As a true Berliner, I was excited to see what this place had to offer, and I had pretty high…read moreexpectations.
The first downside was the parking. Parking is scarce, and the only option we found was street parking, which can be inconvenient.
When we arrived, the young woman seated us inside.
The atmosphere was actually quite nice! There were lots of pictures of Berlin and German-themed decorations that created a fun German vibe. Another fun detail was that the staff dressed in traditional German attire. The men wore Lederhosen, and the women wore Dirndls.
Unfortunately, the service was disappointing from the beginning. It took about 10 minutes for someone to come to our table, even though the restaurant wasn't full. We also had to ask for water because it wasn't automatically offered.
For my main course, I ordered the beef Kohlrouladen, a traditional German stuffed cabbage roll. I wanted to substitute the mashed potatoes for fried potatoes, but the waitress initially told me they didn't allow substitutions. She had to check with the kitchen and eventually came back to say it was possible.
My husband ordered the Prenzlauer Burger.
After waiting approximately 30 minutes, our food finally arrived.
Unfortunately, the portions were on the small side, especially considering the prices.
My husband's burger was pretty standard, but it was very dry. Another downside was that the burger doesn't even come with fries -- you have to pay extra to add them as a side. Considering the already high prices and the small portions, I found that disappointing.
My husband had to order extra sauce because the burger was so dry. Surprisingly, they didn't even have ranch dressing, so he ended up ordering Thousand Island dressing and blue cheese sauce. The burger itself tasted more Americanized than German, which was disappointing given the restaurant's German theme.
Unfortunately, the service made things worse. The staff completely forgot about his extra sauces, and I had already finished eating by the time he finally received them so he could enjoy the rest of his burger.
My Kohlrouladen was also quite dry, and the potatoes were dry as well. However, the red cabbage was really good! I also ordered a side of cucumber salad, which was delicious and one of my favorite things we ate.
As a Berliner, I found the cucumber salad and red cabbage to be the most authentic-tasting dishes of our meal. The other dishes didn't quite meet my expectations for German food.
My husband also ordered ginger beer, but when he looked at the label, he noticed that it didn't actually contain ginger. He was disappointed by that. That was a real downer.
I ordered an Apfelschorle, a refreshing German drink made with apple juice and sparkling water, and I enjoyed it.
The Apfelstrudel Was Worth the Wait!
For dessert, we ordered the Apfelstrudel, and we had to wait another 15 minutes. But this time, the wait was absolutely worth it!
The Apfelstrudel was amazing. It tasted genuinely authentic, and the presentation was beautiful. At $12.50, I would definitely recommend ordering it if you visit this restaurant. It was one of the highlights of our meal and a lovely way to finish dinner.
And then came an unexpected surprise!
As we were nearing the end of our visit, a man came over to our table and started playing music and singing the chicken song with accordion. It was such a fun, unexpected moment that added a cheerful atmosphere to the restaurant. After some of the frustrations with the service and food, this little performance gave us a happy ending to our anniversary dinner!
My Final Verdict: 3 Out of 5 Stars
Overall, the restaurant wasn't terrible, but it wasn't particularly impressive either. The atmosphere was enjoyable, the German decorations were charming, and the traditional outfits worn by the staff were a nice touch.
However, the slow service, long waits, dry main courses, small portions, extra charges for fries, and relatively high prices took away from the experience.
As a true Berliner German, I came in with high hopes. I appreciate the effort to create a German atmosphere, and the restaurant certainly has potential. However, I would love to see more authentic German flavors, better execution of the traditional dishes, and more attentive service.
My food highlights were the cucumber salad, red cabbage, and especially the Apfelstrudel. The dessert was worth every penny, and the live musical entertainment gave us a fun, memorable ending to our evening.
We visited Kiez Küche and Beer Garden to celebrate our wedding anniversary. While the food didn't completely live up to my expectations as a Berliner, the atmosphere, the delicious Apfelstrudel, and the unexpected chicken song gave us something to smile about on our special day.
It wasn't quite the authentic German dining experience I had hoped for, but at least we ended the evening on a happy note! We paid $90 for everything.