Berlin's most stylish restaurants and bars

From Michelin-starred restaurants with a twist to a club turned fine dining establishment, Berlin has a venue to suit every taste...

Nobelhart & Schmutzig

This rather special Michelin-starred offering from passionate host Billy Wagner serves up 10 meticulous courses. The kitchen is seamlessly integrated with the dining space where 28 guests are seated at a long counter that wraps around the food prep area in the middle. It is a treat to watch these slick chefs at work.

Taking local food to a new level, every ingredient is sourced from the region. Chef Micha Schäfer tailors his recipes to highlight no more than two to four dominant flavours per dish.

When asked what he thinks we should be eating, Schäfer says: "Everything. You just need to know how to prepare it." That means looking beyond just the fillet cut or the fruit of the plant. The table is also graced by the leaves, shoots or even simply its seeds. Traditional methods of preservation and preparation are employed with techniques like fermentation, brining, pickling, acidification, salting and marinating. Who knew going back to basics could be such a treat?

Ask Billy to take care of the wine pairing, which will no doubt introduce your palette to some exciting new experiences, nobelhartundschmutzig.com.

Cecconi’s

A favourite celebrity haunt, Soho House has made quite the mark on Berlin so it is little wonder that its modern Italian on the ground floor is a popular meeting place.

There is an open-plan kitchen, wood oven, marble floor, red leather booth seating and an outside terrace for the summer months.

Open to non-members, it serves delicious hand-made pasta and seafood and is the ideal lunch spot. The spaghetti lobster is a must and the aubergine parmigiana is the ultimate guilty pleasure. Be sure to leave room for the Tiramisu.

A visit also provides a very good excuse to pop into neighbouring concept shop The Store, kitted out with gorgeous clothes and homeware, cecconisberlin.com.

Pauly Saal

There is a touch of English gentleman's club at this prestigious restaurant, housed in a former Jewish girls' school.

Dark green walls, brown leather chairs, lush green velvet seats and Persian rugs make for a distinguished interior. Murano chandeliers and ceramic tiles play with the materials. The standout feature is a life-size, red and white rocket which spans the entire width of the room. It hangs imposingly over the kitchen where the chefs can be seen creating their Michelin-starred delights.

Head chef Arne Anker offers an inventive menu which incorporates pumpkin, atichoke, mackarel, clams, beef and pistachio. Dishes are well presented and can be paired with wine for a sophisticated evening.

Pop into the neighbouring bar for a post dinner cocktail, paulysaal.com.

Dottir

Sister restaurant to Pauly Saal, Dóttir, which translates as daughter in Icelandic, is a beauty in every sense of the word. In an old Jewish merchant house from the 1880’s and once an abandoned Stasi surveillance centre, this is an elegant reuse of a historic building. We couldn't take our eyes off the pastel coloured distressed walls. Statement artwork and dainty chandeliers add a healthy touch of bling.

Head chef Victoria Eliasdóttir was raised by an Icelandic father (also a chef) and a Swedish mother. Her background influences the very fish focused menu, joyfully presented by her team.

There is no a la carte ordering. Instead, you will be given a four-course menu with the additional options of a wine pairing. The bread and melted browned butter is a moreish treat.

Utterly romantic, dottirberlin.com.

Crackers

Berlin nightlife impresario Heinz Gindullis transformed his former club Cookies into a cosmopolitan gastro space with an appropriately lofty ceiling. The kitchen is helmed by Johannes Wagner who treats visitors to dishes including slow-cooked rack of veal or sea bass ceviche.

If there isn't time for dinner, pop in for a cocktail. After dinner, DJs heat up the vibe.

Stephan Hentschel masterminds the menu at Gindullis’ other restaurant – the upscale-vegetarian Cookies Cream, which sits above Crackers, crackersberlin.com.

Einsunternull

Ivo Ebert, Andreas Rieger and Benjamin Schmid, the brains behind this intimate restaurant, have been experimenting with the most superior ingredients to create an innovative eatery.

Dinner is served below ground in a setting that is as architecturally considered as the beautifully constructed dishes. A plate of finely sliced raw mushrooms looks too lovely to demolish but proves a simple pleasure.

Courses in the evening range from six to 10, depending on how hungry you feel.

All served with fine wines and flair einsunternull.com.

Kafer Dachgarten

This is the place to go to admire Berlin's skyline. On top of the historic Reichstag building, the German Bundestag is a rare offering of a parliamentary building with a restaurant open to the public.

Visit for breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake or for German cuisine at lunch and soak up the incredible vista of the city.

Tie in the experience with a stroll around the neighbouring dome, a winding structure which whisks you up to a viewing platform, feinkost-kaefer.de.

Neue Odessa Bar

This popular bar is somewhere between a hipster hangout and a throwback to the Art Deco era. Head there after dinner for excellent cocktails around a candlelit table.

Lighting is low (all part of the ambience) but look out for the striped wallpaper and beautiful floral presentations. Take in the music and become a part of the scene, neueodessabar.de.

Einstein unter den Linden

This more casual option in a traditional brasserie setting is also part of the Pauly Saal empire.

A bit of a Berlin institution, it is not an uncommon sight to see politicians and media representatives drinking their coffee here. Photo exhibitions regularly take place in the back rooms, einstein-udl.com.

Top Tip: For more inspiration, head to visitberlin.de. It is also worth purchasing the Berlin WelcomeCard for free public transport and discounts on attractions.

Follow Amira Hashish on Twitter @amiranews and Instagram @thedesigneditor