With Berlin’s huge Turkish population, it’s not hard to find lahmacun around town. But Örnek, in the Gesundbrunnen section of Wedding, merits a detour. Behind the counter, a whole team stretches out circles of dough, topping them with ground meat, tomato, onion, and herbs, and cooking them fresh to order. The flatbreads go for under 2 euros a pop, so you can grab a few and save some for a snack later. The kebabs of chargrilled lamb or chicken, served in fresh bread with supremely tangy garlic sauce, are also worth your time. Örnek can get pretty busy, so be prepared to lurk around out front waiting for your order. [$]

Visitors in the market for currywurst are often directed to big names like Curry 36 or Konnopke’s Imbiss. But locals prefer Curry Baude, little more than a window tacked on the side of the Gesundbrunnen U-Bahn station. The sausage attains the perfect equilibrium of crispy yet juicy, the ketchup-to-curry ratio is near-perfect, and the pommes are perfectly portioned to balance out the meat. Sure, the service may be especially gruff, even by German standards, but that’s part of the charm. [$]

In summer 2021, Berlin’s hottest line wasn’t to get into Berghain, but for this casual eatery in Prenzlauer Berg dishing up spicy bowls of hand-pulled Shaanxi-style biang biang noodles. The brief menu centers around the silky wheat flour noodles, pulled into satisfyingly thick ribbons with the perfect amount of spring to the bite. Start with the beef noodles, sauced with soy, vinegar, and Sichuan peppers; they’re a staple, and the meat just melts in your mouth. Beyond that, it’s impossible to go wrong with options like lamb cumin noodles or any of the vegan choices. If you don’t want to wait, consider jumping in the typically shorter takeout line. [$ - $$]

Germany is low-key obsessed with American food, particularly burgers, though quality varies. Salt n Bone delivers with a supremely juicy burger, succulent fried chicken with a shatteringly crispy exterior, and a host of creative takes on bar food in a cozy, wood-paneled setting. The libations — boozy lemonade, bourbon cocktails, and IPAs — all fit the scene perfectly. [$$]

Berlin is a hot market for trendy yet casual Neapolitan-ish sourdough pizza. Mamida stands above competitors like Gazzo and Estelle thanks to a funky menu that mixes classic margherita with options like the Farmer, with blue cheese fondue, radicchio, and pickled pear. The creative toppings shine on the fluffy but crisp dough, and the small beverage program of craft beer and bright Italian wines complements it all fantastically. [$$]

If you have even a hint of a sweet tooth, there is no way around a trip to northern Mitte (right by the Berlin Wall memorial) for superb specimens of French baking, courtesy of pastry pros Anna Plagens and Stephan Zuber. Du Bonheur’s pastries are exquisite in terms of texture and flavor. The mille-feuille is a highlight, but you can’t go wrong with anything, from the eclairs to the macarons. [$]

Among the 5-euro lattes of gentrified Prenzlauer Berg, stop by Banh Xeo Saigon for some of the best Vietnamese dishes in town. The titular banh xeo, perfectly crispy and stuffed with shrimp and pork, makes an excellent appetizer before digging into pho and bun bo hue. Vegans will love the extremely impressive mock duck dishes too; they’re uncannily close to the real thing. [$]

A quintessential cheap-eats destination in a part of town that typically leans more into fine dining, Yarok offers affordable platters of Syrian treats, including crispy falafel, well-spiced kebab, garlicky hummus, and much more. Vegan and vegetarian options abound; try the fried zucchini if you’re looking for a change from the usual Berlin veggie trio of haloumi, falafel, and makali (grilled vegetables). You’ll find another, slightly larger location on Wilhelmstraße, near Checkpoint Charlie. [$]

A Berlin institution, Lokal was the first place in the city to embrace nose-to-tail cooking and heavy use of regional ingredients. A refreshingly simple restaurant with an unpretentious, seasonal menu and a casual vibe, it’s still an exemplar of modern, terroir-focused German cooking after a decade on the scene. [$$$]

