Lavandevil

Style:
Restaurant/Pub with "international food"

More:
Claims to have "the hottest (as in spiciest!) pizza in Berlin"

Reviews:
Qype has two good reviews - both mention how cosy and homey this place is; while one claims that the pizza served there is the second best in Berlin, after Il Casolare

The Basics:
Schustehrusstr. 3, 10585, Berlin-Charlottenburg

Phone: +49 (0)30 342 92 80

URL: Lavandevil

Accessible? according to the Rollimobil site, it is. We haven't measured the toilets, steps, etc. ourselves. Door is 102cm wide; no mentioning of wheelchair toilets.

Child-Friendliness? Between September and May, every Saturday and Sunday at 4pm, there is puppet theatre show in the place

Related Tours/Sites:

Charlottenburg, Charlottenburg Palace/Charlottenburg Castel, Berggruen Museum

A visit could be integrated with the The "Jewish Berlin Tour" in West Berin, a guided tour in the new wing of the Charlottenburg Castle or any of the museums as well as with customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:

5 *****

4 ****
Schlosspark-HotelBest Western Kanthotel Berlin
3 ***
Arktur City HotelEcontel BerlinComfort Hotel an der OperAPAROTEL BerlinAmary City ResidenceHotel Kaiserart'appart suiten berlin
2 **
Hotel-Pension Haubach-CentralHotel Pension Arta
1*
Apartmenthaus Hecke
Hostels:

Apartment Hotels:
Apartmenthaus HeckeAPAROTEL BerlinAmary City Residenceart'appart suiten berlin

Lebensmittel in Mitte

Style:
Organic Southern German food and deli

More:


Reviews:
The Guardian writes: "If it's cold and you crave some hot and comforting food, Lebensmittel in Mitte is the perfect place. Boasting organic dishes and big wooden tables, it is best for lunch"

The Basics:
Rochstrasse 2, 10178, Berlin-Mitte

Phone: +49 30 2759 6130

URL:


Accessible?

Child-Friendliness?

Related Tours/Sites:

Mitte, near Alexanderplatz, Hackescher Markt

A visit could be integrated with the The "Jewish Berlin Tour" , with Berlin's top sites General Tour as well as with customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:

5 *****
Radisson SAS Hotel Berlin
4 ****
Hotel LUX 11 Berlin Mitte
Alexander Plaza
Park Inn Berlin - Alexanderplatz
Hotel Hackescher Markt
3 ***
Hotel Arena am AlexanderplatzAGON am Alexanderplatz
2 **
Motel One Berlin-AlexanderplatzFlower's Boardinghouse MitteHotel Taunus
1*
baxpax downtown Hostel Hotel
Hostels:
baxpax downtown Hostel Hotel
Apartment Hotels:

Lindenbräu

Style:
German, Bavarian, Berlin Cuisine

More:
A similar branch is located at the Hauptbahnhof, the Hopfingerbräu

Reviews:
Lindenbräu is not where you'll be heading, if you're looking for a quaint restaurant attended mostly by the locals. On the other hand, those small, quaint, restaurants, almost never accept credit cards, have menus only in German, no access to disabled persons and a staff that hardly speaks any language, including German.

Lindenbräu is the opposite: it is a large restaurant in one of the most touristy places imaginable: the Sony Centre in Potsdamer Platz. But being a "touristy" German restaurant has many advantages: not only that the menu comes in four languages, it also has pictures of the dish, so you will understand what it is all about; the waiters speak English; and the restaurant accepts credit cards and has wheelchair access. The so-touristy location also means that you have a view, if you choose to - sit close to the window or in the yard, you will get a wonderful view on the futuristic architecture of Sony Centre and its fountain. If you choose to sit close to the centre, you will see the brewery from a close distance.

The food is a mixed version of all types of regional German food, with heavy Bavarian and southern influence; but also with typical Berlin dishes, such as the Eisbein (pork knuckle). Unlike many German restaurants around town, this one offers a variety of dishes to vegetarians, those who won't eat pork, and the like. The dishes are not small, so prepare to leave some or come hungry.

The Basics: Sony Center, 10785 Berlin-Tiergarten (U+S Potsdamer Platz)

URL: Lindenbräu

+49 30 25 75 12 80

Accessible? yes, including a lift for wheelchair users who prefer to sit in the upper levels and disabled toilets on the ground floor

Child-Friendliness? If the children are old enough to enjoy the Sony Centre fountain, the lights, and the brewery

Related Tours/Sites:
Sony Center, Legoland/Discovery Centre, Tiergarten

Could be integrated with an architectural tour in Berlin, the Weimar Area and other customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:

5 *****
The Mandala Hotel
The Ritz-Carlton Berlin
Berlin Marriott Hotel
Grand Hyatt Berlin
Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin


4 ****
Casa Boardinghouse

3 ***
Apartments am Brandenburger Tor
Hotel Bel Ahr

2 **
Hotel Am Potsdamer Platz

1*
Apartmenthaus am Potsdamer Platz

Hostels:
City Hostel Berlin

Lutter & Wegner Seit 1811 (Charlottenburg)

Style:
German, Wine Cellar, Austrian

More:
This is the "real" Lutter & Wegner. There is a story we've already referred to in our column about the Lutter and Wegner chain restaurants, the most famous one in Gendarmenmarkt: there are several Lutter und Wegner(s) in Berlin: one - this one - belongs to the original family that held the Lutter & Wegner family before World War II; the others, including the famous one in the original location in Gendarmenmarkt are in fact a chain that belong to a West German-based wine conglomerate.

