Berlin is a city rife with culture, history, and a bohemian attitude that takes a lot of visitors by surprise. It’s an easy city to enjoy on a budget, with plenty of free attractions to keep even the most frugal minded traveller happy.
If that’s not incentive enough to book those cheap flights, Berlin is a city bursting with great cheap eats. No matter how low your budget is, you’re sure to find some awesome food for a couple of Euros on the streets of the German capital.
Curry 36
If you’re set on seeing Berlin on a budget you’re bound to find yourself eating currywurst at least once, and you can’t say “Ich bin ein Berliner” unless you’ve sampled the wurst Curry 36 has to offer. Currywurst is steamed and fried sausage topped with curry powder and ketchup: it’s that simple, and that delicious. This little shack has queues of hungry locals in front of it night and day, and it has such a strong reputation that they’ve even launched their own range of official currywurst sauce.
Burgermeister
It’s well worth leaving your hotels in Berlin for a day out in Kreuzberg, and if it’s meaty goodness you’re looking for, look no further than underneath the U-Bahn tracks near the station. Of course, there are some vegetarian options too: the tofu burger is nice enough, but nothing can compare to the bacon laden Meistaburger. The chilli cheese fries are pretty good too.
Tadim Lamacun
Despite Angela Merkel’s declaration that multiculturalism has failed in Germany, there are some pretty great budget eats to be found once you start visiting ethnic restaurants like Tadim Lamacun, which specialises in the Turkish dish lamacun: basically a Turkish burrito. Thin flatbread is topped with minced meat, salad and sauce, then rolled into a burrito shape.
Miss Saigon
You can pick up a dish of delicious Vietnamese soup (pho) for around €6 at this modest little fast food joint. Like most great cheap foodie options, it’s popular with Berlin office workers. You might find yourself standing in a queue if you turn up at lunch time, but your first bite of the fresh, crunchy spring rolls will make it all worthwhile. Try the milkshakes, too: the coconut and avocado one sounds a bit strange, but the flavours really do work.
Rogacki
Back to German style food, this deli offers a lunch time platter of blutwurst, leberwurst, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes for €4.50. The sausages (blood sausage and liver sausage respectively) are somewhat of a delicacy, so if you don’t enjoy black pudding then it’s perhaps better to avoid this one and try something else on the menu, like the fried fish. If you do decide to go for it, you’ll be rewarded with a taste of real hearty German fare. Splash out on some weisbeer to cut through the rich flavours. Once you’re finished dining, browse Rogacki’s fine selection of 150 varieties of cheeses and over 200 cured meats; you’ll be spoiled for choice.
