‘Food & Drink’ Archives
Putting the Bee in Berlin
Raising bees on rooftops and in small gardens has become increasingly popular in Berlin, as urban beekeepers find they can reconnect with nature and maybe even make a profit. Christian Schwägerl reports... From the flat roof of a brick building in Berlin‘s Kreuzberg district, the German capital looks like a concrete jungle. Apartment blocks, churches, and office buildings dominate the panorama. But Erika Mayr thinks this spot is the ideal habitat for her seven bee colonies. “My bees [...]
Weinstein
Molly Hannon visits Weinstein, one of Prenzlauer Berg's best, yet most understated restaurants... Upon entering Weinschenke Weinstein, you immediately sense that this is not your average German bistro or chi chi Prenzlauer Berg dive. It exudes the air of a restaurant that is fine and feathered with wine barrels and old vintages bottles lining the wall paired with simple wooden tables and furnishings. There is nothing fancy or intimidating about this establishment - in fact, it [...]
Hüttenpalast: Cabin Fever
Leisha Jones checks out one of the city's most innovative accommodation projects - the Hüttenpalast. Passing through the leafy courtyard out the back of an unassuming Neükolln café, the exterior of this1910 vacuum cleaner factory belies the whimsy that awaits behind its doors. Inside, the hushed air and low glow of fairy lights evoke the feeling of entering a clandestine clubhouse. You feel as though you have stumbled upon a place where you should talk in a whisper, or where you [...]
Marco Clausen: Berlin’s Urban Gardener
Madeline Maher chats to Marco Clausen, co-founder of Nomadisch Grün and the Prinzessinnengarten... Nomadisch Grün (Nomadic Green) launched Prinzessinnengärten (Princess gardens) as a pilot project in the summer of 2009 at Moritzplatz in Berlin Kreuzberg, a site which had been a wasteland for over half a century. Along with friends, fans, activists and neighbours, the group cleared away rubbish, built transportable organic vegetable plots and reaped the first fruits of their [...]
Ixthys
Nathalie Moukarzel visits one of Berlin's smallest Korean restaurants and finds the best Kimchi in town... Ixthys held a sort of mysticism in my mind before I had the pleasure to go and see for myself what it was all about; people spoke of this small restaurant in an unassuming street, with great food, an uncomplicated menu, and Biblical references pasted across the walls, as though it was the Mecca of Korean dining in Berlin. Naturally I had high expectations, and some of them (unusually [...]
Dong Xuang Center
Marian Ryan visits Lichtenberg's Dong Xuang Center and takes a closer look at Berlin's Vietnamese community... To any casual visitor, it’s obvious: Berlin, in many ways, is a mess. Despite twenty years of rebuilding and gentrification, of whitewash and polish, you’ll find prairie-size empty tracts just west of shiny new Potsdamer Platz and grimy, windowless buildings in Prenzlauer Berg. Decay and regeneration, subtle processes in most places, here are on brazen display. This [...]
Lucky Leek
Ruth Michaelson and Itay Lotem give several thumbs up to Prenzlauer Berg's latest vegan venture... The Vegan’s View by Ruth Before you even get to the food, Lucky Leek presents itself as a vastly different vegan eating experience - just by virtue of the light, airy interior and general lack of wind-chimes, woven hemp furniture or thrashing punk music. The interior blends right in to the other upscale, minimalist establishments on Kollwitzstrasse without seeming pretentious or [...]
The Three Sisters
Molly Hannon checks out a new Kreuzberg dining spot that fuses rock & roll with traditional cuisine and local produce... “Primitive Rock 'n’ Roll and Fine food” is the Three Sisters’ motto. However, upon entering the restaurant, one senses there is nothing primitive about this place. It looks more like an old style ballroom reminiscent of the American South, with its high lofty ceilings, whitewashed walls, long oak bar, and a small stage with a grand piano. (This Southern [...]
Mundraub
Sanna Akehurst profiles Mundraub.org, a company committed to mapping the nation’s publically available fruit… Starting life as a small blog with the support of around 100 faithful supporters, Mundraub.org has been busy building up an ever increasing database of trees and plants in public places around Germany that we, the general public, can apparently help ourselves to. According to Daniel Nielsen, one of Mundraub.org’s founders, the concept of helping yourself to Germany’s [...]
Boxhagener Platz Food Market
Peggy Schatz finds fine foods and good vibes at Boxhagener Platz's Saturday Food Market... There are almost as many food markets in Berlin as there are districts - each one embedded in its Kiez like a pearl. There are big, shiny ones like the ones on Kollwitzplatz in Prenzlauer Berg and Winterfeldtplatz in Schoeneberg, plus smaller ones that are barely noticed and some wonderfully unique ones in between. One of the best known - and most-loved - markets in Friedrichshain takes place [...]
