Berlin, I love you. You stole my heart 5 years ago when I stepped foot off my first international flight and you've only won me over more after another week among your graffiti-lined streets.
Berlin is everything a city should be. Full of culture and warmth and vibrancy. It has used its broken past and not-so-distant painful history, not to wedge its people apart, but to unite them in love. Everything about the breath of this city is rebuilding. Uniting against evil and darkness to refresh and renew.
So it's no surprise that it's loaded with healthy food spots. Of all the cities I visited on this trip, Berlin was the easiest to find healthy nourishment. My favorite spots:
THIS PLACE! Superfoods & Organic Liquids was such an amazing spot to start. The decor is fresh and the menu is fresher. I struggled hard with what to order because it all sounded so good. So I just went back multiple times. I ordered both the coconut milk chia pudding with the mango purée and nutmix as well as the mango acerola smoothie bowl topped with all the best goodies. And because I knew they had unsweetened coconut milk, I also went a couple times for an iced coffee pick-me-up.
I will seriously dream of this place until I go back. I wish I could've tried the whole menu – gluten free waffles and avocado toast, quinoa bowls and superfood salads. It could be a great place for lunch, but I can't get over how perfect it is for breakfast- an amazing way to start a Berlin day!
The Store was recommended to me by my sweet friend and favorite beauty blogger, Tiana. (Seriously, for the prettiest human with the most beautiful of hearts, check out Thetique.) And just like her, The Store was stylish and hip in the most authentic of ways. As its name says, it's actually a store selling curated merchandise that also has a little fresh food cafe inside.
The menu is limited, but it's almost entirely plant based and packed with goodies. They had some fresh gluten free and vegan baked goods, some smoothies and juices and coffee, and a hot soup, but I went with the “mixed salad option” which was essentially a massive bowl stacked with samplings of all their fresh veggies- a broccoli slaw, some baked sweet potatoes, some seasoned turnips, a pea mash, and a brown rice and spinach mix. They were all packed with such amazing flavor and I loved the option of such variety. It was exactly the meal I needed 24 hours after 20+ hours of airplanes.
Daluma is quite a haven. The decor and vibes alone were worth the visit, but the food didn't disappoint. The whole menu was in German (and I can't say I know much more than “guten tag” and “danke”) but I knew it was loaded with lots of goods. Smoothies, juices, salads, superfoods, even housemade kombucha. You really can't go wrong! The space is so zen and beautiful; the perfect spot to crank out some work or get lost in a good read.
My acai bowl with avocado, inca berries and rice milk was topped with banana, coconut, pomegranate, cashews, cacao nibs, and kiwi and yes it was insanely good.
Vapiano is a chain restaurant with lots of locations throughout Europe and even some in the US. It's almost food court style- you're given a card when you walk in and you charge anything you order to your card then pay as you leave. They have separate stations for pizzas, pastas, and salads. They make everything right in front of you, so though I can't vouch for the actual quality of the ingredients, it was pretty darn fresh. My favorite part: they had fresh basil plants on every table so you could add your own to your meal! I ordered the Orata salad with avocado, mango, sugar snap peas, cucumbers and coriander topped with a fresh bream fillet . It definitely wasn't the most elegantly presented meal I had, but it was delicious and nutritious. Lots of flavor and fiber amidst a carb-heavy month.
Though it's far from a health restaurant, I was grateful to find some good salad options. If you're in any kind of pinch, and you find yourself near a Vapiano, you can definitely score some good fuel.
The Juicery Berlin is nothing fancy, but it's all the more sweet because of that. The lack of signage out front almost had me walking right past it, but the fruit baskets caught my eye. It's a small space with only a couple stools, but what it lacks in seating it makes up for in plants. Seriously, so many plants. With both smoothie and juice menus, there are a lot of combinations to choose from. I went with the immunity smoothie loaded with ginger, lemon, apple, avocado, spinach, almond, propolis & bee pollen. It helped fill the holes all the meat and starch-heavy German diet was leaving.
I left Simply Keto – Low Carb & Glutenfrei so darn happy and full for hours. It's run by a sweet couple that joined the bulletproof life a few years ago. We chatted all about how they found it and why they started the cafe. And he didn't even judge me when I asked him to put my collagen packet in my coffee!
I ordered the Classic Breakfast with a bulletproof coconut latte and man oh man it was perfect. Loaded with veggies and protein and some good ole' fat. And I honestly can't even express how good the flax seed coconut bread was. By far the best paleo bread I've ever had. They said it took 80 different tries at the recipe, and I wasn't surprised. It was far better than I knew paleo bread could be. An all around win!
- Take the U-bahn and S-bahn. Berlin has one of the best public transportation systems I've ever seen. Buy a pass and maneuver the system; it's part of the culture there and will also help you get the most out of the big city.
- Stay near Friedrichstraße. Friedrichstraße is one of the main stations, so it's loaded with lots of markets and stores. I can't remember the name of it, but there's a health food market right inside by the McDonalds that I got a few snacks at. You can also load up on waters on the cheap so you can stay hydrated when restaurants only give you 6 oz of water. Hotel Eurostars is a gem of a hotel, but if you're looking for something more affordable, Baxpax Berlin is a really safe and wonderful hostel.
- Some of my favorite visits: East Side Gallery, Treptower Park, picnic or run in the Tiergarten, Checkpoint Charlie, Alexanderplatz, Sony Center
If you can't tell, I'm pretty crazy about Berlin. I've been twice and wouldn't bat an eye at the opportunity to go again. It will forever hold a place in my wanderlust-crazed, health-nut-hungry heart.
If you're heading to this green gem of a city, make sure you check out these spots and order the chia pudding at Superfoods for me! xx, molls
i wish i was planning my trip to Berlin 🙁 pinning this for future reference.
Ah yay well I hope you make it out there some day because it sure is a special city!
Looks like it was an amazing trip! The food and shops looked beautiful!
It really was all so beautiful!!
Total wanderlust reading this post! I’ve never been to Berlin but will definitely bookmark this post for possible future travels!
Oh yes I hope you make it out there some day. SUCH an amazing city. It’s stolen my heart!
Berlin is a MUST GO for me, but not for a few years because I definitely have some other trips scheduled! 🙂
AFRICA this year!!!
Oh my goodness Africa sounds so awesome! Maybe Berlin next time 🙂