Coming from San Francisco, I wasn’t expecting to have a huge array of good options for Asian food in Berlin. Lo, to my surprise, there are some incredible Asian restaurants in this city. The trick, however, is finding them. Search Google, and you’ll get an Asian restaurant on every corner. Some are true gems. But many serve sauce-y noodles that are too salty at best, and too bland at worst. So to make it easy for you, I rounded up a big list of my favorite places for Asian food in Berlin.
Best Places for Asian Food in Berlin
*Unfortunately, I can’t eat fish or seafood, so I’ve got no sushi recommendations for you.
Best Korean Food in Berlin
Shikgoo – Wedding – We found this little gem tucked away in a quiet corner of Wedding (near the Wedding bahn station). Owned by an older Korean lady and her German husband, they serve Seoul comfort food in an incredibly cute ambiance. My favorite part is the way the owners explain how to eat each dish—you can tell they want you to have the most authentic experience possible.
YamYam – Mitte – A Korean snackhouse with two locations: Mitte + Kreuzberg.
Kimchi Princess – Kreuzberg – A very trendy spot in Kreuzberg, serving Korean small plates, classic dishes, and barbecue grill plates.
Gogogi – Mitte – Slightly more expensive than these other two options, but very tasty and authentic food.
Best Japanese Food in Berlin
Makoto – Mitte – A nice little Japanese food place in Berlin Mitte, serving homemade noodles. Great for lunching. I love their gyoza and the Kirin beer on tap.
Best Ramen in Berlin
Kadoya – Mitte – One of the newer names on the list, Kadoya serves Japanese small plates and heaping bowls of ramen. Their tantan ramen is incredible.
Mori Mori – Kottbüsser Tor – Probably the most Japanese ramen place in Berlin. Cocolo and Hako (below) serve great ramen, but the taste at Mori Mori is more authentic to what you’d get in Japan.
Cocolo Ramen – Mitte – It’s a hotspot for a reason—the ramen is delicious. They now have two locations, but everyone agrees the flavor in Mitte is better. Prepare for a wait though!
Hako Ramen – Mitte – Another good ramen spot. Try the eggplant appetizer!
Best Noodles in Berlin
Liu’s Noodle House – Mitte – Authentic Sichuan-style noodles, catering specifically to Berlin’s Chinese population. They’re addictive.
Lon-Men Noodle House – Kantstrasse – A Taiwanese style diner that does noodle soups and one-dish rice plates. Flavours are good, but sometimes the chef over cooks the noodles and they get too short. Their chilli wontons are amazing; otherwise there’s not a lot of vegetarian options.
The Tree – Prenzlauer Berg – A calm oasis serving homemade noodle dishes. Flavors are strong and savory—and when they say spicy, they mean it. Vegetarian-friendly.
Best Sichuanese Food in Berlin
Da Jia Le – Kreuzberg – Great Sichuanese style food, probably more legit Sichuanese than Shaniu’s. The serving size is a bit smaller than the rest, but the flavours are great, and they have a huge selection of vegetarian cold dishes and mains (but as always look out for meat in the vegetarian dishes). They also surprisingly have an amazing craft beer list!
Shaniu’s House of Noodles – Wilmersdorf – Easily one of the best Chinese restaurants in Berlin, Shaniu’s has a wide selection of food, most of it Sichuanese. But stay away from anything that doesn’t sound Chinese (e.g. the kimchi dishes). Their homemade noodles are a-m-a-z-i-n-g, but the killer dish is the fried aubergines.
Shan Shan – Prenzlauer Berg – A good northern Chinese place with a few Cantonese dishes on here. Pretty much everything is good, but I wouldn’t recommend the dim sum.
Tian Fu – Wilmersdorf – Go for the hot pot.
Best Cantonese Food in Berlin
Ming Dynastie – Jannowitzbrucke – They have a few Sichuanese dishes on the menu but it’s largely a Cantonese place. It’s across the road from the Chinese embassy so it has to be pretty good.
Tak Kee – Charlottenburg – These guys are supposed to have the best Hong Kong style crispy roast pork belly in Berlin.
Best DimSum in Berlin
Aroma – Charlottenburg – Probably the most traditional Cantonese place in Berlin, and a very good dim sum menu (that you can order around the clock)
Flying Monkey – Prenzlauer Berg – If you want something a little hipper (think Berlin date night chic), Flying Monkey bills itself as a Dim Sum Bar with delicious eats and signature cocktails.
Best Thai Food in Berlin
MaoThai – Prenzlauer Berg – Authentic dishes in a space decorated with Thai antiques for a unique feel.
Sisaket – Mitte – Owned by the same people as MaoThai, Sisaket serves fresh dishes with generous portions.
Kamala – Mitte – Classic Thai specialties, cooked with fresh ingredients.
Best Vietnamese Food in Berlin
Com Rang – Mitte – A tiny hole in the wall place, tucked between Hackescher Hof and Monbijoupark. Deliciously thick noodles and flavorful sauces. Plus massive portions, typically for under 7 euros.
Monsieur Vuong – Mitte – Hip little spot in Mitte with curated Vietnamese specialties.
Best Dumplings in Berlin
Wok Show – Prenzlauer Berg –A northern style dumpling place, where you order a plate of 20 or 40 dumplings. They also sell frozen dumplings to take home!
Lecker Song – Prenzlauer Berg – Sort of a dim sum place in that you get many different types of dumplings served three or four at a time. A really good selection of vegetarian options.
Yumcha Heroes – Prenzlauer Berg – A Chinese tea house serving steamed and fried dumplings and an array of other tasty dishes.
Best Asian Fusion in Berlin
Sometimes you just want a hint of Asian influence.
Shiso Burger – Mitte – Tucked around the corner from Cocolo, these guys do Korean-inspired burgers. Their Bulgogi burger is insanely delicious—as are their fries.
Asian supermarkets in Berlin
When you want to cook at home, here are some places to find ingredients and spices, straight from Asia’s home turf.
- Super K Market – Kreuzberg
- Asia Mekong – Mitte
And one final tip…
God bless the Germans, but for the most part, they do not handle spice well. One of the main challenges of getting good Asian food in Berlin is finding places that are willing to cook it the way it’s meant to be cooked. I don’t blame them for toning it down—they simply can’t sell the spicier dishes at full heat. If I’m ordering something spicy, I always make a point to joke, “Asien scharf” (or, “Asian spicy”). The cooks tend to get a laugh out of that, and I get my food just the way I like: nose-wateringly hot.
Up and Gone 