The Hottest Restaurants in Berlin

Berlin’s spring optimism is driven by new restaurants and the city’s recalibration of what is currently in demand. Three new openings are presented as immediate additions to a to-eat list, each with a distinct character. Barlevain in Schöneberg takes over the corner space previously used by Björn Swanson’s Faelt, offering an unpretentious yet accomplished experience. The menu is intentionally condensed, focusing on familiar flavors and restrained cooking. Standout items include KYS oysters with homemade tomato hot sauce, a well-executed house terrine, and grilled pork neck skewers based on a Saxonian family recipe. The food is described as lighter and more flavorful than expected, with additional dishes such as cavatelli in onion jus with Bärlauch and whole plaice with Frankfurt apple wine beurre blanc.

"Barlevain is the first restaurant from Maximilian Hühnergart and Ana Hernández Götz, a couple not unknown to the Berlin scene: Ana ran front of house and wines at Tulus Lotrek, Max cooked at Facil and spent time as sous-chef at Barra. Together they have opened something that feels both refreshingly unpretentious and quietly accomplished. The menu is deliberately condensed and nothing needs explaining or excusing. Max is simply cooking what he knows, using the flavors he grew up with, and the intelligence of that restraint is what makes the food interesting."

"The KYS oysters with a homemade tomato hot sauce taste like a gourmet, salty-sea version of your Stammkneipe's Mexikaner (that's a good thing, btw), the house terrine is executed with remarkable competence, and the grilled pork neck skewer is based on Max's Saxonian mother's recipe, pork marinated in nothing more than onion, pepper, and salt, served with pickled onions and it is a million times lighter and tastier than you expect."

"Cavatelli in onion jus with Bärlauch, a whole plaice with a smashing Frankfurt apple wine beurre blanc, rhubarb with vanilla custa"

Read at Berlin Food Stories