I spent 4 days in Berlin, Germany this month as a little long weekend getaway to celebrate my 21st birthday. I'd already seen a little sneak peak of the food available on Morgan Crawford's post here (not going to lie, I took screenshots and planned routes from the hotel), so it's safe to say I was pretty excited!
One of many snacks. My first acai bowl! Topped with chia seeds, cashew nuts (my favorites) and coconut. I've wanted to try these for the longest time after seeing the hype from youtubers, however unfortunately they aren't really a trend that had taken off in the UK yet. High in antioxidants and vitamins, the berries have a tonne of health benefits. But, to be honest, I just love a good smoothie bowl. This was from FitBar in Alexanderplatz.
Our first evening meal was from Andy's Diner & Bar. I ordered the veggie burger, swapping the fries for salad, and the cocktail above (it had watermelon and dark rum in it... very good, whatever it was called!). The portion sizes were huge and fairly priced. Great for a more relaxed atmosphere, seating was set out in booths with televisions around the restaurant playing sports.
YOSOY tapas bar and Spanish restaurant above. This was for suuuure the best tuna steak I've ever eaten, and in my top two meals of the trip. Served with rosemary potatoes, brocolli and a paprika sauce, this is exactly the kind of simple but flavourful food I love. A little expensive (I think around 18 euros) but worth it for the quality. We also had a bread basket with sundried tomatoes to start which was lovely.
After finding out that the hotel charged 25 euros EACH for a buffet breakfast (almost exactly £25 with the current exchange rate) we chose to go out for our first breakfast. Funk You was my place of choice. Overnight peanut butter oats with nuts, coconut and cocoa nibs and a matcha latte. Surprisingly satiating for a little cup and VERY tasty.
The next two mornings I had this... just wow.
Final lunch was from Thaipan in Alexa shopping centre. Not a CLUE what the dish is called because there was no English menu so I just pointed to a picture and asked for it spicy... so we'll just called it tofu and sticky rice. My other top 2 meal. Great value too, I think that most of the main meals were around 5-6 euros each!
As you've maybe grasped already, Berlin is incredibly vegan and vegetarian friendly!
Uploading this for no reason other than it being the first time I've ever seen this... orange diet coke. I'll be honest, I expected a strong fanta flavour. Couldn't have told you there was anything orange in there without looking at the bottle!
Bakeries like this are EVERYWHERE in Berlin, and they are all insanely good. 'Fitness' bagel and apple and cinnamon muffin from this particular one. I'm obsessed with good bread, so I was right at home in the city!
Finally, just a souvenir that I've brought home really among other little foodie bits. But this is not for the faint hearted. I'd happily drown every meal in cholula and Franks, but this you'll only want to add the tiniest bit!
All in all, it is a pretty expensive city. But I could say the same about London or any other big city. We tried both cheap and expensive options and the trip really is what you make it. For example, the first gym we tried wanted 25 euros each for a day pass (again, keep in mind that euros and pounds are just about equal right now) which we, of course, could not justify. The next gym we went to was happy to let us in for free. I would also highly recommend public transport over taxis. While actually in Berlin, we walked everywhere in an hour radius and didn't bother, but to get to/from the airport our options were a 50 euro taxi or 3-4 euros each for the train. I would highly recommend visiting, but would advise either taking plenty of spending money which we luckily did, or taking the time to research where you are going to eat, what sights you want to see, and how you are going to get around beforehand.