In today’s Berlin, food is one of the fastest growing start-up industries. Driven by experimentation over profit, Berlin’s food entrepreneurs are diversifying the scene from the ground up and changing the way we think, talk about and consume food. From the world’s first vertical farm-to-table restaurant to the food activists bringing politics to the dinner table, Rosamund Brennan highlights where to get a taste of Berlin’s culinary revolution.

Cookies Cream

Offering vegetarian haute-cuisine since 2007, this unconventional restaurant is located above “Cookies”, a famous Berlin nightclub. They plant fennel, blueberries and heirloom tomatoes in their own courtyard garden and what’s more, in 2017 Chef Hentschel became the second vegetarian chef in Germany to be honoured with a Michelin star.

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Prinzessinnengärten

A 6000m² abandoned site turned inner-city garden paradise – Berlin’s best-known urban gardening project lies at the heart of Kreuzberg. Green thumbs can all help in some way: by buying what is harvested, sponsoring a vegetable bed or enjoying the directly processed products as delicious meals in the garden café.

Edible Alchemy Co-Laboratory

Championing the lost art of fermentation, the Edible Alchemy Co-Laboratory brings together knowledge about reducing food waste, local food production and the health benefits of fermented foods. Their Berlin outpost hosts regular foodie workshops and events such as the Probiotic Bacteria Bar.

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Good Bank

The literal mecca of all salad bars – Good Bank is the world’s first vertical farm-to-table restaurant. Here, you can watch your greens grow right behind the bar, inside tall glass boxes (plus they’re free of pesticides and genetically modified seeds).

Entretempo Kitchen Gallery

Mottainai is a Japanese concept which means ‘to regret what is wasted’. This is the guiding principle behind Entretempo Kitchen Gallery – an art space-cum-restaurant which explores the political and social ramifications of food and its place within history, science and philosophy.

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Café Himmelbeet

A café focussed on producing as little waste as possible, Café Himmelbeet offers a range of vegetarian dishes, including fresh quiches, soups and garden salads with ingredients grown in their own community garden.

Lucy Leek

With innovative dishes such as teriyaki balls, potato-leek-tartelette, jerusalem artichoke purée with pumpkin and pear, this Prenzlauer Berg gem has earned a spot in the Guide Michelin for its flavourful, sustainable combinations.

Das Baumhaus

A magical treehouse setup in Wedding, Das Baumhaus functions as an ecologically community space to connect like-minded people looking to make a difference in the world. They offer a host of workshops, community lunch-ins, upcycling, building and knowledge-sharing opportunities.

Isla Coffee

From their coffee cups made out of recycled coffee grounds to their wooden recycled furniture, everything at this bright Neukölln café is dedicated to sustainability. During the week they serve vegetarian sandwiches and small treats, while on the weekends they offer hearty, sustainable brunch menus.

DingsDums

Made from surplus produce salvaged from local supermarkets, DingsDums serves up delicious dumplings that offer a creative solution to tackling food waste. So expect their DingsDums to be in the most diverse shapes, colours and fillings.

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Katz Orange

For lovers of sustainability who are quite ready to give up on meat – Katz Orange is your holy grail. They work closely with local farmers, offering succulent slow-roasted regional meat like free-range short ribs to saltmarsh lamb shoulder and melted pork bell, washed down with sulphite free wine.

Hermann’s

Billed as a ‘café focussed on the future of food’ – Hermann’s is an airy, spacious café brimming with plant life and a menu of exclusively sustainable ingredients. They also operate an in-house strategy consultancy which helps the hospitality industry in developing sustainable food strategies.

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Einsunternull

This Mitte-based gourmet restaurant is all about sustainability, regional products and simple homemade dishes that are connected to nature and season – sourced from their 40 producers and partners in and around Berlin.