You can spend as much or as
little as you like on food in
Berlin; it's one item, at least,
that won't break the bank. The
city's compressed, cosmopolitan
nature means that it has
restaurants
offering a whole gamut of
cuisines from around the globe.
Indeed, ethnic eateries - many
of which serve full meals for
under DM15/?7.50. - are at least
as ubiquitous as traditional
German Gaststätten. And nowhere
is more than a stone's throw
from a
bar , at least in
the western part of the city.
Just about every street corner
has a small Kneipe, ranging from
lugubrious beer-swilling holes
to slick, upscale hangouts for
Berlin's night people. Most stay
open later than elsewhere in
Germany: it's quite feasible to
drink around the clock here, the
result of a law that requires
bars to close only for an hour a
day for cleaning. It's worth
bearing in mind that many are
excellent (and inexpensive)
choices for food, especially
breakfast, which may be served
till afternoon - or later.
The city's most distinctive
drink is Berliner Weisse
, a top-fermented, very pale-coloured
wheat beer with a low
alcohol content (usually around
2.5 percent). It has an acidic
taste when drunk neat, but it's
normally pepped up with a shot
of fruity syrup, or Schuss
, and served in a large
bowl-shaped glass as a summer
refresher. Ask for it mit grün
and you get a dash of woodruff,
creating a greeny brew with a
strong herby taste; mit rot
is a raspberry-flavoured kiddy
drink that works wonders at
breakfast time. The city's two
large breweries, Kindl and
Scultheiss, both make Berliner
Weisse , in addition to
their own version of Pils
. A broader portfolio of beers
is available from an ex-GDR
brewery, Berliner Bürgerbräu,
whose products include a dark Bock
and an even darker Schwarzbier
.
Restaurants
The more established restaurants
are in the west, but in the last
few years the eastern districts
of the city have experienced a
restaurant boom. Generally
speaking, these eastern
establishments cater to a young
and savvy crowd and emphasize
...
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Snack bars
The cheapest places for a meal
are the Mensas of the Technical
University on Ernst-Reuter-Platz
and at Hardenbergstr. 34, which
are officially for university
students only and open Mon-Fri
11.15am-2.30pm. In addition to
these, there is a wide...
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Hausbrauereien
Berlin has supplanted Munich in
the leading role in the national
enthusiasm for new-generation
Hausbrauereien, where beer is
brewed in the bar-cum-restaurant
where it is served. Alter Fritz
, Karolinenstr. 12,
Reinickendorf. A popular...
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Traditional
cafes
Berlin is exceptionally well
endowed with elegant old-world
cafes serving delicious Kaffee
und Kuchen in an unhurried
environment. Café Bilderbuch ,
Akazienstr. 28, Schöneberg.
Classy yet cosy Viennese-style
Kaffeehaus ...
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Bars and
cafe-bars
Berlin's bar and café-bar scene
is focused on a number of
distinct areas. Both drinking
and eating are generally best
done away from the obvious
tourist strips like Unter den
Linden and Kurfürstendamm,
where standards tend to be lower
and prices higher....
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