So Schmeckt Berlin

After nearly a month of travel with our fair share of picnicking and eating out, we were eager to arrive in Berlin where we could actually do some of our own cooking—and do it on the cheap (We were still off on our budget—thanks a lot, Switzerland!). We’ve been doing our best to prepare a lot of cheap meals at home, and then sprinkle in some affordable and moderately priced meals here and there to make sure that we know what Berlin tastes like. So schmeckt Berlin…

(Translation: Tastes like Berlin)

Here’s a basic run down of what we’ve been fixing ourselves to eat (on the cheap)

• Salads
• Various pasta dishes
• Stir Fry
• various sandwiches
• brats
• potatoes
• soups
• rice
• chicken
• you get the idea

As I mentioned in a previous post, I love shopping in foreign grocery stores. Not only do they have fun different products and different flavors of familiar products, it’s also fun to see the general food differences, particularly the pricing of things. For example, a small ball of mozzarella cheese in the US probably runs between $3-4, where as they cost 55 eurocents ($.75) in Germany. Awesome! On the other hand, the grocery store we’ve been going to only has 1 brand of unappetizing-looking tortillas and it will cost your 3.50 Euros for a bag of 10 ($4.80). Almost 5 bucks for tortillas?!? I had to scratch Taco night from our menu. I’ve also noticed that the produce is generally a lot smaller here (probably because much of it's local and non-GMO), they have a much smaller chip and cracker selection, and a huge selection of Gummy candies and fancy chocolate bars. The other day I picked up a bag of Marzipan potatoes, mostly because I thought that was kind of a funny food to shape Marzipan into. Little did I know that Marzipan potatoes are a German Christmas candy and that many people make them at home during the holidays! Fun! Anyway, I enjoy these little differences.

After cooking a few meals at home, we’ve usually got a hankering to eat out. Here's what/where we've been eating:

Kreuzburger

Located in Prenzlauer Berg, it’s affordable and high quality. They offer organic beef and they have a fun variety of hamburgers, fries, sandwiches, and salads. I’m a fan of the Prenzlburger—burger with cheese, jalapenos, and a slice of salami. Sloppy but delicious!

White Trash Fash Food:

This isn’t actually a fast food place. It’s actually a popular restaurant in Berlin complete with live music and a tattoo parlor in it. This was our first dinner out in Berlin, and their burgers were ridiculously delicious.

Brauhaus Sudstern

One evening we headed out to Kreuzberg to check out the Brauhaus Sudstern. Jacob had the schnitzel and potatoes, I had the cheese spaetzle. It.was.in.cred.ible. And very affordable for such a high-quality meal. Definitely have to return to this place before we go. The beer was pretty good too!

Brauhause Lemke

After rain had spoiled our plans to see the Festival of Lights one Saturday night, we ducked into the Brauhaus Lemke. Located under the Hackescher Markt station, this place had a really nice cozy ambience and very tasty beer. On a Tuesday night, we decided to make another stop at Lemke, this time to try their food. HUGE portions, reasonable prices, and it was very tasty. Quite crowded for a Tuesday night!

Döner Kebap Stands

When we’re out and about, and we want a tasty and cheap meal we just search for the nearest Doner Kebap place. What’s a Döner? A Döner is essentially a Turkish version of a gyro, filled usually with Lamb (sometimes Chicken), lettuce, tomatoes, onions and garlic, yogurt, or hot sauce. Judging by the number of döner establishments in Berlin, I’d say they are pretty popular here. Fresh, filling, and usually under 3 euro.

Bratwurst and Currywurst

Yes, Germany is known for its sausages, bratwursts, and other fine wurst products, but it’s not like you see a stand selling them everywhere you go. Oh wait. Yes you do. You can find them at popular tourist destinations, markets, outside the train station, inside the train station, and next to Doner Kebap places—they're hard to miss. And of course you wouldn’t want to leave Germany without enjoying a bratwurst, right?! We’ve only had a couple so far, but we’ve enjoyed them greatly. They are particularly good with a cup of gluhwhein!

Also very popular in Berlin--currywurst. Essentially a long sausage, cut into slices and heavily seasoned with curry powder and a curry ketchup, these supposedly are a must-try while in Berlin. Jacob tried some after an afternoon of sight-seeing. While it was not as good as he hoped, he still thought it was okay. Maybe it's an acquired taste?

We’ve got less than a week left in Berlin and we’re planning on trying a few new places as well as returning to some of our favorite establishments listed above. Mmmm. Guten Appetit!