Table for One: Berlin

Troy McMullen, Portfolio.com: Business Travel, 12/6/2007

Eat like ein experte and get more pleasure from your Berlin business.

Dining in Berlin has long been an East-versus-West affair, with the eastern half of the capital bereft of anything more exotic than Hungarian goulash in the years prior to German reunification. But these days, the most interesting dishes are found not along the upscale thoroughfares in the West but nestled within the canyon of renovated prewar buildings of the Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg districts in the East.

They are increasingly packed with noteworthy international eateries, serving everything from Thai to Turkish cuisine. And because Berlin is now a magnet for fashion- and art-world hipsters from across Europe and the U.S., dining is often a people-watching delight—especially for those eating solo.

Yet the flood of swank, new dining options on the eastern side of the Brandenburg Gate aren't all worthy of Michelin stars—there are plenty of mediocre, overpriced tourist traps (the sushi bars and Tuscany grills clustered around Hackescher Markt and Oranienburger Strasse, for example). Our guide offers a half-dozen places worth venturing out of your hotel for.

Mitte: Grill Royal
Friedrich Strasse 105b
+49 30 2887 9288

Set on the banks of the River Spree near upscale shopping areas and hotels, this large, open eatery attracts the city's art and fashion crowds, plus the occasional movie star. But it also offers a comfortable, sophisticated dining experience and an attentive, English-speaking waitstaff. (Menus are also available in English.) The decor, in muted retro colors, is inviting, and solo eaters are welcome at the large, curved bar or the small tables nearby. Meat and seafood dishes are the specialties. Try the 250-gram Argentinean cut of beef served with grilled seasonal vegetables and roasted potatoes. The well-stocked wine cellar offers many European labels as well as a strong selection of new-world wines. All can be ordered at the bar.

Dress: Casual but fashionable; jeans are appropriate.
Prices: Expensive.
Reservations: Highly recommended.
Close to: Hotel Adlon, Four Seasons.

Mitte: Facil
Potsdamer Platz: Potsdamer Strasse 3
+49 030 59 005 12 34

Among a handful of places reshaping the culinary image of a city best known for beer and bratwurst is this elegant eatery. Michael Kempf, its young, inventive chef, has won Michelin stars twice since the restaurant opened, in 2002. The menu is laden with simple meat and fish dishes and wonderfully prepared sides. Lone diners can reserve a table for one in the main restaurant—a 48-table area encircled by greenery—or pull up a seat at the low-key bar and lounge located one floor below. Both spots offer views of Potsdamer Platz and surrounding skyscrapers. Facil is also tucked so neatly inside Potsdamer Platz that the tourists who permeate the area day and night hardly take notice. Try the scallops with macadamia crust and pumpkin mousse or the fresh brook trout salad with shellfish risotto.

Dress: Sophisticated; a suit or jacket is appropriate.
Prices: Expensive.
Reservations: Highly recommended.
Close to: Grand Hyatt, Marriott.

Mitte: Alpenstueck
Garten Strasse 9
+49 30 217 51646

People searching for good Austrian cuisine in Berlin have long had to turn to local kneipes , or pubs, to get their fix. Thankfully, several new Austrian and southern German places have recently opened; Alpenstueck (“A piece of the Alps”) is among the better choices. It's also a terrific spot for dining alone, either at the sleek bar or at the small tables facing large windows near the front of the restaurant. Both areas offer the full menu and wine list. Though Alpenstueck has fancier dishes, diners would do well to stick with the classic Wiener schnitzel. The thinly sliced pieces of veal are coated with bread crumbs and fried, then served up with potato salad and a slice of lemon.

Dress: Casual but contemporary.
Prices: Moderate.
Reservations: Recommended but not always needed.
Close to: Novotel, Westin Grand.

Charlottenburg: Q Hotel
Knesebeck Strasse 67
+49 30 8100 660

The food here is not exceptional, though chef Bastian Mohr's pan-European menu does include moderately priced dishes, such as grilled salmon salad with a lime-avocado vinaigrette and rack of lamb with cucumber salad. What attracts trendy travelers and hip East Berliners is the restaurant's striking interior architecture. Berlin- and Los Angeles-based Graft Architects, who also worked on Brad Pitt's Los Angeles home, have created a colorful, fluid space, full of acute angles, swooping curves, and slopes. (One critic likened it to a postmodern skateboard park.) The full menu and wine list are available at the bar. The restaurant is also near the Kurfürstendamm, Berlin's equivalent of the Champs-Élysées.

Dress: Casual but fashionable.
Prices: Moderate to expensive.
Reservations: Recommended.
Close to: Q Hotel, Dorint Schweizerhof Berlin.

Mitte: Bandol sur Mer
Tor Strasse 157
+49 30 673 02051

This tiny, charming French restaurant seats a total of about 25 people, but the two bar seats that look directly onto the bustling kitchen are the most popular with solo diners. The casual atmosphere allows for banter with the attentive, English-speaking waitstaff and neighborhood regulars. The menu changes frequently, with daily specials written in chalk on the black interior walls. Try the grilled scallops topped with shrimp and a fresh pesto sauce or the Chilean sea bass with ginger. Much of Bandol sur Mer's expansive wine list consists of bottles from European vineyards, including several fine German Rieslings.

Dress: Very casual.
Prices: Moderate (no credit cards).
Reservations: Recommended, particularly for the bar.
Close to: Brandenburger Hof.

Kreuzberg: Die Henne
Leuschnerdamm 25
+49 30 614 7730

There are few reasons for business travelers to venture to Kreuzberg, the Bohemian district that for decades was enclosed on two sides by the Berlin Wall, but Die Henne, a cramped, smoky pub with communal tables and inexpensive food, is one of them. It has stood on the same corner for decades and is a rarity for specializing in chicken—a food that Germans generally do not eat. Die Henne, German for the hen , serves one special dish: roast chicken quickly fried to crispness and served with coleslaw, potato salad, and large steins of beer. (It once served its chicken and lager to President John F. Kennedy.) The place is always packed, but single seats aren't difficult to come by most nights.

Dress: Casual.
Prices: Inexpensive.
Reservations: Rarely needed for dining alone.
Close to: SORAT Art'otel Berlin.