Berlin’s fine dining scene fuelled by Brexit, start-ups and fintech

Twenty-eight years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, a wave of gastronomic confidence is sweeping across the German capital and the hype is not just about bratwurst and beer.

When White Guide, a leading Nordic restaurant guide, introduced its dining app 12forward in late 2016, it picked Berlin over other German cities for its inaugural global launch, touting the city’s “cutting- edge” cuisine in “Germany’s fast-evolving radical food scene”. “Without a doubt, Berlin is Germany’s dining capital,” says Per Meurling, a Berlin-based food writer and the contributing editor of 12forward Berlin. “Other cities are years behind the level of quality and innovation we see here.”

Meurling, who is from Sweden, adds: “Since the wall came down, Berlin has transformed into a refuge for the creative class of Europe, and we have seen a massive influx of the brightest and most colourful people from – and outside – the continent.”

He says it helps that it is relatively easy and cheap to start a business in Berlin compared to other European capitals. “The city is very large and relatively unexploited, which leaves a lot of new neighbourhoods to explore for businesses.”

Billy Wagner, founder of Nobelhart & Schmutzig, which is blazing a trail for the city’s booming food scene, says: “With so many people from around the globe coming to Berlin, they bring different cultures, identities, habits and, of course, money.” He says the local dining scene is being influenced by cuisines from around the world with Asian elements mixed in, “which makes it interesting”.

Spurred by a booming tech industry and, according to “Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking 2015”, the fastest growing start-up ecosystem globally, young and talented professionals are flocking to this post-war Bohemian culture capital, attracted as much by its economic and political prowess as they are by its comparatively affordable housing. Berlin has been held up among contenders to profit from London’s expected demise as the leading financial centre in Europe once Britain leaves the European Union. That’s not to mention industry chatter about Berlin staking its claim as a potential epicentre of European fintech.