Berlin

Michael Kempf’s Michelin-starred fare is hugely innovative yet deliciously devoid of unnecessary flights of fancy. — Lonely Planet

The food is not vividly memorable but, rather like the room itself, is expertly composed and easy to like. — Travel + Leisure

Chef Michael Kempf is whipping up some of the most interesting food in town. — Concierge

No longer a no-man's land in the divided city, Potsdamer Platz has reached new vitality, in part thanks to the popularity of Facil, inside the sleek Mandala Hotel. — Condé Nast Traveler

At tremendous expense, in the infrastructure of the Mandala Hotel, a crane lifted a vast tonnage of glass, steel, and garden supplies to the hotel's fifth-floor terrace. — Frommer's

Marco Müller’s creations strike just the right balance between adventure and comfort, an approach that won him a Michelin star in 2008. — Lonely Planet

This rising star in Berlin’s gourmet scene has slowly worked towards its first, well-deserved Michelin star by offering consistently high-quality fish and hearty meat dishes. — DK Eyewitness

The impressive ground-floor bar has a whole wall showcasing wines from around the globe - not obscure New World vintages, but the best of the best. — Time Out

Michelin-starred cuisine on the second floor and more than a thousand international wines offered in the ground-floor bar make this a de rigueur stop for foodies. — Rough Guide

Serious food-and-wine enthusiasts gather in the amber-lit, sleek-lined space and linger for hours indulging in the sensual experiences dished up here. — Travel + Leisure

Thomas Kammeier's French-Mediterranean cuisine... have been dazzling diners since he took over the kitchen in the late 1990s. — Concierge

In the Hotel InterContinental Berlin, this is the hot, chic restaurant of a united capital. — Frommer's

In a gorgeously appointed room at the top of the Hotel InterContinental, superstar chef Thomas Kammeier creates Michelin-starred “New German-Mediterranean” food that you can sample. — Rough Guide

Probably Berlin's best restaurant right now, and with the awards to prove it. — Time Out

The Michelin Star award-winning Hugos is located on the 14th floor of the InterContinental Berlin and offers diners panoramic city views to complement their meals. — Travel + Leisure

This formal wood-paneled dining room is one of the grandest in the city and the only one with two Michelin stars. — Travel + Leisure

Holder of two Michelin stars since 2008, Christian Lohse's mastery of the technical aspects of his art is now firmly established. — Michelin Guide

Fischers Fritz is the domain of Christian Lohse, whose way with fish and seafood has earned him numerous accolades (including two Michelin stars). — Rough Guide

This high-profile establishment is the only restaurant in Berlin with two Michelin stars. — DK Eyewitness

Even those shunning hotel restaurants on principle must concede that Christian Lohse has earned his two Michelin stars by jazzing up superb fish, meat and seafood into a carnival of flavours. — Lonely Planet

With a Michelin star under its belt, Chef Michal Höpfl's talented team serves haute cuisine in a stunningly beautiful room for an unforgettable meal. — Travel + Leisure

Enjoy fresh produce and well-prepared, unfussy cuisine at Pauly Saal. — Michelin Guide

The latest outpost from the folks behind Berlin's favorite steakhouse, Grill Royal, Pauly Saal makes its home inside Jüdische Mädchenschule. — Condé Nast Traveler

A new meeting point for the hip Mitte set, Pauly Saal is in the newly renovated and converted Ehemalige Jüdische Mädchenschule (Old Jewish Girls' School). — Fodor's

In the former gym of a Jewish Girls' School, chef Siegfried Danler gives classic, earthy German dishes a modern, lighter spin by using only top-flight organic and regional ingredients. — Lonely Planet

If you don’t like chicken, stay away from Henne in Kreuzberg, because chicken is almost the only thing they serve. — Frommer's

Henne offers the moistest, crispiest milk-roasted bird to be found in Mitteleuropa, along with a décor that’s a celebration of Berlin as a working-class city. — Travel + Leisure

Pub-style restaurant serving the best fried chicken... in Berlin, served with cabbage and potato salad sides. — Rough Guide

Only one thing on the menu - half a roast chicken - but Henne's birds are organically raised and milk-roasted. — Time Out

Die Henne (which means "the hen") has managed to stick around thanks in part to its most famous dish, which is still just about all they serve: crispy, buttermilk fried chicken. — Fodor's

Avant cooking techniques and distinctively personal, professional service distinguish reinstoff, winner of two Michelin stars and 18 Gault&Millau points. — Travel + Leisure

