add to it a sauce of your choice (I recommend Tapsi – tomato and aubergine) or, if desired, lamb. The latter is tender and comes in just the right amount. If you eat in, you can treat yourself to a vegetable soup on the house –an example of the warmth of the people who run the restaurant. This friendliness makes up for the waiting times you can encounter – a consequence of the freshly prepared dishes and the crowds, especially at lunchtime. The separate lunch menu is well worth sampling.

Text: Hilka Dirks / Photos: Rebecca Schatz

Erbil, Brückenstr.2, 10179 Berlin–Mitte; map
Daily 11–23h

@erbilfreshfood

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ADOT KITCHEN — DIVERSE ETHIOPIAN CUISINE JUST BEHIND HERMANNPLATZ

ADOT KITCHEN — DIVERSE ETHIOPIAN CUISINE JUST BEHIND HERMANNPLATZ

“Adot” means mother in Gurage, the language spoken by a southern Ethiopian tribe. The meaning extends beyond a sense of a biological mother: it is a homage to all the women who were significant in raising us. A “mother”, therefore, can be a friend, an aunt, a sister or a daughter to someone. It’s fitting that Adot Kitchen, the restaurant run by Rahel Teklehaymanot and Eskinder Mamo, takes on this name. The space is hospitable, with a warm and welcoming atmosphere akin to a loving home. This Ethiopian restaurant occupies the first level of arts and culture center Oyoun and extends onto the back terrace, providing plenty of seating for warmer days. Adot started as a pop-up and grew into a full restaurant in June 2023. Every dish on the brunch menu has something special worth mentioning, so it’s hard here to be succinct.

A key highlight is the injera breads. As one of the few places that uses pure teff flour, Adot’s breads are flavorful, soft, sour and gluten-free. Using the bread and your hands, you can sample the likes of spicy scrambled egg or delicious and smooth Ful (fava bean stew). The honey wine is sweet and refreshing, and can be enjoyed in alcoholic or non-alcoholic versions. A must-try is the coffee – Adot uses their own arabica single origin beans and, while you can order your usual cappuccino or flat white, they’re best enjoyed in a traditional-style coffee ceremony. Here, they come served in a round, clay coffee pot called a “Jebena”, next to aromatic whirls of burning frankincense. While the traditional ceremony usually takes hours (and starts over again as more friends and family arrive) you can enjoy it as part of your brunch. During our visit, we were tempted not to leave after our meal – the space is roomy with plenty of seating and, after such a tender dining experience, anything feels as though it might disturb the welcoming feeling of this second home.

Text & Photos: Savannah van der Niet

Adot Kitchen, Lucy-Lameck-Str. 32, 12049 Berlin–Neukölln; map
Tue–Sun 10–22h

@adotkitchen

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ITA — LATIN AMERICAN FUSION WITH BISTRO FLAIR

ITA — LATIN AMERICAN FUSION WITH BISTRO FLAIR

Once in a while, you eat a dish that you can’t get out of your head. For a few weeks now, we’ve been entranced by one of the starters at Ita: the tlayuda. This pizza-like dish from the Mexican state of Oaxaca is a large, crispy corn tortilla topped with coriander cream, peas and summer vegetables. It’s a perfect snack to share on an August evening, and you’ll find yourself ordering a second one because it’s just so good. That said, at this cool, charming restaurant run by Micaela and Javier (of Remi and Bar Normal fame) every dish is good. The pair opened the Helmholtzplatz bistro in June 2023 and it became an instant classic. The décor is tasteful, the atmosphere warm and the dishes among the best in Berlin. The menu is Latin American-inspired, but blended with influences from other countries. There’s chicken in black mole and aguachile but also wonderful, freshly baked bread with miso butter. Dishes are cooked in a stone oven and employ regional, seasonal ingredients.

Then there’s the natural wine, a topic on which Micaela is happy to advise. The drinks menu includes favorites from her private collection as well as bottles from wine importers like Material. The name Ita is short for “itacate”, the Spanish word for food or provisions. It makes sense, since these are dishes you’ll want to eat today and tomorrow. This idea of being provided for reflects not just the food, but the atmosphere of the restaurant. You feel like you are in good hands, looked after by staff who seem at home. In a way, Ita is a bit like being in a living room. One which you share with your best friends and where there’s only one task: enjoying yourself.

