The culinary diversity of the Science City

From Mediterranean and Italian to Vietnamese – these are Adlershof’s newest restaurants

Adlershof’s culinary diversity is growing. At three new restaurants, the owners, chefs, and cooks have created their own culinary world and are now luring in customers – not just at lunch time. Two of the showcased restaurants also open in the evening. (For the current opening hours due to Corona-related restrictions, please contact the restaurants directly.)

Mediterranean bistro dishes

“Olivo Café and Bistro” at Allianz Campus on Rudower Chaussee now is in the starting blocks. After putting the finishing touches on the interior, they are ready to serve coffee and Mediterranean dishes. Manager Dessouky has already made great experiences in Adlershof with his restaurant “Olivo” on Wagner-Régeny-Strasse. “We were asked again and again if we could offer something for breakfast.” This gave him the idea of opening a coffee shop. “Our focus is on high-quality coffee from the roastery ‘Röststätte’ in Berlin-Mitte. We also serve muesli, croissants, and some lunch options, which we can offer for less than at the restaurant.” The bistro is supplied by the restaurant. It offers upscale and fresh Mediterranean dishes, some of them vegan. The weekly menu, for example, features a chickpea puree with couscous and roast cashew nuts for 8.50 euros.

Adlershof has developed extremely well, says Dessouky. He observes how more and more vibrant, hip places are moving away from the city centre. “It is super interesting to see the firms and start-ups that are now moving here.” His guests are businesspeople, who also like to come for company parties.

What the guests say:

“This is the best restaurant in this area,” says Manuel Lübke, who enjoys eating at “Olivo”. He works in Adlershof and is frequently amazed by the culinary choices. Only the choice of pizza is a bit meagre. At lunchtime, he also likes going to “Subway”, “Muca”, “Azuma”, or getting a falafel at the food truck.

• olivo.berlin

Italian at Forum Adlershof

Directly at Forum Adlershof, the Italian restaurant “I Due Amici” has been welcoming guests since late May. His first restaurant “Mia Toscana” is on Dörpfeldstrasse in the old town centre of Adlershof. “There we have ninety percent regulars. It’s a more cosy and classically Italian atmosphere,” says Lars Wihan, a member of the restaurant staff. The managers did not consider this fitting for a technology park and so the design of “I Due Amici” is much more modern. A large restaurant, upscale, chic, and appealing, with 350 square metres of space for guests. It also opens in the evening and on weekends. “We have noticed that indeed many live in furnished apartments. They like to eat out in the evening, for example, to meet with business partners.” “I Due Amici” has accommodated this with an appropriate wine list. A three-course lunch costs between 10.90 and 12.90 euros. Classic Italian dishes are on offer, but also some more unusual. The customers appreciate this very much.

What the guests say:

Juliane Schramke came with her colleague. She likes the tasty food as well as the “tasteful ambience”. To be sure, it’s a bit more expensive and she won’t come here daily, but it’s also less crowded than other restaurants. All in all, say the two women, both of whom have been working in Adlershof for several years, the culinary offering has much improved. “It’s very diverse and there’s something for everybody.”

• idueamici.berlin

Vietnamese flair

Fifty metres down the street from the S-Bahn station, the Vietnamese restaurant “Meet Saigon” reopened a good six months ago, boasting a hundred seats. The woman at the top, Huong Nguyen, not only created the dishes but also the menu itself, using photos of her home country. The food is fresh, versatile, and suitable for vegans. “Our menu has 96 dishes,” says Nguyen proudly. A Vietnamese classic and the all-time favourite: number 21, rice noodle soup with cinnamon, aniseed, and lime. At lunchtime, it’s only 7.90 euros including a drink. Take-away and delivery are also available.

It is one of the Science City’s few restaurants that opens in the evening and on weekends – even until 10pm and right across the street from the Adlershof Theatre. Guests pop by before or after the performance, for example, to grab a cocktail.

Huong Nguyen and her large family like Adlershof, because it’s “quiet, clean, and not so crowded like in Mitte.” Soon she plans to up the Asian flair of her restaurant, including Vietnamese concerts. The children of the Nguyens have long been rehearsing at the restaurant.

What the guests say:

Ms. Lenz and her two colleagues work at an office across the street with only a short lunchbreak. They enjoy going to “Meet Saigon”. The food there is “very good, very tasty, and, above all, nice and hot.”

• www.meet-saigon.berlin

By Jördis Götz for Adlershof Journal