Berlin’s hottest food news

POPUP MANIA, INDOOR SNOW AND END OF YEAR CLOSINGS

We're down to the final month of 2025, and before we start wrapping up the year in food, we’ve pulled together a list of seriously good eats and exciting openings to keep you well-fed over the coming weeks. Much of it revolves around pop-ups, like the one-week-only reopening of Ernst, reimagined as a high-end sushi restaurant under the helm of London-based Endo Kazutoshi. Or the inaugural Berlin Gastro Solidarity Network charity dinner at PARS on December 14th, where guests will enjoy world-class cooking for a great cause, with all proceeds for the first dinner going to a charity organisation providing aid to Palestine.

Meanwhile, pop-up star Dosch is teaming up with Grindhouse x Dosch to serve a one-day-only French dip sandwich at KERB Food Hall on the 13th, and the teaser photos look dangerously mouthwatering. KERB is shaping up to be the pre-Christmas hangout spot, with a brand-new ice skating rink out front, an indoor (!) snow show every day, and loads of holiday specials.

And last but not least, because we want to make sure you have enough time to actually eat all this food, we’ve also sorted your entire Christmas gifting game: Our BFS Restaurant Voucher is the ultimate food gift this season. It’s the perfect surprise for any food lover, unlocking meals at 40+ of the city’s best restaurants, and giving your loved ones the chance to savor great food, celebrate together, and make unforgettable memories.

OPENINGS

Daia: Two Georgian sisters have brought Georgian hospitality to Kopenhagener strasse. The menu leans into tradition, natural qvevri wines, wood-fired bread blistered to perfection, Adjarian khachapuri with molten cheese and egg, and the slow-cooked national dish of chakapuli and grilled mtsvadi served with plum sauce.

Saint Farah: Tel Aviv natives bringing a family dream to life. Expect merguez ragout over Jerusalem artichoke purée, pork belly with apple barbeque sauce and braised cabbage, or their half chicken with a rich mole sauce.

SOLID: A community driven restaurant and bar supporting small-scale farming, plating regional ingredients with gluten-free and vegan options available. Snacks, music, and events shape a space where food and community share the same table.

Himitsu Bar: Himitsu returns to Manifesto Market, reopening its award-winning, discreet speakeasy with a new menu and concept. The intimate 26-seat bar invites guests into Japanese drinking culture, if they can find it that is. Subtle hints are scattered around the venue, after all, Himitsu means “secret” in Japanese, and finding your way inside is part of the experience.

Aroma: The iconic Cantonese restaurant opens its second location on Warschauer Strasse and remains one of the few late-night kitchens serving until 3 a.m. on weekends. Make sure to go hard on the Dim Sum when you're there and don't miss the ha cheung shrimp rolls or the fried bean curd rolls.

Die Bemme: Creative sandwiches and bubbles, straight to the point. Try the red beet, goat cheese and a coriander–lime leaf pesto on sourdough, or a spicy tahini-mango pickle with roasted broccoli and pumpkin seeds.

Chikku: Asian fried chicken ranging from soy garlic, yangnyeom, yuzu or nuoc mam as options. Simple and crispy.

Esenzia: Food, art and community in one space. Inside Esenzia, Volle Tafel serves small plates designed for sharing, tasting, and connecting with people you’ve never met. A space for creation and connection around the table.

Dorotheá: A fine dining salon with mezze, crudi, contorni, and signature dishes like saddle of lamb, veal with café de Paris sauce, plus classic pizzas and sharing plates. A place to dine, dance and desire.

Pizziamo: Traditional biga pre-fermented dough pizza with San Marzano tomato sauce and finished with their own extra virgin olive oil drizzled on to complete their Izzoforni magic. Napoli right here in Kreuzberg!

