Berlin Cheap Eats: Under €8, Actually Good
Berlin has a reputation as an affordable city that is becoming less deserved every year. The rents are not what they were. The restaurants have noticed. But there is still an entire layer of food in this city that costs almost nothing and is genuinely excellent if you know where to look.
The Späti
The Spätkauf — the late-opening corner shop found on almost every block in the inner city districts — is not where you eat. But it is where you understand that Berlin is not entirely aligned with normal city rhythms. Most Spätis sell beer from €1, and the culture of standing outside one with a beer in hand is as embedded in Berlin life as anything more glamorous. At 11pm on a Tuesday, half the neighbourhood will be doing exactly this.
Turkish bakeries
The Turkish bakeries concentrated in Neukölln and Kreuzberg sell fresh bread, börek, simit, and filled pastries from early morning. A proper börek with spinach and feta: €2–3. A simit: €1. These are not snacks. They are meals if you approach them correctly.
Döner again
I already wrote about this in more depth but the short version: a proper döner in Berlin costs €4.50–6 and is a full meal. The ones near tourist attractions are worse and more expensive. Find the one your neighbours use.
Vietnamese pho
A large bowl of pho at a Vietnamese restaurant in Neukölln or Friedrichshain: €7–9. Filling, good, and available until late. The Vietnamese community in Berlin is large, long-established, and cooking for people who know what the food is supposed to taste like.
The Wochenmarkt
Most neighbourhoods have a weekly market. The Türkischer Markt on Maybachufer (Tuesday and Friday) is the best in the city. Buy olives, bread, vegetables. Eat on the canal bank. This is how a significant portion of Neukölln eats and it costs almost nothing.
Falafel
Berlin does falafel well. The Lebanese and Syrian falafel spots concentrated around Neukölln and parts of Mitte sell wraps for €4–5. Freshly fried, properly seasoned, not the pre-made hockey pucks that pass for falafel elsewhere. The queue at lunchtime is your guide — if locals are waiting, it is worth waiting.