Hidden in an impressive building that formerly housed a Jewish girls school, Jewish deli Mogg has been knighted by the New York Times as a contender equal to New York for quality pastrami. You won’t be disappointed by the rest of the menu either, including dishes like brioche with truffled mushrooms and eggs. [$$]

Records show Zur letzten Instanz has been in the same location since 1621, making it Berlin’s oldest restaurant. Over the years, this iconic two-story eatery has purportedly hosted countless famous faces, including Napoleon and Charlie Chaplin. The modern incarnation of the restaurant opened its doors in 1924, serving classic dishes, such as the pork knuckle Eisbein, that have made it one of the best places for traditional Berlin cuisine. [$$$]

A true gem among the corporate and chain restaurants that dominate this office-heavy part of town, Liu is Berlin’s go-to for sharp bowls of Sichuan-style noodles in a range of varieties. The hand-made tianshui noodles, laden with sesame, are a standout, but top-notch chile oil, soy sauce, and Sichuan peppercorns make all options a good bet, from meat to mushrooms. [$]

Since opening the doors to this cozy spot in 2019, chef-owner Gaan Kitkoson might just be the reigning monarch of Berlin’s small-but-mighty Thai food scene. Gaan’s set menus rotate regularly, typically touching on a broad range of Thai dishes and cuisines, from creamy and spicy curries to delicious dessert dumplings. Dishes are made to be shared, they’re delivered with some of the warmest service in town, and all pair well with a tidy natural-leaning wine selection to boot. [$$$]

The counter bar that wraps around chef Micha Schäfer’s kitchen is a stunner, and an effective stage for his 10-course tasting menu. The chef forgoes unsustainable imports from afar to focus on ingredients from the Berlin and Brandenburg region. The food, with ample modern Nordic influences, is deftly paired with contemporary wines by owner and host Billy Wagner, who is widely regarded as one of the best sommeliers in the city. [$$$$]

Better known as Die Henne, this traditional German spot, in business since 1908, doesn’t serve a particularly broad menu — in fact, there’s just one main course: fried half-chicken, sensationally seasoned, checking all the right boxes of juicy and crispy. Pair it with some potato salad or coleslaw (the extent of the rest of the menu, apart from a couple of sausage options) for a simple yet delectable meal. The kitschy interior and leafy outdoor beer garden only enhance the vibe. [$$]

Berlin’s small Georgian food scene punches above its weight. While you can count on pretty much any place focusing on the cuisine, Charlottenburg’s Salhino might have the edge, offering saucy stews loaded with fresh herbs and a Georgian barbecue special. The classics, like khachapuri and fat khinkali filled with meat or cheese, also stand strong. Don’t skip a cake or pastry laden with nuts and honey for dessert. [$$$]

Born as a butcher shop focused on German meat, Kumpel und Keule have branched out to a sit-down restaurant. From a dry-aged burger to tartare with grass-fed beef, the delectable meat dishes will keep you dreaming for days. You can also stop by the butcher shop in nearby Markthalle Neun, which grills up sausages and other bites most afternoons. [$$$]

The kofte sandwich is a sublime creation of grilled minced meat sausages layered with fresh herbs, sauces, and radishes. The bread, a hybrid between Turkish flatbread and a baguette, is a bit thicker here than at comparable places, helping it stand up to the fillings. While many doner spots offer serviceable kofte, Konak Izmir is a specialist worth seeking out, as many customers do to devour sandwiches from lunch until at least 3 in the morning. [$]

Falafel is ubiquitous in Berlin, but Turkish iterations tend to dominate. To change things up, seek out the Sudanese version (sometimes called tamiya), not at the local chain Sahara but at Khartoum Imbiss, where it’s stuffed in a flatbread and doused in spicy peanut sauce. The menu is a mix-and-match affair, and you can’t go wrong with a sandwich or platter with foul (spiced beans). [$]