Fat Henry: A day to night bar serving hand rolls and exquisite sashimi. Highlights include pulpo salad, white fish ceviche with yuzu and coconut milk, and yuzu hiramasa. That’s just for starters, for mains you can find a sashimi chef’s plate and high-end hand rolls, perfect for seafood lovers.

Dapoer: Named after the old Indonesian word for “kitchen,” Dapoer travels across the islands: with smoky satay and comforting soto ayam to a rich rendang and fragrant lawar.

Chuan Garden: Torstrasse got the Sichuan spirit. Family style cooking spans from zigong cold spiced rabbit, dim sum plates, vegan friendly dishes and dan dan noodles or braised pork belly and an extensive list of classics.

Crisp.: Brasserie Dandelion’s little sister puts Japanese chicken front and center! Karaage batter drives the crunch while signature sauces help it all stand out to make it a home for Japanese soul food.

Lilibeo: A Sicilian homage to the city of Marsala in Wedding’s African quarter. December’s pizza special is a winter combination of salsiccia, porcini, chestnut cream, black truffle and fior di latte.

BAKUBAKU: Japanese donburi spot inside Kalle Halle, serving tonkatsu, gyudon, katsudon, karage, katsu sando and Japanese curry.

CLOSINGS

Ei-12437-B (a.k.a. Eierhäuschen): Closing End of 2025. One of Berlin’s most beautiful restaurant revivals is coming to an end. Das Ei, the modern German gem nestled in Treptow’s Spreepark, will close at the end of 2025. Despite its magical setting and ambitious food, the numbers apparently never quite added up. It’s a major blow to the modern German scene, this was more than a restaurant; it was a cultural restoration. Fingers crossed the talented team sticks around.

Lo Fufu: Closed (Sir Savigny Hotel, Charlottenburg) The Italian-Japanese seafood hybrid inside the Sir Savigny Hotel, has quietly packed up its fusion toolkit. We always found it a bit more style than substance, but it undeniably brought flair and made the most out of this iconic restaurant location. The hotel pulled the plug, and the current team is now hunting for a new home.

Masha’s Bagels: Closing End of 2025 (Neukölln) One of Berlin’s few true bagel destinations, is closing its shop at the end of the year - unless a buyer steps in. No takeover means no bagels in 2026, and that’s a carb crisis we weren’t prepared for. If you’ve been meaning to go, return, or get yourself a bagel shop for Xmas, now’s the time.

KERB FOOD HALL

🔥 BFS x KERB FOOD HALL🔥

ANZEIGE - Step into the magic this December at KERB Food Hall! This is where snow falls indoors, the smells of indulgent food fill the air and every visit feels like a celebration. Lace up your skates and catch the snowfall on the massive 600 m² rink and catch snow falling inside (!) the Food Hall during the weeks before Xmas! (Mo - Fr 17 & 21 and on weekends at 14, 17 and 21).

For food lovers, the temptations are endless. Pick & Cheese is serving Bottomless Cheese Nights, 90 minutes of unlimited gooey goodness. On Thursdays, Butter Bronson takes wings to the next bottomless level that keep your hands (and taste buds) busy. And mark your calendars for December 13th, when Grindhouse Burger joins forces with Dosch for a one-day-only French dip masterpiece: slow-cooked entrecôte, 20-hour beef jus, caramelized onions, horseradish-mustard mayo, melted cheese, and a perfectly crispy baguette, a bite that demands attention! In case you arrive too late, no worries, because Grindhouse has a secret steakhouse burger that’s in our opinion one of the most underrated in the whole city - just ask for the “Secret Burger” when you order!

Don’t just watch the season pass, dive in! Let your puppy enjoy the cute dog corner while the snow is falling, catch the festive flavors and limited-time treats around every corner - KERB Food Hall is the place to be this December. Grab your friends, follow your taste buds, and make memories that are as delicious as they are unforgettable.

