If you find yourself stuck in the culinary desert that is the glass and steel void of Potsdamer Platz, then a short stroll down Potsdamer Strasse leads to one of the cheeriest restaurants in town. Set in an unpromising commercial block almost opposite the Wintergarten Theatre, it's known as a book cafe but is also a terrific place to stop for an evening meal. Named after the 19th century Jewish author Joseph Roth Diele, who apparently wrote Radetzkymarsch in the locale, its calming, quirky decor is the work of the owner, film director Dieter Funk. The ludicrously good value menu is German with spatzle with cheese and bacon as well as a nicely cooked schnitzel all washed down by some terrific beer. On the downside, it's closed at weekends.

www.joseph-roth-diele.de
Potsdamer Straße 75 10785 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 2636 ext. 9884
Google map: bit.ly/VKmljV

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It's a vegan wagon with THE most delicious burger this side of NYC. If you go to Berlin, you MUST try this burger. I had the smoked chipotle chile sauce and also on the same burger, the Pineapple chutney, perfect match.
Only open Sundays, or should that be Sun Days, from late morning to about 5 or 6pm.
They are also at Kreuzberg Markt Halle Neun on Fri and Sat

sundayburgers.com/
Prenzlauer Berg/ Bernauer Straße 13355 Berlin
Google map: bit.ly/z7HWGU

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Awesome hostel located in central Berlin. Recently renovated and the rooms are decorated very cool and artsy. The hostel is very unique in that each room has a different theme which sets it apart from many other hostels.
The staff are incredibly helpful and friendly and ready to help you navigate your way through Berlin's many museums, parks, nightlife, etc. There's also an internet cafe inside so no need to worry about internet! The atmosphere of the hostel is very relaxed and the bar is a great place to hang out and meet other people staying in the hostel. It is also very centrally located and all of Berlin's major sights are very easily accessible from the hostel.

You can also rent bikes from the hostel for a very reasonable price. I really enjoyed staying here and would recommend it to any fellow traveler coming to Berlin! Also, no curfew! :)

Chausseestrasse 102 10115 Berlin
baxpax.de/mittes-backpacker/en/home/ +49(0)30 283 909 65
Google map: bit.ly/qQnRMY

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Great restaurant serving Indian and Singaporean fusion cuisine.
The portion sizes are absolutely huge.
We had two starters and two mains one night and could not finish half the food. We should have watched the locals as they shared starters and mains.
Excellent value and excellent food.
There are two Mirchi restaurants in Berlin. Additionally the sister restaurant Amirt serving Indian food is also one we'd recommend.

Oranienstraße 204, 10999 Berlin, Deutschland
+30 61629993
www.mirchi.de‎
Nearest metro - Oranienburger Tor
Google map: bit.ly/cmYzlo

Amirt:
Oranienburger Straße 45
10117 Berlin, Deutschland
+30 2888484-0
www.amrit.de‎
Google map: bit.ly/a7XiGA
Nearest metro - Oranienburger Tor

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Good solid pizzeria in Berlin. Very good value in nice surroundings.
Cost us €20 for a large margharita (that we customised with our shared starter) as well as drinks.
By the looks of it a very popular place.

Kastanienallee 28, 10435 Berlin.
Google map: bit.ly/9ePB7P

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A recent five day visit to Berlin, found me eating at a tiny Asian food place at the bottom end of Friedrichstrasse three times. ‘Dai An Asia’ is at number 237, next door to a kebab/burger place. Generic Asian fare is served, but the house is essentially Vietnamese. Run by a husband and wife team from an internal dining area no more than 8ft wide by 12-14 ft long, the end of which becomes the kitchen and cash desk area. There are well over a hundred dishes, numbered in the way of such places, but with over a dozen Vietnamese specials running to 6.70euro at the most expensive for the Vietnamese Duck. I had the excellent Saigon style chicken in coconut milk sauce with lemongrass, among other dishes. Many dishes were on avarage five euros. Help yourself to a fantastic Berliner or similar ½ litre bottled beer from the fridge and open it with the opener on the string yourself. At 1.50euros, it’s only marginally more than the supermarket price! Around 10 covers inside and six or seven outside in the summer. Also take away is on offer. Don’t let the big, brightly-lit picture display of the dishes outside put you off, the food is terrific, and served by a friendly, efficient team. After a tiring trip to the fantastic, Daniel Libeskine-designed Jewish Museum at the end of the E.T.A. Hoffmann Promenade opposite Dai An Asia, do yourself a favour and pay them a visit. Closed Sundays.