The modern, minimalist style at reinstoff is the perfect match for the restaurant's post-industrial factory setting. — Michelin Guide

With two Michelin stars to this name, Daniel Achilles creates poetry on a plate and pairs it punctiliously with wines from Germany and Spain. — Lonely Planet

One of the top newcomers of the past few years, the Michelin-starred Reinstoff is a delight. — Fodor's

Located in the Hotel Adlon Kempinski are star chef Tim Raue’s twin restaurants. — Travel + Leisure

Unstuffy ambience and subtly sophisticated design pair perfectly with Raue's brilliant Asian-inspired cuisine that looks like art on a plate and launches a taste explosion in your mouth. — Lonely Planet

Local Kreuzberg lad done extremely well, Tim Raue has been extremely busy of late. — Time Out

Time Raue's cuisine is minimal and pared down, using a small number of high quality ingredients to perfect effect. — Michelin Guide

Freshly cut flowers, rustic wood tables, and an artsy crowd pepper this Mitte standout where ingredients are natural and sourced, as you might have guessed, locally. The menu changes... — Afar Magazine

Relaxed, friendly and pleasantly unpretentious, it is no surprise that Lokal is popular with Berliner and visitors alike. — Michelin Guide

With its rustic stone floors and simple wooden furnishings, this understated dining room feels like a trip to Scandinavia. — Condé Nast Traveler

If you think the stark and basic interior) is a bit ho-hum, perhaps the inspired, fresh and colourful takes on German fare will make you a fan of Lokal after all. — Lonely Planet

This popular restaurant, located on the corner of one of Berlin's prettiest streets, serves locally sourced dishes like Brandenburg wild boar, lake trout, or venison on stylish long wooden tables. — Fodor's

This tiny, 20-seat eatery serves French classics. — Fodor's

A Berliner favorite when it comes to dining out, this Mitte restaurant has managed to retain an off-the-beaten path appeal, thanks to a hands-off approach and dedication to top quality ingredients. — Condé Nast Traveler

Berliners line up for its exquisite entrecôte, innovative seafood and an extensive selection of excellent French and German wines. — Time Out

With its hyper-modern twist on the French fine-dining tradition, Bandol Sur Mer is fresh, playful and classy. — Travel + Leisure

A former kebab kiosk refurbished into a tiny but casually upmarket and hugely popular French restaurant. — Rough Guide

Everyone of importance, including German chancellors, dines at Borchardt. — DK Eyewitness

One of the city's most highly-regarded restaurants, Borchardt was originally founded by A.F.W. Borchardt in 1853. — Travel + Leisure

Restaurateurs Roland Mary and Marina Richter run the place like a well-oiled machine, and the kitchen sends out traditional German and French dishes of the highest standard. — Concierge

A Berlin institution, this high-ceilinged brasserie is as famous for its succulent wiener schnitzel as it is for its guest roster of international power players. — Lonely Planet

Spacious marble interior and close fitted, finely dressed tables with superior garden seating in summer months contribute to decadent, grandiose atmosphere with requisite price tag. — BlackBook

The canal-front restaurant spotlights regional dishes such as lamb with chanterelles, fresh tarragon, and apricots. — Travel + Leisure

The highly motivated team at work here offer good, interesting cuisine that is creative but not overly fussy. — Michelin Guide

At his canal-side bistro, newly minted Michelin chef Sebastian Frank performs culinary alchemy with Austrian classics, fearlessly combining textures, flavours and ingredients. — Lonely Planet

Celebrities, including the mayor of Berlin, continue to frequent these airy, hyper-avant-garde dining rooms, enjoying dishes that are inspired by recipes from Bavaria to Bangkok. — Frommer's

This cozy restaurant, hidden in a courtyard off a quiet, residential street, is both elegant enough for a special occasion and homey enough to become a favorite local haunt. — Fodor's

Wits its gourmet organic farm-to-table menu, feel-good country styling and swift and smiling servers, the 'Orange Cat' hits a gastro grand slam. — Lonely Planet

This restaurant set in a listed building built in 1893 is friendly and lively. — Michelin Guide

Located on the courtyard of an old brick brewery building, Katz Orange is a foodie favorite that serves vegan and organic meat dishes using responsibly sourced ingredients. — Frommer's

Berlin can't resist a glamorous ruin, and Bötzow Brauerei, the old brewery complex that houses this new restaurant, is the mother of them all. — Fodor's