RUMORS & NEWS

Five Guys: The American burger giant, Five Guys, might be shutting down in Germany despite having a loyal fan base. Since launching in 2017, the brand has reportedly accumulated losses of around €60 million in total. While nothing has been officially confirmed, things are not looking good for the fast food chain.

Ernst: Announcing the return of Berlin’s best restaurant for one week only, hosting a special Omakase collaboration with Endo Kazutoshi of London’s Michelin-starred Endo at the Rotunda, which has held its star for six consecutive years. From December 10-14, Endo and his team will host an unforgettable culinary experience. Two seatings will be offered each evening at18:00 and 21:15, though both are currently wait list only due to overwhelming demand.

Butter Bronsons: Bottomless wings every Thursday for €20 at KERB Food Hall. Each week brings a new mystery flavor, and diners have 90 minutes to see just how many they can take down.

All Dae: Hard seltzer drink company, All Dae had a recent incident outside their control which resulted in the destruction of all their stock. Operations are on pause, but the team stresses this is not a permanent closure. They are actively seeking partners or investors interested in supporting the brand’s next phase of growth.

POP-UPS

pars : On 14 December, some of Berlin’s most celebrated chefs will unite at pars for an extraordinary evening in solidarity with Palestine. Florian Sperlhofer, Lode van Zuylen, Caique Tizzi, Sarah Hallmann, Chelsea Turowsky, and Julian Mancuso will each create a once-in-a-lifetime dish using Conflictfood ingredients, with all proceeds going to medico international. Guests will also hear firsthand perspectives from speakers including Riad Othman of Medico International. The six-course menu is priced at 200€ and includes a wine or alcohol-free pairing and is a rare chance to experience world-class cooking while supporting a vital cause this season.

Sertaç Diric x Stoke Berlin: On Sunday, December 14th, London’s Sertaç Diric (of cult-favorite Mangal 2) brings his modern Turkish grill magic to Stoke, the acclaimed yakitori and woodfire restaurant in Berlin. Expect smoky vibes, bold Anatolian flavors, and a one-night-only takeover with à la carte options or a full set menu at €120.

Ada’s: On Saturday, December 20, Ada’s will take over Onette for an Italian dinner that leans fully into comfort and craft. From 18:00 onward, you can expect a spread of fresh pasta, silky whipped salted cod, crisp fried pecorino and egg bites, arrosticini skewers grilled over a hibachi, and a roaming dessert cart to close the night on a high note. Reservations via Onette.

Grindhouse x Dosch: Limited one-day-only French dip sandwiches. A 4 hour slow cooked Grindhouse entrecôte and a 20 hour deep beef jus to dip that gorgeous baguette into. Catch this delight over at KERB Food Hall on December 13th.

Mehfil: A community food collective from Pakistan. They’ve done a proper pop-up tour around Berlin, so keep your eyes peeled for what they have in store!

The Bun Society: Returning as a pop-up in the Kureme Ice Cream Shop on Adalbertstrasse. As of now they’re setting up the space and putting the finishing touches.

AO: Japanese-inspired café with visually stunning desserts and slow coffee. From housecakes, roll cakes, shortcakes, mille crêpe, chiffon, pudding and and vegan cheesecakes - it’s all there!

GIFT YOUR LOVED ONES A BFS VOUCHER!

Create unforgettable food memories with the BEST voucher in the city!

It’s the best time of the year to give away the BFS Restaurant Voucher, the ultimate gift for food lovers! More than just a voucher, it’s a passport to over 40 carefully curated restaurants and bars across Berlin, from iconic favorites like Goldies and Horváth, or brunch havens like Frühstück 3000 and Bertie, to hidden gems waiting to be discovered.

Each voucher unlocks a unique culinary adventure, letting the recipient dine, drink, and explore Berlin like a true insider. All the while supporting independent restaurants and BFS’s ongoing work in the city. Looking for the perfect gift for your friends, family and loved ones this holiday season? Get in touch with us for special deals on employee gifting and spread a little foodie joy!

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