2020 Favorites: Berlin Edition

Hi y’all! I’m getting back into the swing of things with a 2020 favorites post. Without dwelling too much on it, 2020 was super whack and just a really strange and confusing time. 2021 is likely going to have similar hardships, but I want to start off the year with a little positivity! In between lockdowns and during Berlin’s safer periods, I got to grow my love for the city even more by revisiting plenty of old favorites and trying out new places! Here are some of my 2020 Berlin favorites, alongside some honorable mentions.

Also, yes most of these involve food.

Favorite Restaurant: Umami F-Hain

Umami is my comfort restaurant and I know I’m always going to like whatever I eat there. I like it so much I purposefully made it my last outing back in early March during our initial lockdown in order to properly go out with a bang. As mentioned in my Current Favorite Restaurants in Berlin post, I highly recommend the Golden Poularde, an amazing golden coconut curry where the vegetables practically melt in your mouth.

Sonntagstraße 8, 10245 / F’Hain

Favorite Brunch: Kanaan

This brunch spot is too good. Kanaan combines Israeli and Palestinian kitchens and create a space perfect for everyone including hummus lovers, and fans of Middle Eastern cuisine. Kanaan’s quality continues to be top tier, and I love brunching here or taking a few items to go. Anything involving hummus is amazing here, but you have to also order the bread and dips plate. Also, it’s a wonderful place for vegans and vegetarians.

Schliemannstraße 15 / P’Berg

Favorite Cafe: SPRO

Between high quality coffee, perfected baking methods, and passionate people, SPRO is my definite choice for my favorite cafe of 2020. When COVID numbers in Berlin were down over the summer I spent plenty of time working in this charming little cafe while enjoying a pastry or two, and it was the first place I visited after our initial lockdown ended. Even now that only take-out options are available, I still prioritize visiting here for the great coffee and warm welcome.

Schönhauser Allee 50A, 10437 / P’Berg

Favorite Street Food: Santa Mamma Gnocchi

I first tried Santa Mamma’s at Mauerpark’s Sunday Flohmarkt and absolutely loved the truffle gnocchi. A few weeks later I realized that Santa Mamma is also sold at my kiez’s Saturday morning farmer’s market, Bötzow Markt. Since then I’ve managed tried to try all four sauces they sell with their gnocchi. Although I think I still love the truffle gnocchi the most, the herb and butter one is a very close second. The vendors are also very generous and pile on a mountain of freshly shredded Parmesan on each order.

Favorite Döner: Rüyam

I basically view Rüyam Döner as a borderline art form at this point, and I’m not sorry about it. I have not taken one person there yet who hasn’t totally loved it. There’s two locations, and I recommend the P’Berg one, but there’s also the original in Schöneberg. I would be surprised if Rüyam isn’t also my favorite döner of 2021.

Schönhauser Allee 44A / P’Berg

Food Market: Arminius Markthalle

Markthalle 9 still has a place in my heart, but Arminius Markthalle stole the show for me this year. The Poutine Kitchen is my favorite eatery in the food hall, but take your time looking around before you decide. If you do end up going with poutine try the pulled pork or spicy chicken variation! Come here in autumn for cozy vibes and pumpkin pie.

Arminiusstraße 2-4 / Moabit

Favorite Park: Volkspark Friedrichshain

This was a tough one to decide, but I think Volkspark Friedrichshain is my favorite of last year just because I visited so often. This is Berlin’s oldest park, and my current neighborhood park. It has served me well whenever I’ve wanted to get some fresh air, or go on a nice easy walk. There’s plenty of room to lounge and enjoy the sun, and there’s a tree-filled outlook of the city in the center of the park.

10249 Berlin / F’Shain

Favorite Photo Spot: Liesenbrücken

This abandoned bridge made for a really beautiful photo, especially with all the fall foliage surrounding it, and the scenery helped create one of my favorite photos of last year.

Gartenstraße 65 / Mitte

Honorable Mention: Schlachtensee - The forest surrounding this lake is wide and open, and I ended up having an accidental folklore inspired photo shoot when visiting here.

Favorite Hang Out Spot: Holzmarkt

I’m really excited to return to Holzmarkt again. It’s a place that’s worn many hats, and endured a fight to become what it is now. With so many businesses around the Spree struggling to keep their land from corporate expansion (including our city’s beloved Yaam), the founders of Holzmarkt had a vision of creating a place for the people, by the people. Now there is food available (I really like the pizza place), a co-working space, markets, a yoga studio, an art gallery, the KaterBlau club, a couple bars, a theater and more! It’s a place where all generations can come together, sit by the Spree, and celebrate Berlin.

Holzmarktstraße 25 / Mitte

Favorite Berlin-Based Instagrams and Blogs: Hungry Diana, Stil in Berlin, Tall Girl Big World, Berlin & Around

Before moving to Berlin, I really wanted to find Berlin-based Instagram accounts to follow run by people who know the city well, and also people who were newcomers like me. I originally followed most of these accounts when acclimating to Berlin in 2019 for city inspo, but all of these ladies’ accounts additionally brought me a lot of comfort and enjoyment during the capricious year that was 2020.

@hungry_diana - I found Diana’s Instagram before moving to Berlin, and had to immediately make a note of many of her food recs. I’ve found some of my favorite food spots in Berlin from scrolling through her Instagram from Albatross to Loti Pantón Macarons. She keeps it real with her recommendations, and always goes into great detail about the food, ambiance, flavor, and price-value ratio so most of the time I already know what I want to order before I even visit.

@stilinberlin - Mary’s Instagram and blog are full of resources (mostly compiled by her) for finding out what’s going on in Berlin on a more local level. She has a strong presence in Berlin’s community and she covers topics including sharing her favorite small businesses in Berlin (her Best of Berlin 2020 Guide is so worth the €5), to documenting her chronicles of trying to buy a decent oven in Berlin, to organizing yearly winter clothing donation drives for those in need in the city.

@tallgirlbigworld - Claire’s journey on IG has been especially fun for me to follow because she moved to Berlin from the States a couple months before I did, and I love her take on life in Berlin as an American. Her photos are too pretty, and make sure not to skip her captions because they’re thoughtful and especially helpful to Berlin’s newcomers! She’s shared her apartment hunting tips (it really is such a struggle), freelancing insight (if you’re at all interested in a freelancer visa in Berlin read this), and recs for trips in and around Germany. Her content is laid-back, yet well-written and personable; plus you can find more in depth versions of what she shares on Instagram on her blog.

@berlinandaround - I found Marguerite’s blog and IG later in the year after trying to find the best spots in the city to enjoy fall foliage. One of my favorite parts of her Insta are her stories where she shares gorgeously curated photos of Berlin (with locations tagged!) that continue to motivate me to spend more time outside even on Berlin’s coldest days. I also love her Karlshort content, and I’ve grown such an appreciation for that underrated neighborhood from her stories and recommendations. She was also kind enough to write about me on her blog!