An evening at Berta, the new restaurant from Israeli star chef Assaf Granit, is one you won’t soon forget. A stone’s throw from the Martin Gropius Bau, stepping into this extraordinary eatery makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into a boisterous family gathering. The heady atmosphere that hits you upon arrival is complemented by loud Israeli pop music and playful shouts from the open kitchen. The interior skillfully fuses modern chic with home cooking. Elegant marble surfaces and mid-century modern design meet lacy ceilings and antique family portraits. It isn’t just design preference, there is reason for the familiar decoration: this restaurant stands as a loving tribute to Assaf Granit’s Berlin grandmother Berta. So, along with kugel, kreplach and kubaneh, you’ll find traditional family recipes with influences from Germany, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Berta serves modern Jewish fusion cuisine at its best, from a challah unlike any other, to octopus that melts in your mouth, to mascarpone with Persian lemon and chocolate mousse with olive oil, salt and cardamom coffee crumble. For an evening at Berta’s, it’s worth bringing a decent appetite and plenty of good cheer.
Text: Natascha Hamel / Photos: Joerg Lehmann
Berta, Stresemannstr.99, 10963 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Mon–Sat 18h30–23h. The bar is open until 02h.
@berta.restaurant