The eponymous pair of Dutch chefs, Lode van Zuylen and Stijn Remi, built a dedicated fan base through pop-ups before opening this humble dining space just off the canal in Kreuzberg. The 100-euro degustation is money well spent. The simple, bistro-ish dishes may not be flashy on paper, but they come built with top-notch ingredients, from wild boar meat to halibut and oysters. It’s all helped along by wine pairings from sommelier Ole Ortmann. [$$$$]

Bring a crew to this unassuming Chinese restaurant in Schöneberg, where you could pick a meal off the menu blindfolded and walk away impressed. Soulful northeastern (Dongbei) cuisine is the name of the game, including spicy, tangy whole fish and salted, fried pork ribs. A few Sichuan touches like cucumber salad also slide into the menu (and are equally delicious). Note: Da Jia Le may get pushed out of its current space, but the team is committed to relocating and staying open. [$$]

Despite Berlin’s ever-diversifying restaurant scene, most South American cuisines are woefully underrepresented. Yet what’s lacking in quantity is made up in quality at Neukölln’s Chicha, under the tasteful eye of Peruvian-German chef Simón Castro Mendoza. The tight menu is typically studded with star dishes from Peru, from vibrant ceviches to fried yuca and beautifully textured seafood and rice options. Plenty of pisco adorns the menu, and a funky interior — upscale without verging on pretentious — makes Chicha the whole package. [$$ - $$$]

French pastry chef Gabrielle Jones turned her attention to dairy with this enormously popular Jones ice cream truck in Schöneberg. The idiosyncratic mobile outfit serves scoops of ice cream on large, American-style cookies, like open-face ice cream sandwiches. Flavors rotate regularly, but look out for Jones’ whiskey cornflake ice cream, among other signature creations. The cookie choices vary from classic chocolate chip to the more outré lemon-poppy-white chocolate. [$]

A standout among Berlin’s newer Turkish dining options, Fes shakes things up by offering Korean-style in-table grills and excellently seasoned kofte, skewers, and more to slap down on them. But don’t get too entranced by the barbecue: The mezze platters are stars in their own right, with silky smooth hummus, tangy cacik, and much more. [$$$]

Even before you pick up a fork, drink in the impressive dining room at Eins44, a former distillery with white-tiled walls and cavernous ceilings. Fortunately, chef Daniel Achilles and team don’t rely on just looks. A small, seasonal menu strikes the perfect balance between casual and fine dining, coming off eminently refined without crossing the line into fussy. The menu shifts regularly, but diners can expect dishes that capture foraged and farmed flavors of Germany and central Europe. The venison is more tender than any you’ve ever bitten into, and the intriguing take on raclette, almost the consistency of fondue, is served in a bowl with tangy pickled vegetables. [$$$]

Don’t waste 45 minutes of your life queuing with the tourists at Mustafa’s, home of Berlin’s most famous chicken doner kebab (it’s now a chain with locations across Europe, anyway). Instead, hit up the less-touristy Rüyam, where you’ll get a crispy flatbread filled with tender chicken doner, grilled vegetables, and a fistful of fresh herbs. There’s another location in Prenzlauer Berg. [$]

This fast spot brings the Portuguese-Australian piri piri burger (a spiced, breaded chicken sandwich) to Berlin. Formerly a pop-up, Piri’s Chicken has now found a permanent home, where  owner Julian Boyce is expanding the menu to offer specials like fish and chips and boozy slushies. But start with the classic: spicy breaded chicken cutlets on a sesame-laden bun with lettuce, cheese, and aioli. Add extra-hot “trauma sauce” if you dare. It might be the best meat-in-bread menu item in the city. [$$]

In a part of the city loaded with Turkish and Syrian eats, give some love to one of Berlin’s very few Yemeni restaurants. The cuisine here mixes influences from the Middle East, India, and the Horn of Africa into a uniquely hearty selection of dishes. Try the cheese- or meat-stuffed sambosa and the saucy lamb stews, best soaked up with flaky malawah. [$$]