237 Friedrichstrasse, Kreuzberg
nearest metro: Kochstrasse, line U6
+49 (0)30 25292278

Google map: tinyurl.com/27be68a

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A no-strings attached gem, the Weinerei offers unlimited wine, juice, and a meal for a one Euro fee (plus a donation on exit) in central Berlin.

The cafe itself is small, packed with locals and the wine isn't bad either!

A must-visit for budget travellers with a penchant for good wine, conversation and value.

www.weinerei.com/
Veteranenstraße 14, 10119 Berlin
030 4406983
Google map: tinyurl.com/yjoxpx7

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Compared to other hostels around the world I would definitely rate Circus as a boutique hostel. You can choose between dorm style or private rooms. Dorm beds cost from 15€ and are fun if you go with a group (note: no hen or stag parties allowed).

Last time I rented a private room with ensuite bathroom and it was cleaner and bigger than the last expensive hotel room I was in. Rates were about 38€ per night for the private room.

The staff are ever so friendly and speak lots of languages including perfect English. They also have lots of money saving tips for you including a weekend metro card that gets you and a friend unlimited travel on the S and U Bahn.

The hostel is in Mitte which is in central Berlin and therefore not too far from most sights and easy walking distance to funky areas such as Prenzlauer Berg.

Oh, and they do a great all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast for only 5€!

www.circus-berlin.de

Weinbergsweg 1a
10119 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 28391433

U Bahn: Rosenthaler Platz (very close)

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However long or short your visit to Berlin, you must go on at least one of Brewers daily walking tours.

We had only seven days, and as it was the first time we had been, we wanted to see all the historically significant sites as well as the off-the-beaten-track places. We went on two tours because the first all-day Best of Berlin walking tour was so interesting we couldn't wait to go on another!

There is a choice of tours to all parts of Berlin to suit all interests. Both guides we had were so knowledgeable and amusing and had interesting stories about all the places which really opened your mind as well as your eyes to what makes Berlin such an amazing place.

There were frequent stops for photos and lunch both days was excellent;. The tours are incredible value for money and are not to be missed!

Details of Brewers Berlin Tours are:
www.brewersberlintours.com or email info@brewersberlintours.com

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This is the place when you're looking for free events like parties and museums in Berlin. Perfect for low-budget travellers. These are the events locals go to. Even real Berliners don't know everything you can get in Berlin for free. Most of the content is german, but can be translated at the bottom of the page.

berlin.admission-free.org

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Buy the welcome card - you can purchase it in advance (and pay a hefty shipping fee) or buy it at the airport at Gate 13. It provides 50% off of attractions and free subway transportation for the time period that you select.

Don't hesitate to try the bus system or subway. Both are inexpensive, intuitive, quick, and user-friendly.

Full report at www.travelmusings.net

Visitor card: www.visitberlin.de/welcomecard/index.php?lang=en

Public transportation instructions/tips: wikitravel.org/en/Berlin

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Cafe 100 Wasser is a good place to have a chilled out meal and a beer in the evening. The menu includes couscous, pizza and pasta at affordable prices.

Good service, relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff.

Cafe 100 Wasser
Simon-Dach-Straße 39
Berlin, Berlin 10245
Tel: +49 (0)30 2900 1356
info@cafe-100-wasser.de
www.cafe-100-wasser.de

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This Friedrichshain bar has great atmosphere. Relax in the shabby chic surroundings (standard lamps, rugs, armchairs and wine-coloured walls) and enjoy whittling away the hours listening to the eclectic soundtrack, sipping beer for under two euros. Friendly staff and chilled out clientele. Look out for the wooden bowls of tea (bit odd and bitter).

