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Garden restaurants: Berlin’s best al fresco dining

Berliners love eating outdoors on summer evenings. Here are some of our favourite spots.

The Café Rix serves delicious food in a stylish and green atmosphere outside. Photo: Imago/Schöning

It wouldn’t be a Berlin summer without many things (wasps, hangovers, inflatable dinghies), and it certainly wouldn’t be a Berlin summer without some al fresco dining. In a city that knows to cherish its long days and warm nights, Berliners are spoilt for choice when it comes to leafy courtyards, terraces and gardens in which to mingle, wasp in face, Aperol spritz in hand.

We round up the best spots in Berlin for outdoor dining, from restaurants to biergartens.

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MITTE 

Coccodrillo

Hip new Italian restaurant Coccodrillo sits in Weinbergspark. Photo: Jerome Galland

Yes, Mitte has green bits. And in one of them, the beautiful Weinbergspark, you’ll find the candy-coloured walls of restaurant Coccodrillo, which opened in summer 2022. This new Italian eatery comes replete with zebra patterns on the floor, porcelain leopards and even more neon signs.

Where does that leave room for food? On the red tables, of course. Think truffle pasta from copper pots, burrata, fior di latte ice cream, decent pizza and crowd-pleasing drinks from sometimes daring vessels (boobs, for example). An Instagram dream.

  • Coccodrillo, Veteranenstr. 9, Mitte, details.

Clärchens Ballhaus

Image for Outdoor dining: The new rules and where to eat this weekend
The Hofgarten at Clärchens Ballhaus. Photo: Clärchens Ballhaus

Berlin’s most cherished historic ballroom reopened in July 2020 with new owners, a new look and a revamped menu that killed the pizza but kept the schnitzel. Get a forkful in the lush, expansive courtyard, which is almost as scenic as the old Spiegelsaal.

  • Clärchens Ballhaus, Auguststr. 24, Mitte, details.

Night Kitchen

Where the magic happens at Night Kitchen. Photo: Matan Kedar @achso.creative

The fairylit Heckman Höfe courtyard is the place to go for a lengthy, celebratory group meal, especially if you opt for the never-ending parade of shareable modern-Mediterranean dishes that constitutes the €52/person “Dinner With Friends” and chase it with a potent cocktail or two. 

  • Night Kitchen, Heckmann Höfe, Oranienburger Str. 32, Mitte, details.

PRENZLAUER BERG

Kanaan

Kanaan. Photo: Marianne Rennella

Silky-smooth hummus, homemade pita bread, and other vegetarian and vegan Middle Eastern specialties in a big sandy lot off Helmholtzplatz. Co-owned by an Israeli and a Palestinian, it’s also one of the only restaurants in Berlin to publicly give a damn about what goes on in Gaza.

  • Kanaan, Schliemannstr. 15, Prenzlauer Berg, details.

Kink

Kink. Photo: Frank Café

This ambitious, experimental-minded restaurant and cocktail bar took over most of the Pfefferberg complex in late 2019 – including the leafy, elevated patio, where hip Prenzlauer Bergers can unwind over grilled octopus, beef tartare and asparagus sorbet (or more casual lunch dishes from sister café Frank, with its tantalising French-style tartelettes, hazelnut choux and babas). 

  • Kink Restaurant und Bar, Schönhauser Allee 176, details.

FRIEDRICHSHAIN

Michelberger Restaurant

Michelberger Restaurant. Photo: tipBerlin Archiv

Yeah, it’s too-cool-for-school and you won’t get full at dinner without spending a fortune. But the DJ-soundtracked courtyard ambience is hard to beat, and lunch gets you the same hyperlocal produce (from the regenerative farm the crew opened in 2019) for way less money. Also, you might run into Bon Iver in the hotel foyer.

  • Michelberger Restaurant ,Warschauer Str. 39, Friedrichshain, details.

Restaurant Schoenbrunn

The cozy Café Schoenbrunn is as much a part of Friedrichshain, as the Volkspark itself. Photo: Imago/Schöning

Another garden restaurant in Berlin, and a hugely popular one at that, is the Schoenbrunn Restaurant in Volkspark Friedrichshain. Here, locals feel as comfortable as they would in their own garden. But new Berliners and scattered tourists also find their way to the beer garden, alongside families in need of a bockwurst-to-go from the kiosk.

  • Restaurant Schoenbrunn Am Schwanenteich, Volkspark Friedrichshain, details.

