Berlin is a city with an understated kind of cool, simply because everyone knows it and so there’s no need to brag about it. The city has certainly drawn me in like a magnet, as a result, I have and continue to visit practically every year.

One of my favourite places to relax and eat is Restaurant & Café Arema, situated just outside of the Birkenstr Ubahn station in the Moabit area. Moabit is located near one of my favourite parts of Berlin, Tiergarten. Tiergarten is the oldest public park in Berlin, with historical government buildings nearby, as well as the House of World Cultures and the Berliner Zoo (though I’m not a big fan of city zoo’s). The area is very cosmopolitan and eclectic.

Back to Arema. What I love most about this place is that it completely defines what Berlin stands for, understated cool. The ambiance is second to none. Warm and relaxing. And while you will find tourists from a neighbouring hotel frequenting the joint, it’s still predominantly locals that come here. Whether you’re looking to have breakfast, lunch, dinner or just drinks, anything goes. Arema is a great place to sample local German classics such as Spätzle. schnitzels, gourmet steaks and my all-time favourite German dish, flammkuchen, also known as tarte flambée. Flammkuchen originates from the French/German Alsace region and is made up of bread dough rolled out very thin in a rectangular shape. It is covered with crème fraiche, or something to that effect, then topped with thinly sliced onions and a bit of lardon (that’s pork fat, but we won’t mention it). Delish! The best part, Arema is extremely affordable. So you can have a whale of a time without breaking the bank. This video impression will make you wish you were sipping on a latte or drinking a cocktail at Arema right about now!

Photo: TrueBerlin.com