Mustafa's kebab, worth the wait!

What's Berlin's typical dish? Eisbein? Currywurst? No, you're wrong, it's kebab!

We all know (if you don't, then pretend you know) that Berlin's Turkish community is a very large one and it introduced this typical Turkish dish -with some variants to suit European taste- to the point that it's now a 2.5 billion Euros business in Germany alone. 

Call it kebab, gyros or tacos al pastor, I'm a big fan of vertical roasting street food. So almost everywhere I go, I'm in for it. Up to now, the best kebab I had ever tasted was (forgive me, Istanbul) in Copenhagen, in the tiny Shawarma Grill House on Strøget. Until Berlin...

Last time I was in Berlin, I focused on the touristy things to do and just had schweinshaxe and sausages to eat, but this time I did my research. After a 90% of the blogs, forums, websites, etc. I lurked on told me that Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap was the place to go for the best kebab in town (and, presumably, the world) I decided to give it a shot.

Everyone talked about the one-hour queues in the cold or rain to get a kebab but I thought they were exagerating, I mean, who waits in line for that long? We did! and not for one but almost two hours! At some point I even thought that maybe it was all a big hoax and the kebab was not even that good but it was just famous (as other tourist traps or over-rated restaurants) but I'm so glad we waited!

the queue

Here's how it went: we were in Berlin with a group of other 7 friends and we arrived at Mustafa's street stand in Kreuzberg on a luckily-not-rainy Saturday afternoon, hungry and a bit tired after all the sightseeing. When we saw the 50 people queue we thought twice (the other option was the equally famous Currywurst place - Curry 36 - in the same block which had the same queue length) but still decided to give it a shot. After some minutes some of us went in the neighboring bar to use the bathroom... and came back with a cold beer. This was the begining of a fun afternoon, the bar people told us that we could go in and eat our kebab inside (as long as we were drinking), so we took turns and while a part of us were in the line, the other part would stay in the bar having a beer, watching the soccer game and keeping the table. After almost 2 hours and several beers the kebab finally arrived. And it was amazing!

Mustafa's kebab is made from chicken (opposed to Copenhagen's Shawarma Grill lamb), it has 3 different sauces, salad, peppers, onion, feta cheese, lemon juice and other ingredients which combined give it the greatest of flavors.

 A dürüm was enough for 1 hungry medium-sized person but, since you're there and you've made it through the hour long queue, perhaps you should consider ordering a second one to share, just in case. I would definitely queue here again for a delicious kebab, but I would go with a group so we could take turns between the line and the bar, and I would check the weather forecast before going, it surely wouldn't be funny to queue under the rain.

Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap (their website is cool)

Mehringdamm, 32 (just outside the Ubahn station of Mehringdamm)

Kreuzberg, Berlin

Vogt's Bier Express (the bar which let us eat in)

Mehringdamm 32/34 - 10961 Berlin

http://www.vogts-bierexpress.de/

Note: for some months there was another Mustafa stand in Mitte (more precisely, by Monbijou park on Oranienburger Strasse) but unfortunately it has closed so the only place you should queue at is this one in Kreuzberg.

My first 30's!

Here's a little collage I made to symbolize my first 30 years in this world...

... and if the next 30 are as great as these were, can't wait!!!

Überlin

"...I know, I know that this is changing
we walk the streets to feel the ground
I'm chasing through Berlin..." 
(fragment of Uberlin - R.E.M.)

Oh, such a pity that R.E.M. are not together anymore!
Anyhow, this song was playing loud in my head in our last year's trip to Berlin, and also in the radio (I'm not completely nuts).

Brandenburg gate

Berlin had always been one of the places I wanted to see,  so when the opportunity came I was good to go.
After 20 years of the fall of the Berlin Wall, you almost can't imagine that this city was once divided and that both sides were so different. Still, when we found the brick line that marks the places where the wall once stood, and we crossed this line, we couldn't help to feel a bit overwhelmed by the historical meaning; I mean, we were able to do what just 20 years back was forbidden, to go from East to West Berlin.

There are still remnants of the Wall standing in a few places around town (near Potsdamer Platz, Checkpoint Charlie and Freedom Park), and sadly, next to them you will find the worst of sourvenirs: people dressed in 'communist' uniforms who put a stamp on your passport for money, or people in soviet uniforms at the Checkpoint Charlie who pose for your photos (it is almost as sad as the chubby gladiators in front of the Colisseum in Rome).

remnant of the Wall

 One of the most touching monuments I've ever seen is in Berlin, not far from the Reichstag and it's famous Norman-Foster-designed Dome, the Holocaust Memorial, which is "a tribute to the murdered Jews of Europe", consisting of 2.711 blocks of concrete of different heights; the feeling when you walk around them is of a deep sadness, but it's such a beautiful modern monument.

Another impressive monument are the remains of the Gedächniskirche, in Kurfürstendamm (Ku'damm for locals), damaged by the bombings in World War II.

Gedächniskirche

 The area near Alexanderplatz ("Alex" as locals call it - you can't miss it, it's where the TV tower is) and Hackescher Markt, which were part of East Berlin and had a very socialist look in their buildings, is now the hip area for shops and nightclubs.
If you want to stay in this area, the Radisson Blu is the place to stay, It's not far from Alexanderplatz, right by the river. It has a huge acquarium in the center so when you wake up this is your view:

pork knuckle

For a beer and a bite, Brauhaus Lempke in Hackescher Markt is the place. It's a brewery located under the railway, it gets crowded but it's all part of the atmosphere, if you're hungry, the Berlin style pork knuckle is a must.




And if you want a quick bite while you explore the area, there are:
- All in One Kebab (Rosenthalerstrasse 43-45, just off Hachescher Markt) - they say kebab is actually Berlin's typical food, I must say this one is delicious!
- Dolores Mitte - if you feel like a quick burrito, visit Dolores, near Alex, they also have delicious aguas frescas and hearty soups.



For shopping, Münzstrasse in Mitte is the street to visit, a lot of fun and hip shops; otherwise, for larger budgets: KaDeWe in Ku'damm is the spot, it's gourmet section is a foodies paradise!