Oukan, Barra, NaNum: Berlin restaurants with a point of view

Fine dining in Berlin stopped meaning white tablecloths and silver cloches a long time ago. The seven places here have little in common except that each has a clear idea: a vegan menu, a charcoal grill, fish straight from the market, ceramics from its own workshop. Two hold a Bib Gourmand, one is on the list of star candidates.

Oukan – vegan fine dining behind a red door

Mitte · VeganOukanOn the map

Behind a red door in a courtyard on Ackerstraße lies a room in shades of black, inspired by modern Japanese architecture and wabi-sabi. It was founded by Tran Mai Huy Thong, who comes from fashion design and designed everything himself. The cooking is Japanese-inspired and fully vegan, with lots of ferments from its own lab.

The menu has four or six courses, currently grilled maitake with plum glaze and black garlic jus, or flatbread of fermented sweet potato with mushroom XO. The six courses with the tea pairing show the most. Open Wednesday to Saturday from 6 pm.

Barra – Bib Gourmand since 2020

Neukölln · EuropeanBarraOn the map

Daniel Remers and Kerry Westhead are from Manchester. Remers was previously head chef at Industry Standard; Westhead runs the floor and the wine list. On Okerstraße there are two ways through the menu, both for sharing: a set menu of house favourites without the weight of decision, or à la carte with dishes that often stay only a few weeks. Each dish has three or four ingredients. Barra has held a Bib Gourmand since 2020. On a first visit, take the set menu, at the counter in front of the open kitchen. Open Monday to Friday only.

aerde – forest and field at Gleisdreieck

Kreuzberg · Europeanaerde restaurantOn the map

aerde sits at Am Lokdepot, close to Park am Gleisdreieck, and sees itself as a neighbourhood restaurant. It cooks with what the forests and fields of Berlin and Brandenburg provide, from farmers, producers and hunters. The team forages and preserves part of it themselves, and fermentation plays a big role. In June 2026 Berlin Food Stories named aerde a candidate for a star.

The menu is made of smaller dishes to share and changes with the seasons; several for the table is the right amount. There are house-made alcohol-free pairings to go with them. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 6 pm.

stoke – a grill as the whole concept

Kreuzberg · JapanesestokeOn the map

stoke is the idea of Jeffrey Claudio, Jessica Tan and Niklas Harmsen: yakitori over binchotan with fine-dining ambition. Almost every part of the free-range chicken goes on a skewer, including neck, heart and skin. You eat at the counter around the grill; the set menu combines skewers with changing seasonal dishes. Worth singling out are the oyster skewer and the gyoza pie. The entrance is on Feilnerstraße.

893 Ryōtei – top cooking behind graffiti

Charlottenburg · Japanese893 RyoteiOn the map

Outside, a graffiti-covered façade that looks like an abandoned shop; inside, a lounge and a sushi counter. 893 Ryōtei belongs to The Duc Ngo. Besides sashimi and nigiri there are Nikkei dishes and house classics such as black cod with miso or unagi with foie gras. The best seats are at the counter, so book early. From four people there is the best-of menu for the whole table.

NOVEMBER Brasserie – fish straight from the market

Prenzlauer Berg · JapaneseNOVEMBER BrasserieOn the map

The corner of Husemannstraße used to be Café November. In 2022 the team behind The Catch took it over and turned it into a Japanese-inspired brasserie. Fish and seafood come straight from fish markets in Japan and Spain, and at a small sushi counter you can watch the cooks slice. The room is clad in oak, and the house has held a Bib Gourmand since 2023. The best seats are at the counter. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 6 pm.

NaNum – served on plates she throws herself

Kreuzberg · KoreanNaNumOn the map

Jinok Kim, formerly an opera singer and ceramicist, opened NaNum on Lindenstraße at 66 together with her husband Dirk Eicken. NaNum is restaurant and ceramics gallery in one: the food is served on plates Kim throws herself.

The cooking comes from the Korean tradition, with ferments, seaweed and dry-aged fish. The team makes its own tofu and all the ferments, and some of the vegetables come from its own garden. Open Wednesday to Saturday from 7 p.m., and if you want to learn more, book one of the cooking classes.