Spring Restaurant Review

Buchhandlung Cafeteria, Tucholskystr. 32, Berlin-Mitte (S Bhf. Oranienburgerstr.)

It reached 15 degrees Celcius in Berlin today, and the astounding weather had a measurable effect on me and the other residents of this sometimes very gray city. Even the native Berliner, famous for their "Berliner Schnauze" (lit. "snout," probably translates better to "bite") seemed to have a bounce in their steps.

I celebrated the warmth with some other IES folk over a two-hour lunch at a sidewalk cafe table in Mitte. It was one of the the more memorable of my experiences in Berlin thus far, which is likely why we were so reluctant to leave. Warm sun, good food, beautiful surroundings--I was in heaven! I consumed a bowl of tortellini in tomato vegetable sauce and two avocado milkshakes (unconventional but addictive) over the course of the meal. I also tried some of the lentil-ginger-coconut soup my friends ordered and officially recommend the Buchhandlung Cafeteria on Tucholskystr. in Mitte pretty strongly. You can get a good meal (sans drink) for 3-5 Euros and a hearty snack for 2-3 Euros--assuming you don't give into temptation like I did and blow your entire week's "eating out" budget on avacado shakes. Fortunately that is what birthday money is for! The atmosphere inside the place is also delightfully quirky in a Berlin run-down-chic kind of way. The service is slow, but the one girl who works there is friendly and does the best she can considering she makes each dish to order in addition to waitressing and washing the dishes. I, certainly, will be spending a lot of time there over the next six months!

(note: as far as I can tell, there isn't actually a bookstore in, at, or near the cafe)

Meat and Potatoes

Since I've been shelling out a lot of money lately trying to get to know people by going out to coffee with them, I thought I'd try to compensate by looking for some German recipes fit for a student's budget. At 4 DELICIOUS and FILLING servings for less than €1 each, I dare say I succeeded with this slightly adapted soup recipe from the cooking blog Küchenlatein.


This is quite possibly the easiest thing I've ever cooked (pasta doesn't count). The hardest part was turning the stove on, but after my roommate made fun of me a bit for never having lit a gas burner with a match before, I was well on my way!

800 g potatoes, peeled
4-5 Wiener Würstchen
100 g tiny ham cubes or bacon bits
1 T. butter
1 vegetable bullion cube
1 liter water
1 pack frozen "soup greens" (or some pre-cooked onions and carrots with a bit of parsley)

1. Cut potatoes into small pieces and slice Wiener Würstchen.

2. Melt butter in a big pot and quickly brown Würstchen. Remove and set aside. Brown ham/bacon in remaining butter/fat. Add water, bullion, potatoes, and soup greens. Cook for 15 minutes.

3. Add Würstchen to soup and salt and pepper to taste.


Really a very satisfying meal to come home hungry to! And easy to heat up even without a microwave.

[note: above image shamelessly stolen from Küchenlatein]