It’s not all beer, meat and potatoes… well, I mean, there is a lot of that, but there’s other stuff, too.
Why get it: Germans do potato particularly well – there’s a lot more to it than mashed potato with meat. Dishes like this one from Zur Rose make it a kind of replacement for pasta, without making it exactly like gnocchi.
We got ours from: Zur Rose, Weinbergsweg 26, Berlin
Goulash and potato dumplings
Why get it: When you’re travelling through Germany in winter, you want warm, hearty comfort food. That’s goulash with the aforementioned mashed potato. It may look like dog food, but the meat is fall-apart-in-your-mouth soft, the sauce is rich, the sauerkraut is the perfect food to cut through the richness of the goulash, and mashed potato is always a welcome addition.
We got ours from: Georgbräu, Spreeufer 4, Berlin
A cured meat and cheese breakfast spread
Why get it: It’s not all rich, hearty food – places like Alpenstück are breaking the stereotype with some really basic but delicious options for the modern traveller. Everything is so fresh and simple, it’s the perfect change from the typically heavy meals you’ll eat later in the day.
We got ours from: Alpenstück Bäckerei, Schröderstraße 1, Berlin
Pork knuckle
Why get it: For that heavy meal later in the day, you can’t beat a crispy-skinned pork knuckle. This is the quintessential German plate of meat: juicy, soft pork under a crispy, salty layer, sitting on yet more sauerkraut with a side of yet more mashed potato. Sounds like it’d be getting repetitive, right? Wrong.
We got ours from: Weihenstephaner, Neue Promenade 5, Berlin
Traditional German sweets
Why get it: After all that meat and potato, you’ll be wanting some sugar to balance things out. And Germany does sweets just as well as they do meat and potato. Some delicious options to look for are strudel biscuits – basically a jam covered butter biscuit with ‘crumble’ on top, and nussecken, an absolutely delicious nut/apricot jam/chocolate concoction that you really have to try.
We got ours from: A tiny little café that I can’t remember the name of… sorry!
(documented) by jess 
All of those dishes look great! I live in Germany now and I still haven’t made it to Berlin. When I go, I’ll definitely be looking for some of these treats. Thanks for sharing.
Oh wow that’s awesome! How are you enjoying the food over there?! Where in Germany are you living?
I do like the food, but I cook a lot so I make some American meals. I’m living in the North Rhein Westfallen area (NRW). More on the Northwest part of Germany. We’re about 1 hour from the Dutch border, and 2-1/2 from Belgium and France.
So you’ve got the best of all worlds! Amazing!!