Kaan's Foodie Guide for Berlin Blockchain Week 2025

Maybe you've come across, I've shared a foodie guide for my former home city, Istanbul, during Devconnect 2023, which I've helped with (and very enthusiastic about). Many people told me they had amazing food and it was very useful for them during their time here.

Now it's 2025 and I'm part of DoD organizing Protocol Berg v2 and the Berlin Blockchain Week 2025 is taking place around its times. As an opinionated foodie and an avid food lister, I surely should come up with a new guide.

For your convenience, I've create a Google Maps list of all the places I've mentioned below:

• BBW 2025 list: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EgU98qcRtAynpGSX9

Also here's my "approved" list I keep up to date:

• Kaan's Berlin Approved: https://maps.app.goo.gl/tMLhYAhiGP317B3E7

Even though I wouldn't call Berlin a "food capital" like Istanbul, Bangkok, Tokyo etc. it's a big mix and a city where you can find everything (I mean it literally). It also has a big Turkish population who were invited here post-WW2 as workforce and continued migrating in many other waves, so it's not difficult to see many Turkish tastes on the streets of Berlin. But I'd say it's not trivial to find the good ones, as they are rare.

And before everything, let's close this debate. DÖNER IS TURKISH. I'm saying this because some Germans claim it's German (as if we don't had enough of our neighboring countries). Döner (which literally means "it turns") is a Turkish dish brought to Germany by the Turkish immigrants mentioned above.

But, yes, there's a certain style of Döner in Berlin: It's a sandwhich filled with chicken or meat, stuffed with salad, vegetables, feta cheese, and sauces (lots of it). It is delicious! And you'll read about very tasty ones below. But this is not how Turkish people in Turkey eat it. In our case it has to be beef (or a mix with lamb), juicy, well marinated meat with no sauce. Just pure meat delight.

Now that it's settled, let's talk about Berlin's two neighborhoods and my best picks in each.

1. Kreuzberg

Kreuzberg was once part of West Berlin and pressed right up against the Berlin Wall, it was for decades an isolated edge of the city — too marginal for most Germans (you wouldn't want to live right at the border of the "iron curtain", do you). This led to a large influx of Turkish guest workers and a strong countercultural presence. Over time, it became a hub for political activism, immigration, and alternative lifestyles. When the Wall fell, Kreuzberg suddenly found itself in the center of the reunified city, sparking waves of transformation while preserving some of its raw, independent spirit to an extent.

This is also the neighborhood I spend most of my time in. Many of Berlin’s crypto offices, including the Ethereum Foundation’s, are based here, so it’s kind of my area of specialization.

Kreuzberg is buzzing with nightlife, street art, music venues, and multicultural eateries. It’s home to Görlitzer Park and the picturesque canal-side Maybachufer, which hosts a vibrant Turkish market on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the creative Nowkoelln flea market. While it’s not as polished or orderly as Prenzlauer Berg, to me that’s part of its charm — Kreuzberg thrives on contrast and character. You’ll see students, artists, long-time residents, and newcomers sharing the same streets. Rents have risen, but Kreuzberg remains one of Berlin’s most beloved and outspoken neighborhoods.

Food spots

• Falco's Slice Maps

  • Oh my god. I haven't eaten this good pizza anywhere else. I will seriously put this to best in my life. They do vegeterian and vegan but it's absolutely a killer. The mushroom one is a must but all of them are fantastic. After here, grab an ice cream from the next spot.

• Duo Ice Cream (multiple locations)

  • Another lifetime favorite. Their pistachio ice cream is giving me chills, it's so so sooo good. Recently they started "salty pistachio" too which is even better. It got a little famous so expect to wait in line.

• Goldies Smash burger (multiple locations)

  • One of the best burgers in town for me.

• Cocolo Ramen Maps

  • The tonkotsu ramen is the best in town.

• Burgermeister (multiple locations)

  • Iconic Berlin burger spot with fair prices.

• Mercan Maps

  • One of EF office favorites. A very authentic Turkish home cooking restaurant. The food here is literally my mum would cook at home.

• Hasır Döner Maps

  • This place is a hit or miss. Usually when I eat it's delicious but every now and then the daily batch gets dry and pale. When it's good it's so good, their meat so juicy and perfectly fatty. Here you can try both Berlin style or Turkey style without salad and sauce, to taste the meat. If you want to sit down, another really good option is the Iskender Kebap which is doner meat on top of bread with a lot of butter, tomato sauce and yoghurt. The service here is awful though :D (in most of the Berlin it's so) don't expect to find it here.

