I wanted to end our most recent trip to Berlin with a memorable dinner and chose Nobelhart & Schmutzig, a Michelin one-starred restaurant located on Friedrichstraße just past Checkpoint Charlie heading into “west” Berlin. Though I didn’t know so until writing this post, it’s listed on The World’s Fifty Best Restaurants for 2024. Good choice!
Nobelhart & Schmutzig is different than other fine restaurants we’ve previously visited.
First, all staff gets equal billing. This is not the Billy (owner) and Micha (chef) show, it’s a total group effort.
Second, you are asked – nicely but seriously – to not take pictures. Despite the temptations otherwise, I have no pictures of food or the environment to share.
Arrival
Friedrichstraße past Checkpoint Charlie seemed darker with less street lighting and traffic then just a block before. Normally I’d expect a bright sign announcing your arrival to the restaurant, but instead there’s just a door with 218 and that’s it. Two other dinners arrived just before us, and, with some trepidation, they knocked. The door was opened and we entered, surprised.
After confirming our reservation, we were led into the dining area. The primary seating area is a high-top bar, three sides of a square, surrounding the kitchen and preparation areas. From our seats we could only partially see the staff at work, but others seats allow a complete view of the comings and goings. The bar seating also encourages conversations with your neighbors. We met two Danish women in Berlin for fun and a New York City-based opera singer performing at Konzerthaus Berlin (coincidentally right across from our hotel!).
I believe more traditional tables were at the back, but I couldn’t completely see and didn’t have a reason to go back there. Overall, it’s fairly small, perhaps 50-75 diners could be seated at once.
Food
The menu is based on ingredients found in the immediate Berlin region; no importing prosciutto from Italy or cheese from France.
[This restriction apparently does not apply to alcohol, as a quick glance of the 700-page wine and liquor menu proved!]
As you might expect, the individual farmers and suppliers are credited with each course, which was new to us.
I found the food very tasty, even though I am not a fan of kale. The duck was very tender and tasty, I loved the bread. The desert wafer was a freshly-made, crispy waffle with the honey drizzled over it. The staff described in detail each dish as it was delivered, including mentioning the source. They serve a 90-day aged house butter. Everyone is friendly, seem to be having fun (as much as you can at work) and overall added to the pleasant vibes.
The Danish friends whom arrived with us were not going to eat one of the courses, and Billy (owner) made a genuine effort to find a replacement course: no vitriol or bad feelings, he wants everyone to have a positive experience. His energy is both infectious and entertaining (he’s quite the character).
Some evenings include additional courses when some unexpected ingredient appears. Our evening added the Sea buckthorn, recommended and sounded tasty but we decided not to overdo it.
Alcohol
As mentioned before, the restaurant’s alcohol menu spans over 700 pages: in fact, the reminder emails suggest looking at it before you arrive. My wife and I are red wine drinkers, but that only reduced our choices to perhaps 50 pages! Billy, also a sommelier, came to our rescue, asking us questions about what we want from a wine, our likes/dislikes, and suggesting something we enjoyed.
Final Thoughts
Overall a very enjoyable evening. Lovely setting. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great food. Very affordable by Michelin standards. And Billy is definitely a character. A repeat visit may be in order the next time we’re in Berlin, whenever that is.
