PlanetEye

If you’re in town at the moment and want to take part in a bit of political demonstration, the Chinese Embassy next to Jannowitzbrücke may be a start. And if after a couple of hours of standing around in the cold, you’d like a warm, filling meal, then wander a few hundred metres down the road to Mittmanns.

Like the other restaurants and cafés in the area, Mittmanns caters to the office lunchtime with a great midday menu. For 5.50€ you have the choice of a few meals with a drink included, and the atmosphere is fantastically German. 

The corner restaurant is full of dark wood, the walls lined with old advertising signs. Customers range from retirees with small dogs to young artists with studios nearby and the atmosphere is full of old-fashioned charm. A sign on the front proudly declares it as one of the best 400 pubs in Germany. Considering how many pubs there are around the place, I figure that’s not too bad at all.

The lunch menu is written on a blackboard out the front and you need to make your decision there. The almost daily changing offerings mean there is no menu inside for you to peruse in peace. The top two are usually the specialties, and at that price, well worth it. Make sure you have your dictionary with you though as there’s certainly no English version pencilled nearby.