Reviews:
Not really a review, but the restaurant was lately mentioned in the news because Sarah Jessica Parker had her Schnitzel and potato salad there, while promoting the Sex and the City movie.

The Basics:
Schlüterstrasse 55, 10629 Berlin, Germany (S Savignyplatz)
+49 (0)30 881 34 40

URL: Luther und Wegner Restaurant

Accessible?

Child-Friendliness?

Related Tours/Sites:
Charlottenburg
Could be integrated with The Spirit of 1968 Tour; with the West Berlin Jewish Tour, or with customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:

City Pension Al Vita (3 ***)

Hotel Pension Elegia (2 **)
Hotel-Pension Gudrun (2 **)
Hotel-Pension Cortina (2 **)

Hotel Waizenegger (1 1/2 )

le lamian

Style:
Chinese

More:
Traditional Chinese noodle soups

Reviews:
There are somewhat mixed reviews about this place. On the one hand, there are several such raving reviews that Le Lamian managed to become ranked as the third best Chinese restaurant in Berlin on QYPE. On the other, a recent review warns that much of the ado is because people do not know "real" Chinese restaurants, only the mum-and-pap fast food joints, and in comparison with these it ranks good, but in general, its food is disappointing (in German, a long and good - mostly negative - review on Qype).

The Basics:
Simon-Dach-Straße 2, 10245 Berlin, Germany (S/U Warschauer Strasse or U Frankfurter Tor)
+49 (0)176 227 30 491

URL: Lamian

Accessible?

Child-Friendliness?

Related Tours/Sites:
Friedrichshain
Could be integrated with a Cold War Tour and Berlin Wall Tour, or with customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:

Hotel Klassik Berlin

Hotel 26 (3 ***)
Juncker´s Hotel Garni (3 ***)

Hotel Friedrichshain (2 **)

All In Hostel / Hotel Berlin (hostel/ 1 *)

Lubitsch

Style:
Franco-German

More:


Reviews:
Lubitsch is named after the famous Berlin-born film director, but it serves neither "Jewish " cuisine, nor typical Berlin food, although it serves some good German food, as well as French-style dishes. A user on "Been There" writes "[...]this restaurant serves classic French cuisine (the chef IS French, apparently) in an understated, yet stylish decor. They do a few traditional Berlin dishes too. The cooking is excellent although the clientele can be a bit too trendy and bourgeois for its own good. Worth taking the risk for their food and wine list, though. Reasonable prices too. Advisable to reserve.". A German language review on Qype is a little more tepid, and says that the food is good (but not great; no huge surprises) and so is the service; it gives thumbs up for the interior design and in general, recommends Lunitsch restaurant.

The Basics:
Bleibtreustr. 47, 10623 Berlin- Charlottenburg (near S Savignyplatz)
+49 (0)30 887 28 499

URL:

Accessible?

Child-Friendliness?

Related Tours/Sites:
In Charlottenburg

It could be integrated with the Jewish West Berlin Tour; the Spirit of 1968 Tour and with customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:

City Pension Al Vita (3 ***)
Hotel Aida Berlin (3 ***)

Hotel-Pension Cortina (2 **)
Hotel-Pension Gudrun (2 **)

Hotel Waizenegger

Ristorante La Marianna

Style:
Italian

More: A nice neighbourhood Italian restaurant=

Reviews:
Apparently, as reported regarding Il Tramonto , one of Qype users has made it his (or her) goal, to charter all of the Italian places in Steglitz and see which ones deserve recommendation. So, according to the Qype user Miniwelt, La Marianna is even better than Il Tramonto (in German). It is a traditional, small, pizza restaurant with limited offering but those that exist are very good. Qyoe in general rank it in place 133 of 343 Italians.


The Basics:
Feuerbachstr. 63, 12163 Berlin-Friedenau (S Feuerbachstrasse)
+49 (0)30 855 96 47

URL: La Marianna Restaurant Berlin

Accessible?

Child-Friendliness?

