Thursday, 9 April 2009

i Due Forni

Style:
Italian

More:
One of the best pizzas in Berlin, punk-pizza served by salon-anarchists.

Reviews:
I was pretty surprised I haven't reviewed i Due Forni before, given that it is one of our personal favourites in Berlin, despite its disadvantages. The pizza is good, and so is the atmosphere, but the daily dishes (written in unreadable Italian on the board) and the desserts are also great. The service is absolutely horrible.

Birge Amondson in About.com writes about this restaurant:
"
I Due Forni in Berlin is a hip and happening Italian restaurant cantina-style; it's not only famous for its delicious brick oven pizza, but also for its colorful decor and quirky staff.

I Due Forni - Pros

  • Best pizzas in town, fresh from the brick oven
  • Good prices
  • Staff speaks English
  • Big terrace and playground

I Due Forni - Cons

  • Always crowded; reservations recommended
  • Waiters can be short and snippy
  • Cash only
  • Menu is in Italian and German"

The Basics:
Schönhauser Allee 12, 10119 Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg (U Senefelder Platz)
+49 (0)30 44 017 333

URL:

Accessible? Yes, but through a quite unpleasant back door (restaurant itself is quite full and it would be difficult to navigate with a wheelchair, let alone get to the disabled lavatories.

Child-Friendliness? playground in the garden, baby seats, one child-toilet (that is, smaller) in the lavatories

Related Tours/Sites:
The restaurant is located in Prenzlauer Berg, close to Kollwitzplatz, the Pfefferberg, etc.

It could be integrated with the Jews & Booze tour and with customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:
4****
Hotel LUX 11 Berlin MitteLeonardo Royal Hotel BerlinPark Inn Berlin - Alexanderplatz
3 stars ***
Myer´s Hotel BerlinJurine Hotelackselhaus & blue homeHotel-Pension KastanienhofGLS Hotel BerlinHotel Arena am AlexanderplatzAGON am AlexanderplatzHotel Adele
2 stars **
Meininger City Hostel & Hotel Prenzlauer BergIbis Hotel Berlin MitteFlower's Boardinghouse MitteAlex HotelMotel One Berlin-Alexanderplatz
1 star
Hotel City Quartier
Hostel:
Meininger City Hostel & Hotel Prenzlauer Berg

Monday, 6 April 2009

Balthazar

Style:
German, Fusion

More:


Reviews:
A reviewer on TopTable writes: "The Balthazar in Berlin was a lovely restaurant and the food was magnificent. The dress code was smart casual, but we felt a little under-dressed. The ambience was nice, but English restaurants now combine fine dining with a relaxed atmosphere, this as yet to be seen. We had the lobster meal and although every course was superb, the tastes were very similar, a difference in taste would have been prefered. overall an excellent experience, with pleasant staff and a very nice 40th birthday."

The Basics:
Kurfürstendamm 160, 10709 Berlin-Charlottenburg (U Adenauer Platz)

URL: http://www.balthazar-restaurant.de/

+49 (0)30 89 40 84 77

Accessible? yes

Child-Friendliness? no

Related Tours/Sites:

Schaubühne

A visit could be integrated with The "Jewish Berlin Tour" in West Berlin or with a customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:

5 *****

Hotel Louisa's Place
4 ****

3 ***
Hotel-Maison Am AdenauerplatzHotel Kurfürstendamm am AdenauerplatzHotel Quentin Berlin am KurfürstendammAGON Hotel LichtburgHotel Orion
2 **
Hotel-Pension am Lehniner PlatzHotel Amadeus am KurfürstendammHotel RheingoldCity Hotel am Kurfürstendamm
1*

Hostels:

Apartment Hotels and Serviced Flats

Sunday, 29 March 2009

Margaux

Style:
French, European

More:
One of the most expensive, most respectable, restaurants in Berlin

Reviews:


The Basics:
Unter-den-Linden 78 (entrance through Wilhelmstrasse), 10117 Berlin-Mitte (S Unter den Linden)

URL: http://www.margaux-berlin.de/

+49 (0)30 22 65 26 11

Accessible?

Child-Friendliness? no

Related Tours/Sites:

Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag

A visit could be integrated with Berlin's most important sites tour or with a customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:

5 *****

Hotel Adlon Kempinski BerlinThe Westin Grand BerlinThe Regent BerlinSofitel Berlin GendarmenmarktBerlin Marriott Hotel
4 ****
MARITIM proArte Hotel BerlinNH Jolly Berlin-FriedrichstraßeHotel Melia BerlinHotel The Mandala SuitesArtist Riverside Hotel & Spa
3 ***
Apartments am Brandenburger TorArte Luise KunsthotelHotel Allegra
Hotel AlbrechtshofApartHotel Residenz am Deutschen TheaterBest Western Hotel Berlin-Mitte
2 **
Hotel M68
1*
City Hostel Berlin
Hostels:
City Hostel Berlin
Apartment Hotels and Serviced Flats
Apartments am Brandenburger TorApartHotel Residenz am Deutschen TheaterHotel The Mandala Suites

Saturday, 21 March 2009

The Shy Chef

Style:
chef style

More:
a secret private restaurant in a flat, ran by a married couple that cooks to not more than six guests.

Reviews:
The I Heart Berlin blog people have gone to the shy chef: "Our hosts, a Swedish/Irish couple, served us our dinner in 6 courses, every one of them accompanied by an exquisite wine. Every dish looked more delicately arranged than the other and all of them easily qualified as Gourmet Cuisine. In the end they asked us, which meal we liked best. But I could hardly decide, was it the goat cheese salad, the pork filet rolled up in prosciutto or the nut brownie on vanilla creme with hot raspberries? Hm… I just know one thing for sure:I could eat like this every day."

The Basics:
secret address, somewhere in Kreuzberg

URL: The Shy Chef

Accessible?

Child-Friendliness? no

Related Tours/Sites:

A visit could be integrated with a customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:

It is a secret...


Sunday, 15 March 2009

Joe's Wirtshaus zum Löwen

Style:
German/Beer Garden

More:


Reviews:
Most reviews in Qype (in German) place this restaurant as "average"

The Basics:
Hardenbergstr. 29, 10623 Berlin-Charlottenburg (U/S Zoologischer Garten)

URL: http://www.joes-berlin.de/

+49 (0)30 2300 3131

Accessible? Totally accessible, including lavatories for wheelchair users (door width 92 cm; handles on both sides; emergency button; seat at 43 cm.

Child-Friendliness?

Related Tours/Sites:

The Berlin Zoo (Zoologischer Garten), The Memorial Church

A visit could be integrated with Berlin's most important sites tour or with a customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:

5 *****

Swissotel BerlinHotel Concorde BerlinHotel PalaceSteigenberger Hotel BerlinKempinski Hotel Bristol Berlin
4 ****
Hotel Belmondo am KurfürstendammSavoy BerlinLindner Hotel AM KU'DAMMHotel Zoo BerlinGrand City Excelsior Hotel BerlinGolden Tulip Hotel Residenz BerlinEllington Hotel Berlinart ´appart
3 ***
Hotel Boulevard BerlinHotel Berolina an der GedächtniskircheAstoria Hotel am KurfürstendammHotel-Pension EliteBerliner HofAparthotel VegaHotel-Pension SAVOYart'otel berlin kudamm, by Park Plaza
2 **
A&O City am ZooMotel One Berlin Ku´dammHotel AurumHotel Eden am Zoo
1*

Hostels:
A&O City am Zoo
Apartment Hotels and Serviced Flats
Aparthotel Vegaart ´appart
Golden Tulip Hotel Residenz Berlin