Berlin Restaurants 

Restaurant Florian
Since our first visit some 15 years ago, Florian has become a guidebook staple. Happily, there’s been no adverse effect on the wonderful southern German dishes like tender Ochsenbrust (boiled beef), rich Sauerbraten, housemade Spätzle or breaded cauliflower. Clientele is an interesting mix of neighborhood locals, arty types, Berlin yuppies, and, of course, tourists. Fine people watching. Reserve prior to your Berlin arrival via the restaurant’s website. No credit cards. Florian, Grolmanstr. 52, D-10623, Berlin, tel. +49/030/313 91 8, www.restaurant-florian.de

Restaurant 44
Among the town’s top culinary bargains are the exquisite, €21, three-course, lunches created in the kitchen of this sleek Swissotel eatery by chef Tim Raue. Last year, Gault Millau gave Raue its Rising Star award. We concur. Each dish has the look and taste of fine art. Augsburger Str. 44 (across from Caf  Kranzler), tel. +49/030/220100, emailus.berlin@swissotel.com, www.swisshotel.com

Wegner & Lutter
Ebony wood trim, brass rails, and friendly service, create a cozy, clubby charm. Try braised-then-baked lamb chops in a richly intense red wine sauce; fall-over-the-plate Wiener Schnitzel, or perhaps calves liver with Spargel sprinkled with crunchy bread crumbs in butter. Main dishes €13-19. Caution: Berliners who should know say the food at the Gendarmenmarkt Wegner & Lutter doesn’t measure up to the Schlüterstrasse W&L and has different ownership and management. Schlüterstr. 55, tel. +49/030/881 34 40, lutterundwegner@gmx.de, www.restaurantlutterundwegner.de

Tavola Calda
This hidden treasure is a neighborhood favorite that typifies the diversity and quality of Berlin restaurants. Top-notch calves liver, fresh fish, and, of course, pasta. Friendly service in a small dining room that’s often still full at 11:30pm — always a good sign. It’s handy, too, to the Hotel Art Nouveau. Main dishes €15-22. Book ahead. Leibnizstr. 45, tel. +49/030/3241048

Restaurant Diekmann
This slick little bistro near the Ku’damm has successfully inserted itself into that hard-to-locate slot between the expensive, fussy restaurants to which Michelin likes to award stars, and the traditional meat and potatoes places. Three-course menus in the €35 to €45 range. Good spot for an upscale dining experience where the bill won’t make you light-headed. Meinekestrasse 7, 10719 Berlin Charlottenburg, tel. +49/030/883 33 21, meineke@j-diekmann.de, www.j-diekmann.de

Die Zwölf Apostel
Inexpensive, but above average Italian food served in rooms that are more Sistine Chapel than Berlin restaurant. Opulent wall and ceiling frescos. Good pasta, fresh salads, and large, delicious pizzas. Try the osso buco (€14). Business lunch for €6. There are two Apostles, one near Savignyplatz (open 24-hours) and another in the Mitte among a row of antique shops. Live piano music after 9pm at the Georgenstrasse location. No credit cards. Georgenstrasse 2, tel. +49/030/201 0222, & Bleibtreustrasse 49, tel. +49/030/312 1433, www.12-apostel.de

Filou
Brick walls, candlelight, large vases of fresh flowers, and polished bare wood tables, set the mood in this delightful, moderately-priced, Italian restaurant on Bleibtreustrasse near Savignyplatz. Main dishes, served in deep stoneware plates, range from €12 for pasta to €28 for the five-course menu. Try the antipasti plate followed by pasta with wild mushrooms and sautéed seafood. Bleibtreustr. 7, tel. +49/030/313 5543, fax 8867 5437, info@filou-berlin.de

Paris Bar
No guidebook worth its salt fails to mention Berlin’s best-known post-war watering hole and its upper-crust habitués. Touristy? For sure, but still a great scene and the French bistro food is reliable. Main dishes €20-25. Try the oysters. Kantstrasse 152, tel. +49/030/3138052, www.parisbar.de

Rogacki
A visit to Berlin is not complete without lunch at Rogacki. At this standup, four-sided seafood bar in a blue-collar district market, CEOs in $4,000 suits rub elbows with hard-hat laborers and TV stars. Choose from the menu board or find something at one of the market’s vendor stands; see it cooked on the grill, garnished with crisp, fresh salad or to-die-for roast potatoes mit Speck (with bacon)—or both—then served still sizzling. A wonderful baked flounder, sprinkled with bacon and tiny fresh Nord See shrimp, with the grilled potatoes is a mere €8.9 and easily serves two. Three oysters —tasting as though they were plucked from the sea within the last 15 minutes —with a glass of crisp white wine is just  €6. Lunch only. Wilmersdorfer Str. 145, http://rogacki.de/ro/main10.htm

Dressler
We’ve had good and just OK food at this handsome, Paris-style bistro on Unter den Linden, near the Brandenburg Gate. Main dishes €17 to €22. Try the scampi (E22). Unter den Linden 39 (also at Kurfürstendamm 207-208), www.restaurant-dressler.com

Samos
Inexpensive, no-frills Greek taverna just down the street from the Art Nouveau featuring familiar Greek dishes. Most appetites will be satisfied with a plate of mixed Greek appetizers. Leibnizstrasse 56

Klemke
Amazing food at amazing prices. This neighborhood wine bar/restaurant serves hearty, home-style dishes to some 250 customers per day at indoor and outdoor stand-up tables graced with fresh flowers. A big salad is €3, a huge serving of strawberries and whipped cream costs €1.8, and main dishes of meat, potatoes or rice, and salad are in the €4.5-5.5 range. A generous glass of Pinot Grigio is just €2. Lunch only. Mommenstr. 9, tel. +49/030/8811909

Alibaba
For dirt cheap but surprisingly good food, try this Savignyplatz institution. A slice of pizza is still just one euro. Bleibtreustrasse 45