Text: Laura Storfner & Robyn Steffen / Photos: Robyn Steffen

Ita, Lettestr.9, 10437 Berlin–Prenzlauer Berg; map
Thu–Mon 18–23h30

@ita.bistro

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WELCOME TO BOSTICH: EAT LIKE GODS IN FRANCE

WELCOME TO BOSTICH: EAT LIKE GODS IN FRANCE

It feels a little like we’ve landed in a bistro in the 11th arrondissement: But Bostich, with its white tablecloths and woven chairs close together as they line the sidewalk, is not found in Paris, but in the middle of Wilmersdorf. Yllnora Semsedini and Simon Bühler, who also run Torbar in Mitte, have created a place that is unparalleled in Berlin: The terrace is perfect for watching the hustle and bustle of West Berlin, while in the dining room you have the space to yourself. It almost seems as if Bostich has always been there – even though it only opened a few weeks ago. This may be due to the regulars who flock to the restaurant. The stylish interior provides a tasteful flair from another era, without drifting into clutter. The result is a mix of an elegant, free-spirited zeitgeist and a love of detail. For the interior design Semsedini and Bühler worked together with young craftsmen who know their art. You can make yourself comfortable in front of the pistachio-green walls; on the ceilings you can discover artfully modeled stucco between elegant chandeliers, which are modeled after lobsters and oysters.

In addition to fines de claire oysters and caviar, Bostich offers a terrific seafood platter and a lobster roll. Vegetarians can enjoy their excellent ratatouille, eggplant tartare and risotto with fresh truffles. We can’t decide and order so much that the charming waiter has to set up another table for us on the sidewalk – and it’s worth it, because the fine asparagus carpaccio with Parmesan convinces us just as much as the wonderful beef tartare. In addition to classics of French bistro cuisine, the menu also includes Swiss specialties such as freshly prepared Zürcher Geschnetzeltes. This is thanks to one of the restaurant’s creators: the Swiss Dieter Meier, artist and singer with the band Yello, who has made a name for himself as a restaurateur in recent years. He also gave the restaurant its name: “Bostich” is the name of one of the songs that made Yello famous in the early eighties. And, as is the case with artists’ restaurants, the owners do not specify how the restaurant should be pronounced. The more creative the pronunciation the better!

Text: Milena Kalojanov & Laura Storfner / Photos: Valentin Cheli

Bostich, Ludwigkirchstr.10A, 10719 Berlin–Wilmersdorf, map
Mon–Sat 16–24h

@bostichberlin

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FRENCH-MEDITERRANEAN LUXURY AT BISTRO PRICES — Á LA CARTE AT RICHARD BISTRO

FRENCH-MEDITERRANEAN LUXURY AT BISTRO PRICES — Á LA CARTE AT RICHARD BISTRO

The antique leaded glass windows are open, a breeze wafts through the room, the daylight shades of cool blue, intermingled with touches of pastel glass under the richly decorated ceiling that feels a thousand feet high: for years, Richard has been undisputedly one of the city’s most tasteful restaurants. In the hall-like space on Köpenicker Strasse, Hans Richard has been serving up Michelin-starred cuisine that could probably best be described as classic French with a constant international dialogue and eclectic vegetables. The walls have been covered with works by many artists, from Rose Wylie, Bernhard Martin and Araki to their current display of Klossowski, Kiesewetter, Alec Soth and Nikolaus List. The selection of works is full of taste, dialogue and eclecticism, as can also be seen throughout the interior. But wait a minute. Let’s start again from the beginning: The historic leaded glass windows are open, a breeze blows through the room – and it’s Monday? And where are the white tablecloths? Everything is looser. More open. Permeable. For two weeks now, Richard has also been one of the most beautiful bistros in the city from Sunday to Wednesday. What does that mean? Food à la carte. French bistro classics (oysters, tartare, fries) with Mediterranean touches (anchovies, taboulé, baba ganoush).

This is clear, for example, in the sweet bell pepper roasted with Spanish pimentón de la vera, dipped in Italian bagna cauda and served with Levantine labneh. Many dishes are small and cold, which is great because you can try them all (or share them, of course). Warm main dishes, which come to the tables in steaming copper pots, are specifically designed for sharing. There’s a bouillabaisse  (which is so good you could manage it on your own), and a whole braised shoulder of lamb from Müritz. Enough for four to six people, it comes with dried apricots, onions and almonds. The perfect Sunday roast (they’re open on Sunday from noon on). Afterwards, you have to have a Meringue Suisse. The pavlova-like concoction tastes like a cloud on which plump little angels float. The historic leaded glass windows are open, a breeze wafts through the room, and you’re lazy, happy, slightly tipsy, and full. The warm-hearted hostess Bernadette brings the bill with a chuckling laugh – and in the end it’s not that high. Oh Richard, how good that you now also have a bistro. We really needed it.

Text: Hilka Dirks / Photos: Robyn Steffen

Richard Bistro, Köpenicker Str.174, 10997 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Mon–Wed 18–23h & Sun 12h30–20h30

@richard_bistro_berlin

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