Berlin

Dark, neon-lit Kreuzberg dim sum room where dumplings and small Chinese plates lean into chilli, smoke, and bold aromatics. Lively and loud.

Prenzlauer Berg spot in a Bauhaus-styled former café, serving a Japanese-leaning brasserie menu that runs from rice omelettes to schnitzel and sashimi.

Georgian restaurant serving the cheese-filled khachapuri, dumplings, and walnut-rich dishes of the Caucasus in a homely setting.

Long-standing Charlottenburg Austrian restaurant beloved for Wiener schnitzel, Backhendl, and apricot dumplings in a cosy, living-room setting.

Kreuzberg restaurant from two Dutch chefs cooking a refined set menu built on careful sourcing and technique — ambitious food at a fair price.

Tiny Neukölln natural-wine bar and kitchen turning regional German produce into precise, contemporary small plates. Counter seating, a frequently-changing menu, and a cult following.

Charlottenburg Lebanese restaurant praised for mezze and grilled dishes done with care — a warm, generous take on Levantine home cooking.

Schöneberg 'Speisekneipe' offering a short, frequently-changing menu of modern Central European plates and natural wine in a casual, bistro-like room.

Small Charlottenburg Taiwanese spot known for beef noodle soup and dumplings — a no-frills favourite that regularly outshines flashier neighbours.

Prenzlauer Berg vegan restaurant that builds inventive multi-course menus around vegetables rather than meat substitutes. Booking ahead is wise.

Duc Ngo's Charlottenburg Japanese restaurant hidden behind a graffitied facade, serving sushi, sashimi, and izakaya-style plates in a dim, glamorous space.

Friedrichshain pub-and-beer-hall serving hearty, rustic German game cooking — goulash, venison sausage, Königsberger meatballs — with a summer beer garden.

Tim Raue's relaxed Schöneberg brasserie serving French classics — steak frites, tête de veau — at gentler prices than his fine-dining flagship, with a strong wine list.

Duc Ngo's bright Charlottenburg seafood spot where you choose fish from the display and have it grilled simply, Mediterranean-style. Fresh and unfussy.

Neukölln neighbourhood bistro with an open kitchen, serving honest, produce-led European cooking and good wine in a stripped-back room.