Macondo
Boxhanger Platz, Friedrichshain

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The Bauhaus Archiv is a must see for any design/architecture fan. The collection is limited but of quality. They have a great range of Bauhaus posters on sale starting from five euros (a bargain) and the shop is full of gorgeous items classic and contemporary.
The cafe's good too - lots of healthy choices.

Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum of Design
Klingelhöferstraße 14
D - 10785 Berlin
Wednesdays to Mondays, 10am - 5pm.
Usually the museum is closed on Tuesdays. On public holidays which fall on a Tuesday, 10am - 5pm
Bus 100 from the Zoo stops just along the street.

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This DDR styled hostel is fantastic - it's kitsch, basic accommodation. It's affordable on a budget, clean, has friendly English-speaking staff and it doesn't feel like a hostel at all! Double and single rooms come with private bathroom with shower or there's the 'Stasi' apartment for up to five sharing. It's on the fringes of the Friedrichshain area with a 10-15 min walk to Boxhanger Platz/Simon-Dache Strasse area but there's a bus-stop outside the building where a 240 will take you straight there in a few minutes. Ostbahnhof Station is across the road where the Underground will take you direct to Warschauer Strasse Station (or anywhere else for that matter).

Avoid the breakfast (three euros); we were directed to a darts pub (?) and were served up a very strange mix of spam, boiled eggs and UHT milk all in the midst of an OAP coach party briefing. Bizarre.

If you have a taste for currywurst at three in the morning there's a take-away across the road.

www.ostel.eu/ostel_willkommen_eng.htm
Ostel – GDR the Hostel, Wriezener Karree 5, 10243 Berlin
Tel: 0049 030 25768660
Directions:
From Ostbahnhof Station come out onto E.Steinfurth-Str.
Turn left onto Strabe der Pariser Kommune,
Turn right onto Wriezener Karree (5).

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Off-the-beaten-track but central (in Prenzlauer Berg)
little cute family-friendly cafe serving cornish pasties, PG tips tea, great ice cream and soups. With English-speaking owner.

zionskirchstr.75
senefelder platz U-Bahn
030 44038577
www.cafe-am-teutoburger-platz.com

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Germany isn't that great for vegetarians, but for a delicious, cheap and filling meal, falafel is a must! On nearly every corner of Berlin is a Doner stall or shop and they all sell Falafel in a big chunk of FladenBrot (Flat bread which really is wonderful) heaps of salad and sauce!

One of my favourite places to get falafel is a Doner place under the arches on Friedrichstrsse by Friedrichstasse Ubahn, also in the supermarket on Hackeshehof and of course in Kreuzberg are some great places too!

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Most Berlin districts have open air cinemas showing old, classic and new films, some are formally organised in parks and venues, others happen in courtyards of cultural centres and nightclubs. Entrance is about five euros and most cinemas have deckchairs and blankets for customers.

Look in Tip or Zitty for "Freiluft Kino"
The open air cinema season normally starts mid May through to September

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Fotoautomat booths are old school passport photo booths. For two euros you get four black and white passport size photos on a strip.
These are not modern digital prints, but real photographs. It's the best fun you can have in Berlin for two euros!

There is one opposite the Circus Hostel on Rosenthaler Platz and one at the top of Kastanienallee.

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Part of the excellent Baxpax chain and recently opened, this modern, funky hostel is slightly out of the centre but located in the über-cool Kreuzberg district.

Some of the rooms have country themed decor (think Swiss cheese, mountains, flags etc) and kitchen and bathrooms are impeccably clean.

The small bar is laid back and chilled out; a good place to meet fellow travellers for a random chat.

Staff are welcoming and incredibly helpful, and you can even hire bikes for only 12 euros a day.

Skalitzer Strasse 104, 10997 Berlin, Germany.
Tel.:++49(0)30 695 183 22 www.baxpax.de/kreuzberg

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