Due to its slightly hidden location in a backyard of a quite touristy area of Mitte, it took me quite a long time to discover The Night Kitchen. But the restaurant concept from Isreal is quite the gem in such a unique space that it is absolutely worth checking out.
Combing the buzzing atmosphere of bars with a dining experience seems to be quite a thing in Tel Aviv. Isreali places like Yafo and Benedict already turned the German idea of restaurants totally upside down, and The Night Kitchen is continuing this concept. Their place really feels like a cool bar and even most of their tables have counter height. The idea to eat in a buzzing place like that adds a lot of excitement to the dining experience. Not matter if you sit outside in the garden, or inside in the cozy bar, it never gets boring. The service also has the same warm and friendly vibe (with a dash of Isreali sass) you might remember from your last trip to Tel Aviv, it’s much less formal and stiff than most regular places. It’s certainly a breath of fresh air.
If you expect only hummus and eggplant on the menu you really have to think again. It’s full of great seafood including prawns, octopus, and seabass – to name just a few. But also on the meat side, The Night Kitchen has a lot to offer. The short ribs are excellent, but the real surprise was the Balkan Chicken with sweet potatoes which were our favorite of the night on our first visit. It’s really rare I will say this about a chicken dish.
As it’s also typical for Israeli restaurants the dishes are best ordered to share with friends and everyone can dig into what’s on the table. A concept that is maybe a little hard for Germans to adapt to that like to have their own plate, but come on, it’s Berlin! A little communal spirit never hurt anybody 😉 For us, it was a fun and welcome experience.
To give you a bit of an idea we took some photos for you, we hope they whet your appetite. We hope to see you soon in The Night Kitchen!
The Night Kitchen, Heckmanhöfe, Oranienburgerstraße 32, 10117 Berlin-Mitte
Open daily from 17h until late
