658529 Sat Oct 10 15:38:52 -0700 2009 4 26 International 0 5093920 i've loved reading this board for years and have gotten some great advice (however this is my first time posting!) NYC food junkie traveling for 4 days to berlin on business next week. I'll be staying in the Mitte and looking for some great recommendations. willing to travel, actually prefer to spend more time in other neighborhoods for eating & drinking. Suggestions would be great for the following: 1) good, moderately priced lunch places - under 20 euro 2) sunday brunch spot - will be there on a sunday, and not working so a great brunch is a must. 3) place to get a perfect schnitzel & beer 4) turkish spot in Kreuzburg 5) sadly i think Prater is closed in Oct, yes? is there a similar place? 6) one spot for a more fancy dinner - no more then 50 euro (food only) - would prefer german cuisine. but will most likely be alone, so a good spot for a solo diner. perhaps a place with a great menu but has bar seating. Since will only be there for 4 days, i might not hit all the spots i am asking about, but hey, a girl can try! many many thanks Sat Oct 10 15:38:52 -0700 2009 1086926 miss_anthrope 1 5094483 1) for lunch, monsieur vuong comes to mind, a trendy vietnamese on alte schönhauser. no dish over 7 euro, very fast turn-over, always fresh & tasty ingredients. not sure about good brunch in that area. mitte's VERY touristy, so good luck with that one. you could try pappa é ciccia on schwedter str., or istoria on senefelder str. technically in prenzlauerberg, but not too far from mitte. 3) i haven't been there msyelf, but engelbecken gets rave reviews from many berlin-visitors who have posted on this board, and friends of mine whom i trust recommend it for really good german food & good schnitzel 4) depends. hasir on adalbertstr. still serves up a mean dürüm döner, but i can't recommend having a sit-down dinner there. 5) there's no place like prater '-). what are you looking for, a beergarden? have you been to berlin in october? i am guessing you won't like sitting outside... 6) i can't think of a fancy german place with bar seating. but if you are willing to venture into asian-inspired haute cuisine, you can experience berlin's hottest chef, tim raue, at umâ, which has bar seating & a good view of what the cooks are up to... or you can check out mâ -- they have a great lunch deal. i bet you will have a great time! please report back on your experience. http://bitchinberlin.wordpress.com Sat Oct 10 23:26:45 -0700 2009 5093920 116513 linguafood 2 5094879 thanks for all your suggestions. as for brunch - i am happy to travel. i'm only in mitte b/c that is the hotel they booked for me (i would have chosen something else). any good brunch recommendations would be appreciated! ahh, alas i haven't been to berlin in oct. i've been twice, but both times in the summer and a number of years ago. loved prater for being able to sit drink a beer, read a book, people watch, drink another beer, read and eat. however, i guess i won't get that same experience now. any other (warmer) spots for an afternoon beer i should try? Sun Oct 11 08:45:04 -0700 2009 5094483 1086926 miss_anthrope 3 5094892 well, either of the brunch spots i mentioned should be good. i'm partial to café morgenland in kreuzberg, but that's a bit of a hike. prenzlauerberg is much closer. as for beer, brauerei lemke makes some nice brews, and they are super-centrally located near hackescher markt. Sun Oct 11 08:50:34 -0700 2009 5094879 116513 linguafood 4 5099413 The food at morgenland is great, but it's way too busy for my tastes (or was the last time I was in Berlin). I totally concur on Istoria, though. Another, totally different but very Berlin option would be Cafe Morgenrot on Kastanienallee, also in Prenzlauerberg. Tasty vegetarian food in a lefty, punkish environment. Tue Oct 13 08:21:13 -0700 2009 5094892 177724 tmso