The pandemic was an undeniable catalyst for much of this change, especially in the culinary space. Before 2020, the city was moving in the direction of elevating fine-dining experiences with nearly 30 Michelin-starred restaurants dominating Berlin\u2019s food scene. <\/p>\n
However, after the pandemic and following two years of recession, Raue says the restaurant industry \u201cthinned out in the ranks\u201d and Berlin is now seeing a huge influx of casual fine-dining restaurants, which Raue believes is a sign of Berlin\u2019s evolving times. <\/p>\n
\u201cBerlin has always been a culinary city and we still are, but we are seeing how \u2018dark\u2019 Berlin with its clubs and bars is morphing into a whole different city with brunches, bakeries and neighbourhood dining,\u201d Raue adds. <\/p>\n
Once defined by nightlife, Berlin now thrives on culture, cuisine and calm by daylight. Photo \/ Visit Berlin, Mowuestenhagen<\/p>\n
Always craving a visit to Berlin for its pork knuckles, currywurst and doner kebabs, I questioned whether Berlin\u2019s DNA was truly evolving or just becoming yet another monotonous European city.<\/p>\n
Raue agreed the city needed to forge its own distinct food identity and felt the new generation would be the ones to do it. <\/p>\n
\u201cYoung chefs in the city have a much better sense of how to represent German cuisine in a modern way and one of those ways is to focus more on working regionally with local producers,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Part of Berlin\u2019s brighter future as a less grungy and gritty city is its emphasis on vegetarian and vegan restaurants which have opened steadily in the city since 2020. Sebastian Frank, chef and owner of Horvath<\/b>, a vegetable-focused restaurant in the trendy neighbourhood Kreuzburg is seen as a pioneer in the industry like Raue and celebrates Berlin\u2019s push to innovate. <\/p>\n
Sebastian Frank, chef and owner of Horvath. Photo \/Ren\u00e9 Riis<\/p>\n
\u201cBerlin basically forced me to be a vegetarian-based chef,\u201d confides Frank who says that the lack of good quality meat and seafood producers in a landlocked city encouraged him to work to a different beat. \u201cElevating vegetables shows how simple ingredients can foster creativity and we are happy to be part of this movement.\u201d <\/p>\n
Other restaurants in the city that work to the same ethos as highlighting provenance as a main source of inspiration include vegan restaurant Oukan<\/b>, run by Stephen Vick who thinks Berlin mellowing out doesn\u2019t mean it is a less cultural destination for travellers. <\/p>\n
Oukan. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a resurgence of German cuisine in the city, coupled with a greater emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and this focus on local ingredients showcases the unique agricultural identity of Berlin,\u201d says Vick. \u201cI would even suggest that Berlin might be losing some of its former \u201ccool\u201d factor. Perhaps it\u2019s a natural consequence of the city evolving, but some of the elements that once defined its unique appeal seem less prevalent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oukan. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Cultural spaces<\/p>\n
Restaurants aren\u2019t the only places changing. After the pandemic, Berlin\u2019s most loved institutions and nightclubs remained cultural spots for Berliners but rather than dishing out technos, hardcore drinks and drugs, they reappeared as art galleries and immersive museums.<\/p>\n
But walk around Berlin and you won\u2019t feel that it has lost any of its character or tenacity; things are just evolving as all good cities should do. Facets of Berlin\u2019s late-night culture remain, but also permeate through the day with a strong focus on wellness and cultural spaces.<\/p>\n
Hotel Adlon Kempinski, Adlon Spa. Photo \/ Resense Ruheraum<\/p>\n
An example of the city\u2019s transformation can be found at the iconic Adlon Kempinski Berlin<\/b>. Still standing tall despite more than 135 years, it\u2019s the city\u2019s most opulent and historical luxury property with views across the Brandenburg Gate. After a multimillion-dollar transformation of the Roman spa, the 1000 sq m wellness centre is a place of relaxation with Arabian hammam, ice waterfall and plunge pools to complement the city\u2019s largest indoor pool \u2013 whether you join locals in using it as a hangover cure or weekend staycation is up to you but wellness and slow living is part of Berlin\u2019s culture now with the Waldorf Astoria also revamping their spa and newcomer Hotel Telegraphment opening a wellness Club offering holistic activities.<\/p>\n
Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
While some things change, others don\u2019t and Berlin continues to be a deeply artistic city that challenges one\u2019s expectations when it comes to art and culture. Case in point, after the pandemic world-famous club Berghain <\/b>began hosting art exhibitions \u2013 expanding its reputation as a cultural hot spot for Berliners by day and night. Artists like Sven Marquardt and Danish ecological artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen have been featured in the former Berlin power plant.<\/p>\n
Kunsthaus Tacheles. Photo \/ 123rf<\/p>\n
Elsewhere around town, the former Kunsthaus Tacheles<\/b>, which was originally a hub for artists after the Berlin Wall fell, has been transformed into Fotografiska, a photo museum which opened in 2023. <\/p>\n
Fotografiska, a photo museum which opened in 2023. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Wartime bunkers have also been repurposed as exhibition spaces with the Feuerle Collection housed in a former World War II telecommunications bunker now home to more contemporary southeast Asian artworks and sculptures, and Christian Boros, a German art collector has turned a former notorious techno and fetish nightclub of the \u201990s into his own private art gallery.<\/p>\n
Nationalgalerie Fresken der Casa Bartholdy. Photo \/ Visit Berlin, Pierre Adenis<\/p>\n
Berlin, 35 years after its darkest time, is bright, cheerful and a delight to visit for people who want to enjoy Berlin\u2019s counter-culture, coolness factor and anything else that sets the German city apart. No longer a city for night owls, the city has truly evolved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The pandemic was an undeniable catalyst for much of this change, especially in the culinary space. Before 2020,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365916,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5310],"tags":[128200,2574,30572,13180,3590,58959,31029,14115,102748,2000,299,1824,51694,256,7671,22128,21030,61563,63966,128201,5598,43982,6093,7765],"class_list":{"0":"post-365915","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-germany","8":"tag-beloved","9":"tag-berlin","10":"tag-birds","11":"tag-capital","12":"tag-day","13":"tag-do","14":"tag-during","15":"tag-early","16":"tag-enjoy","17":"tag-eu","18":"tag-europe","19":"tag-germany","20":"tag-heads","21":"tag-in","22":"tag-michelle","23":"tag-much","24":"tag-night","25":"tag-owls","26":"tag-see","27":"tag-tchea","28":"tag-the","29":"tag-there","30":"tag-to","31":"tag-what"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115075193707818362","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}