Eating Out

When you enter a restaurant, don’t expect a waiter to come up to you to show you to your table. In Germany, people like to choose where they’re going to sit, so you should do the same; don’t feel you are being ignored! It’s perfectly acceptable in Germany to share a table with complete strangers - and if a restaurant is full and there are spaces at your table, you can expect people to join you. If you’re eating with a group of friends, the waiter/waitress won’t mind at all if you all want to pay separately for your meal. He or she will ask if you want to pay "getrennt" (individually) or "zusammen" (together). In Germany, it is customary to tip by rounding up to the nearest Euro.

Popular local dishes include "Curry Wurst" (bratwurst in curry sauce), available at most fast food outlets (Imbiss), and the strange-looking but tasty "Eisbein" - knuckle of pork. For drinks, try out a "Berliner Weisse mit grünem Schuss", a region specific beer flavored with a green syrup that is a perfect refresher on a hot day.  

In bars and pubs you usually are NOT expected to pay in advance, as long as you sit on a table or the bar. The waiters mark your drinks on a piece of paper either with slashes or with the real sum. So is a small beer a slash and a big one a cross. You pay then when you leave.

To have a look at some of the most popular places, check our subsections of Berlin. In Kreuzberg, the melting-pot of Berlin, you will find lots of multi-national and inexpensive restaurants and snack-inns. Charlottenburg is famous for popular and crowded spots for a bit more to pay - still cosy and really affordable. Berlin Mitte hosts some of the best first class restaurants but as well some charming places offering international cuisine. Friedrichshain is today known for its student beergardens in Volkspark Friedrichshain and snuggy restaurants. Prenzlauer Berg is another cultural heart of Berlin, here you will find everything: from a cheap but delicious Turkish kebab up to an expensive five course menu. This is where nightlife pulsates and it is not problem to get a warm meal early in the morning. Last but not least Schoneberg is a perfect sunday morning brunch area with lots of nice cafes and (in the late evenings) cocktail bars.