Chef Tim Raue has wowed the city (and the Michelin guide, nabbing two stars) with his eponymous, Asian-inspired restaurant. — Condé Nast Traveler

The rough, raw industrial architecture of the former Bötzow brewery provides a great backdrop, and Diners love to eat authentic Berlin food. — Michelin Guide

Local top toque Tim Raue's newest gastro destination embraces the soulful goodness of German home-cooking. — Lonely Planet

Toeing the border of Berlin's uber-gentrified Mitte and the relatively more muted Prenzlauer Berg, La Soupe Poulaire was always destined for greatness. — Wallpaper

While the service is occasionally slow, the French/German cuisine is solid and often surprisingly sophisticated. — Concierge

A visit to this busy but homey Kollwitzplatz restaurant will leave you pleasantly surprised—and thoroughly stuffed. — Fodor's

Dishes are hearty and seasonal—think herb-crusted noisette of lamb with mashed potatoes and creamed chanterelles. — Travel + Leisure

A mature Alsatian restaurant that pioneered the Kollwitzplatz scene in the 1990s. The food is refined but filling, the service formal but friendly, and the furnishings are comfortably worn in. — Time Out

Lively Alsatian restaurant put on the map by Bill Clinton’s surprise visit in 2000, and successful ever since. — Rough Guide

Go Russian at this Moscow- style venue, with borshch, Russian music and vodka. — DK Eyewitness

The atmosphere is friendly and the food fine and filling. Kick off with borscht or the ample fish plate, then broach the hearty beef stroganoff. — Time Out

Comrades! Collectively endeavour to avail yourself of the traditional specialties of the Russian people! — Insight Guides

The menu looks like an old family photo album with black-and-white pictures on the left and Russian favourites – borscht to blini to beef stroganoff – on the right. — Lonely Planet

Russian-inspired treats such as deviled eggs topped with salmon roe, blini with sour cream and dill, and pierogi, are the draw at Pasternak. — Fodor's

Argentinean and French steaks are the stars, available in portions from six ounces and up; other meat specialties include organic pork roast and herbed veal chop. — Concierge

A-listers, power politicians, pouty models and ‘trust-afarians’ can be seen slurping oysters and tucking into their prime cuts. — Lonely Planet

If you like great steaks, you can choose your cut at this flashy steakhouse. — DK Eyewitness

Open since the spring of 2007, this terrific Spree-riverfront steak house is still one of the city’s see-and-be-seen hot spots. — Travel + Leisure

The place to eat on the River Spree, known for its grilled meats. — Michelin Guide

Berlin nightlife "mogul" Cookie is a fixture on the Mitte scene and Cookies Cream, the vegetarian fine-dining establishment above the club Cookies, is his crowning achievement. — Fodor's

For a taste of Berlin's infamous underground nightlife, check out the cozy, high-hipster ambience of Cookies Cream, whose veggie-fabulous menu is worth the mild hazing to get there. — Condé Nast Traveler

This stylish vegetarian restaurant, one of the best in the city, is worth seeking out. — Rough Guide

Surely the coolest vegetarian restaurant in the world; the restaurant is also a club. Menu changes weekly. — Travel + Leisure

Meander through the delivery area between Westin Grand and Komische Oper to a blank door with flickering light bulbs. — Time Out

After near-fatal brush with bankruptcy, this legendary West Berlin bistro still holds court as the choice salon for iconic artists and cinema stars. — BlackBook

Few places showcase the underlying Gestalt of the old West Berlin better than the Paris Bar. — Concierge

The trendy Paris Bar is located in the Charlottenburg district and evokes the atmosphere of a chic Parisian brasserie. — Travel + Leisure

Once the city’s most famous meeting place for artists, writers and intellectuals. — Rough Guide

With its old-salon appeal - art covers every available inch of wall - this is one of Berlin's tried and true spots. — Time Out

It's now one of Berlin's most popular burger joints, perfect for late-night bites on the way to or from Kreuzberg's countless haunts. — BlackBook

The plump all-beef patties are top-notch and best paired with fries and home-made dips such as peanut and mango curry. — Lonely Planet

Berliners claim their beloved Burgermeister, under the arches of the U-Bahn station at Schlesisches Tor, makes the best burgers in Berlin. — Frommer's

Cult burger joint in a converted old Prussian public toilets, by the elevated underground station at Schlesisches Tor, serving fresh and delicious burgers. — Rough Guide