KREUZBERG

Zollhaus Rutz

The old Zolhaus Rutz at Kreuzberger Ufer in Berlin Kreuzberg. Photo: IMAGO / F. Anthea Schaap

Meaty German classics from bratwurst to Königsberger Klopse, given an upgrade by the three-Michelin-starred chef Marco Müller and served on a manicured, grassy terrace that’s so close to the Landwehrkanal you could give the swans your leftovers (which you’ll only have if you’re vegan).

  • Zollhaus Rutz ,Carl-Herz-Ufer 30, Kreuzberg, details.

Golgatha

Golgatha in Viktoriapark is Kreuzberg’s green “neighbourhood living room”. Photo: Golgatha/Schahrzad Derakhshan

OG Berlin beer garden Golgatha has existed since 1977. Here, for relatively little money, you’ll find sumptuous portions. A place where the potatoes are still lovingly peeled by hand(!) and served with a Kreuzberger Klosterbier or a Karg-Hefeweizen from Upper Bavaria. The crowd in the ‘danceable beer garden’ is a colourful mix – typically Kreuzberg, typically Berlin.

  • Golgatha, Katzbachstr, Viktoriapark, Kreuzberg, details.

3 Schwestern

Photo: 3 Schwestern

Fancy an open-air flick after you dine? Take in a screening of Greenland, Mama Weed or The United States vs. Billie Holiday at Freiluftkino Kreuzberg after you hit up the courtyard biergarten of its Bethanien neighbour for a free-range schnitzel or belly-warming plate of Käsespätzle

  • 3 Schwestern, Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Mariannenplatz 2, Kreuzberg, details.

NEUKÖLLN

Orangerie Neukölln

Photo: Orangerie Neukölln

Tucked away in a quiet corner between bustling Hermannstraße and Karl-Marx-Straße, Körnerpark is a neo-baroque gem. And looking out over the manicured bushes, the terrace of the Orangerie Neukölln is the ideal spot to sip a glass of (natural) wine in a shade. Owners Simon and Max also offer homemade cakes, great coffee, tea and snacks – all vegetarian or vegan – and later in the day also lunch, antipasti, and beer. On warm summer evenings, it’s also the perfect place for an aperitif.

  • Orangerie Neukölln, Körnerpark, Schierker Str, 8, Neukölln, details.

Café Botanico

The kitchen concept of Café Botanico is Italian. All dishes are refined with ingredients from the in-house permagarden. Photo: Liz Eve

Hidden in a wild Rixdorf garden behind a rather inconspicuous façade you’ll find Café Botanico. According to the rules of permaculture, old fruit varieties, vegetable plants and wild herbs are cultivated here over a thousand square metres, which are then preserved or served fresh and crisp in the form of a salad, dessert or fresh lemonade. Café Botanico is a must for nature-loving culinary enthusiasts. The kitchen concept? Italian. The ingredients? Organic, from the garden or from regional partners. Dishes like the Botanico burger with pulled lamb, fennel mayonnaise and wild herb salad appear alongside classic dishes like tagliolini with black truffle in butter with parmesan.

  • Café Botanico, Richardstr. 100, Neukölln, details.

Café Rix

Traditional insider tip in Neukölln: Café Rix serves delicious food in a stylish and outdoor green atmosphere. Photo: Imago/Schöning

Inside, Café Rix on Karl-Marx-Straße scores with a pleasing mix of art and gastronomy. In the backyard, the garden restaurant exudes classic charm and some elegant palm fronds. When the weather is nice, breakfast under a large chestnut tree and among many plants and flowers becomes an exotic feast.

  • Café Rix, Karl-Marx-Str. 141, Neukölln, details.

21 Gramm

Photo: 21 gramm

There’s no more picturesque place to eat pancakes than under the brick-lined eaves of the former funeral parlour across from Tempelhofer Feld. The upmarket brunch, lunch and happy hour fare here may be a tad overrated, but given the setting and the location, there’s always an über-hip crowd dying to get in. (Sorry.)

  • 21 Gramm, Hermannstr. 179, Neukölln, details.

TEMPELHOF-SCHÖNEBERG

Brewdog

In the green Brewdog beer garden, solid food is not neglected next to drinkable beer! Photo: Imago/Seeliger

If rumours are true, the site at the old gasometer in Mariendorf was converted for a whopping €40 million. The majestic red brick building from 1901 is now home to the Brewdog brewery and restaurant, surrounded by a fantastic beer garden in which up to 800 people(!) can sup craft beer at the same time. And the food isn’t bad either: pizzas, burgers and chicken wings. Beer food, but of a reliably high quality.

  • Brewdog DogTap Berlin, Marienpark 23, Tempelhof, details.

