If you fancy an evening full of new discoveries, then Sahoi is just the place for you. Sashimi platters served as “Chef’s Recommendation” with matching dipping sauces, izakaya classics such as Japanese karaage chicken and shrimp tempura, and dishes from the grill like yuzu-miso glazed scallops, beef tataki with truffle mayo, and vegan cauliflower steak with black sesame sauce. In each dish, Japanese ingredients are playfully reinterpreted without overpowering the high-quality fresh produce, such as the fish. The “snacks to share” are suitable for those who are in a bar mood and fancy great cocktails. John is the bartender (and manager) and offers a great selection of unusual drinks, for which he naturally uses Japanese ingredients such as sake, matcha and miso butter. Every month you can look forward to new creations appearing on the cocktail menu, including concoctions with his homemade syrups and infusions. If you prefer to keep things traditional and like to drink sake with your sashimi platter, Sahoi is also the right place for you. The menu offers a sake-tasting, for which John puts together all his favorites. With Sahoi, owners Lani and Khanh wanted to create a place where you don’t have to choose between an extensive dinner or a quick drink at the bar. Whether you fancy an evening of cocktails and small izakaya snacks or want to enjoy the full menu: here you’ll find the perfect setting for almost any occasion — what you make of it is entirely up to you.

Text: Robyn Steffen / Photos: Sahoi

Sahoi, Linienstr.134, 10115 Berlin–Mitte; map

@sahoi.club

The restaurant opened its doors for the first time in the seventies, surrounded by beautiful greenery. Back then it still had an outdoor petting zoo, until Josef Diekmann took over the premises in 2000 and turned it into the Chalêt Suisse. The petting zoo became a beer garden with a playground and raised beds and bees were soon to find a permanent home here. The Châlet offers a place to escape year-round. In winter, the open kitchen welcomes you with a country-style open fire, immediately transporting you to a Swiss winter vacation between warm light and rustic wooden tables. In summer, the beer garden breaks up the refined kitchen concept: Neuland meat from the open-air grill, trout from the smoker, hearty burgers, and home-baked fruit tarts — served (of course) with draught beer. The dining area inside is also a hot spot: In the summer of 2022, the family business introduced open-fire cooking offering authentic Swiss cuisine with a modern twist, including special stews from the fire oven. From cheese fondue to sliced Zurich veal with crispy rösti to pulled mushroom with ember eggplant or smoked duck breast, the team uses regional ingredients to create the kind of dishes I can never get enough of: familiar rustic meets exciting new, traditional cuisine meets modern experimentation. If you can’t leave town over the Easter holidays but still fancy an outdoor experience, then this is the place to be. Between chopped firewood and dense greenery, the Châlet Suisse offers the perfect setting for a long-awaited break over the holidays, right in Berlin. 

Text: Robyn Steffen / Photos: Châlet Suisse, Robyn Steffen

Châlet Suisse, Clayallee 99, Im Jagen 5, 14195 Berlin–Dahlem; map

@chalet_suisse_berlin

Last summer (2023), many of us were drawn to Plänterwald when Jessica-Joyce Sidon served up the tastiest bratwurst and most addictive potatoes we’ve ever eaten, in her new beer garden “Zum Anleger — Eierhäuschen”. While the beer garden is on winter break (until April 2024), Jessi is opening her restaurant Ei-12437-B (Ei for short). The restaurant is located in the red brick complex of the Eierhäuschen, which until recently was hidden behind construction fences and scaffolding. In new, but also old, splendor life is returning to the once popular restaurant and GDR landmark: an art space and restaurant, for young and old, and for all those who grew up here and have fond memories of the place. Ei will serve honest food — sustainable, modern and, yes, German with a slight French influence. Regional and seasonal dishes — such as bread dumplings in mushroom cream with wild herbs and goose ragout with sourdough pasta — are served in an amazing setting. The building features high ceilings, playful architecture, an open bar made of granite, and light-catching brass. In summer you can move outdoors and take a seat on their spacious terrace. You’ll also find a drinks menu with delicious wines brought to you by Europe’s young winegrowers, draught beer from the Barnimer Brauhaus, and an ever-changing cocktail menu. And for those who enjoyed Dry January so much they’ve decided to make it a dry 2024, you’ll also find homemade lemonade, non-alcoholic wine, fresh juice and tea on the menu. Jessi and her team also offer tailor-made menus for personal events — whether private or corporate catering, product launches or wedding celebrations, at Ei anything is possible.

Text: Robyn Steffen / Photos: Marina Hoppmann

Ei-12437-B, Kiehnwerderallee 2, 12437 Berlin–Plänterwald; map

Wed–Sun 10–17h (Lunch 12–15h), Fri+Sat 18–24h (Dinner 18–22h)

@ei.berlin