Related Tours/Sites:
It could be integrated with guided tours about the history of Southwest Berlin, and with customised Berlin tours

Nearby Hotels/Accommodation:

Akzent Hotel am Forum Steglitz
Literaturhotel Berlin (3 ***, small boutique)

Eckstein

Hotel Pension Kossack (pension)

Lutter & Wegner (Chain)

The Basics:
A conglomerate of wine restaurants:
Charlottenstrasse 56, 10117 Berlin (near Gendarmenmarkt, U-Stadtmitte) [main, most famous]
+49-(0)30-20 29 54 0

Bellevuestrasse 1, 10785, Berlin (near S/U Potsdamer Platz)
+49-(0)30-26 39 03-72

Alte Potsdamer Strasse 5, 10785 Berlin (near S/U Potsdamer Platz)
+49-(0)30-25 29 43 50

Oranienburger Strasse 52-53, 10117 Berlin (near S Oranienburger Str. or U Oranienburger Tor)
+49-(0)30-24 78 10 78

Confused? Wait - there's more: The original restaurant has actually relocated after 1945 (war, communism, you know), as is not only located somewhere else (Schlüterstraße 55 in Charlottenburg) but is also not related to the L&W group. We will review it separately under "Lutter & Wegner seit 1811".

URL

Accessible?

Child-Friendliness?

Style:
German elite cuisine and wine house

Related Tours/Sites:
For the first branch, "Berlin's Top Sites" tour; for the second, and the third, the Weimar Berlin; and for the fourth, the Classic Jewish Berlin Tour, or any of these branches with customised Berlin tours

More:
As mentioned before, it is a bit confusing: the original Lutter & Wegner was established in 1811 in Gendarmenmarkt, and this is where the original location is. However, the original restaurant has been re-established by the family after the war in Charlottenburg, and has nothing to do with the big chain that owns these restaurants in Berlin as well as several other restaurants in Germany, owned and managed by a large wine/Sekt distributor, Henkell & Söhnlein. A bit like those "authentic" Irish pubs that Guiness has everywhere in Europe. (The original Lutter & Wegner will be reviewed under "Lutter & Wegner seit 1811")

Reviews:
Eric Asimov, the wine critic for the New York Times, writes: "At Lutter and Wegner, a traditional Berlin restaurant on Charlottenstrasse right in the center of the city, the excellent wine list included quite a few spätburgunders. I selected a 2005 Von Unserm trocken from a Rheingau producer I had never heard of, Balthasar Ress. [...] The wine was light-bodied and delicate, cherry-scented and slightly bitter. It was young and not complex but absolutely delicious, the perfect weight and flavor for my smoky potato soup and the almost comically huge schnitzel, which even with its ridges and folds dwarfed the plate it came on."

I think that Mr. Asimov knows about wine a little more than I do. However, when I was there (at the Gendarmenmarkt branch), the service was rude and slow. I have heard that the other branches are better, and if you are deeply offended by the fact that I have likened L&W to an Irish pub chain, consider this: I actually enjoy those fake Irish pubs.

Lafil

The Basics:
Wörtherstr. 33, 10405 Berlin (U: Senefelderplatz)

+49-(0)30-285 990 26

URL: Lafil

Accessible?

Child-Friendliness?

Style:
Spanish

Related Tours/Sites:
Kollwiztplatz/Prenzlauer Berg
Could be integrated with the Jews and Booze tour or with customised Berlin tours

More:
Reservation recommended, especially weekends and summer

Reviews:
A review at Been There: "[...] it is definitely worth a visit. Even though it was only 6.30pm the garden tables in the back were pretty full. Our pinchos (like tapas) were lovely, while the Spanish fish soup was both cheap (£4) and wonderfully fresh with an impressive variety of seafood. My wife's chicken & orange salad was both light and refreshing. The service couldn't be faulted - altogether a very pleasant start to our evening. Well worth going." (please note that the location remark in the original review refers to an old location of the restaurant)

Weinerei

Style:
Wine cellar/restaurant/cafe

More:
The Weinerei is a unique place, working on an honour system. You pay 1 EUR to be a member of the Weinerei Association for that night. For that, you get a glass and can start eating and drinking - at the end, you're expected to pay fairly, in the amount you think they deserve for what you ate and drank - please don't be a bastard and ruin it for the others.

The four branches vary: the Perlin has a theatre (experimental) and every Sunday has movie + wine tasting; the "Loch", the original Weinerei, is all about wine tasting; the Forum (which is sometimes closed for events) is also mostly for wine tasting with some small dishes; the Fra Rosa is a "real" restaurant in the evening, with cafe-fare during the day and is the place to come to if you want to try the Weinerei system for a light lunch.

Reviews:
The Weinerei is all the rage and has been mentioned in countless reviews, that would probably eventually appear here.

Review at the "i-am-in Berlin" Blog
Review at the New York Times, Feb/March 2008

The Basics:
Several places:

Loch, Kollwitzstr. 41, 10405 Berlin Prenzlauer Berg (near Kollwitzplatz)
+49 (0)30-4406983

"Forum", Fehrbellinerstr. 57, 10119 Berlin-Mitte (near Zionkirchplatz)
+49 (0)30-60053072

Fra Rosa Restaurant, Zionskirchstr. 40, 10119 Berlin-Mitte (near the Forum ;-)
+49 (0)30-65706756

Perlin, Griebenowstr. 5, 10435 Berlin-Mitte (near Zionskirchplatz)
+49 (0)30-40690951

URL: Weinerei

Accessible?

Child-Friendliness?

Related Tours/Sites:
Prenzlauer Berg, Mitte
Could be integrated with the Jews and Booze tour and with customised Berlin tours