BRLO

BRLO. Photo: Clemens Niedenthal

The most happening craft brewery in Gleisdreieck boasts a sizeable biergarten backdropped by hefty monochrome shipping containers. Twee this ain’t. The full menu features BBQ meat straight from the smoker alongside the likes of a bangin’ baked cauliflower from the impressive vegetable menu.

  • BRLO, Schöneberger Str. 16, Kreuzberg, details.

TIERGARTEN

Café am Neuen See

Café am Neuen See. Photo: Imago/Stefan Zeitz

The legendary spot for a lakeside Löwenbräu (or a cold-pressed juice), a pretzel or a Flammkuchen. As soon as the sun shines, two- and four-legged Berliners trek to the beer garden and café in Tiergarten, next to lake Neuer See. The self-serve area has become its own pavilion with several cash registers, food and beverage stations, just like a canteen. On the menu: pizza, pasta, and the Bavarian classics of all German beer gardens: Weißwurst and Leberkäse, bratwust, shandy and wheat beer.

  • Café am Neuen See, Lichtensteinallee 2, Tiergarten, 11-23, details.

Schleusenkrug

In the Schleusenkrug beer garden in the middle of Tiergarten, you can choose from the changing weekly menu. Photo: F. Anthea Schaap

Because Schleusenkrug is located in the middle of Tiergarten, it is – although only a stone’s throw away from Bahnhof Zoo – a kind of novelty excursion restaurant. All year round there’s a seasonal weekly menu with soups, salads, tarte flambée and several main courses. Most of the meat comes from local farms, and the large cake selection is highly recommended.

  • Schleusenkrug, Müller-Breslau-Str. 14b, Charlottenburg, details

ZEHLENDORF

Café in der Gartenakademie 

Eating cake among flowering perennials: Café in der Gartenakademie is a very special place in Berlin. Photo: Café in der Gartenakademie

This place is wonderful. Green, of course, because it’s located in one of the best plant nurseries in Berlin, but also classy in the best sense of the word: a mixture of manor house and English teahouse. Delicious cakes and small dishes from the changing weekly menu can be enjoyed here among flowering shrubs.

  • Café in der Gartenakademie, Altensteinstr. 15a, Zehlendorf, details.

Châlet Suisse

Swiss cuisine in the woods of Berlin can be found at Châlet Suisse in Grunewald. Photo: Imago/Schöning

A grand wooden house, right in the heart of Grunewald: Châlet Suisse, part of Restaurant Dieckmann, offers upscale alpine cuisine and a classic wine selection, especially from France. When the sun shines, both are served under shady trees in the garden, along with meat and poultry from the grill.

  • Châlet Suisse, Clayallee 99, Im Jagen 5, Zehlendorf, details.

Loretta am Wannsee

A cool place for warm days: Loretta am Wannsee serves delicious food and beer, with lake views to boot. Photo: Loretta am Wannsee

The Loretta am Wannsee is a child-friendly restaurant in the countryside, with German cuisine and a large beer garden, sun loungers and a view of the lake. The Augustiner Hell or Erdinger Urweizen on tap go very well with hearty dishes such as potato rösti with gratinated goat cheese or grilled rump steak of Pomeranian beef on port wine jus with rosemary potatoes.

  • Loretta am Wannsee, Kronprinzessinnenweg 260, Zehlendorf, details.

Wirtshaus Moorlake

The Wirtshaus Moorlake is a beautiful Berlin garden restaurant with home-style cooking. Photo: Imago/Schöning

A garden restaurant in Berlin with rustic charm: for more than 35 years, the Roeder family has been catering to the well-being of their guests with refined cuisine at the Wirtshaus Moorlake. The alpine kitsch of the house and the chestnut-fringed beer garden (with a view of the Havel) are good reasons to visit, not to mention the home-style cooking. The menu includes calf’s liver with apple, onions and homemade mashed potatoes or plaice with boiled potatoes and salad.

  • Wirtshaus Moorlake, Moorlakeweg 6, Zehlendorf, details.

Hofcafé Mutter Fourage

The slow space of Zehlendorf beats in the green courtyard café Mutter Fourage. Photo: Hofcafé Mutter Fourage

This beautiful garden restaurant in Berlin is located in a former feed store. In the green courtyard of the Hofcafé Mutter Fourage, you can enjoy summer afternoons with homemade lemonade and largely vegetarian dishes. It’s also a great place to have breakfast in a gemütlich atmosphere – the vegan, cheese and salmon breakfast varieties are our highlights. The adjacent farm shop stocks regional organic products to take away.

  • Hofcafé Mutter Fourage, Chausseestr. 15a, Zehlendorf, details.

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