• Sönmez Baklava Maps

  • To me the best baklava and all sorts of heavy Turkish desserts in town. Better than many places back in Turkey. Get whatever you fancy on the display trays. These days I like "kadayıf", the desert with fine dough threads and pistachios. And of course order a Turkish tea.

• Adana Ocakbaşı(s) Maps (Audre-Lorde-Straße) Maps (Yeni Adana)

  • Right around the corner you'll also find 4 shops all named "Adana Ocakbaşı" (coal grill) that serve Adana kebap and other skewer kebaps. You can't go wrong with any of them. The one at the end "Yeni Adana" is more reasonably priced and more laid back. The one on the Audre-Lorde-Straße (prev. Mantteufelstraße) is a little better and fancier. Definitely get an Adana kebap, close to original level goodness. If you want to go all in, open up a bottle of "rakı" and order some mezzes.

• Markthalle Neun Maps

  • A nice food hall with a lot of different food options.

1. Prenzlauer Berg

Prenzlauer Berg is one of Berlin’s most iconic and desirable neighborhoods. Once part of East Berlin, it has undergone massive transformation since German reunification — from a gritty, squatted artist haven to a gentrified, family-friendly district known for its historic charm and trendy lifestyle.

During the GDR (East Germany) era, Prenzlauer Berg was a working-class area and center for counterculture in East Berlin, becoming a hub for squatters, artists, and anarchists after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Post-reunification, the neighborhood rapidly gentrified and is now filled with renovated Altbau (pre-war buildings), cafés, organic shops, and upscale boutiques. The demographic has shifted to young families, creatives with steady income, and expats.

PBerg is full of cute and trendy cafes, brunch spots and bakeries. It's home to the Mauerpark (Wall park), that is famous for its sunday flea market. It’s a walkable area with leafy streets, cobblestones, and a relaxed atmosphere. Upper-middle class parents pushing strollers is a common sight. It’s one of the pricier areas in Berlin due to its popularity. Both rent and real estate are among the highest in the city.

Food Spots

• Daddy's Kebap Maps

  • Right outside the Protocol Berg venue, under the train station, this place is one of the trendiest "steak döner" spots and for good reason. Their meat is really well marinated and tender. If you want to go for a Turkey style döner, just ask tomatoes and a bir of onion. If you fancy a Berlin style, go for the salad and sauces you like. Must try if you're attending Protocol Berg!

• Wen Cheng Hand Pulled Noodles Maps (PBerg 1) Maps (PBerg 2)

  • Berlin foodies will raise eyebrows seeing this place on the list. Like many hot spots, they blew up and grew very fast with multiple chains in Berlin, and they are not as good as they used to be. However, if you haven't had a chili hand pulled noodles in a while, this is a good place to try. They have 2 spots in Prenzlauer Berg. Expect to wait on a line but if it's short, it usually moves fast.

• Kongfu Chili Maps

  • Another Chinese noodle place with good noodles. For me, it's rather their smashed chili cucumber salad that brings me here.

• Ruyam Gemüse Döner Maps 1 Maps 2

  • You probably heard "Mustafa's Gemüse Döner". Don't waste your time waiting an hour on the line there. Just eat a Berlin style Gemüse (vegetable) kebap here.

• 60 seconds to Napoli Maps

  • A nice Neapolitan pizza spot. Approved by some of my Italian friends.

• Brammibal Donuts

  • Famous vegan donuts.

• Hockey Pockey

  • A nice ice cream spot.

• Osman's Töchter Maps

  • A nice Turkish restaurant to sit down and dine for longer hours with appetizers and rakı (Turkish anise liquor like ouzo).

Bonus: German food 🇩🇪

Apart from "Döner" a very typical Berlin food is the "Currywurst". It's a sausage with a curry sauce. I'm not a huge fan but it's very tasty as a post-nightout snack. The most famous place to get it is the "Konnopke's Imbiss" in Prenzlauer Berg. Another good option is the "Curry 36".

• Ketels Maps

  • This place does really good German sausages.

• Augustiner Biergarten Maps

  • Very traditional German beer hall. Their beer is my favorite and they have a nice garden.

• Prater Maps

  • Another typical German beer hall in Prenzlauer Berg.

• Max & Moritz Maps

  • A more restauranty place (not a beer hall) in Kreuzberg. Very solid German food.