Berlin's 9 Best Food Markets to Explore

Organic produce from artisan local growers, morsels from the menus of the coolest eateries or the alluring flavours of cuisines from almost every corner of the globe... We've put together our selection of the 9 best food markets, organised roughly by geography, to guide you to the best bites during your stay in Berlin.

Think of street food in Berlin and the first dish that springs to mind may be the (in)famous currywurst, a boiled pork sausage cut into bite-size chunks and smothered with curry-laced ketchup, still made according to the recipe invented by Herta Heuwer after she obtained the vital ingredients from occupying British soldiers in 1949. (We recommend joining the lines at Konnopke's Imbiss under the elevated U-Bahn line at Eberswalder Strasse station to sample some of the best currywurst in Berlin.) Or you might think of the ubiquitous döner kebab, originally brought to Germany by Turkish Gastarbeiter in the 1960s, and reputedly first served in a pita bread sandwich with salad and yoghurt by an enterprising Imbiss stand-holder in Kreuzberg. (We can't resist the succulent chicken kebabs with grilled veggies from Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap, near Mehringdamm U-Bahn station.)

Nowadays, Germany's buzzing capital has evolved into a banquet for gastronomic explorers, with markets deliciously redolent of the city's multiculturalism and appetite for change. At the same time, a heightened awareness for sustainable food consumption and an appreciation of small-scale organic production make for a bounty of premium artisanal foodstuffs.

Occupying an ornate hall opened in 1891, and rescued from redevelopment in 2010 to grow into one of Germany's most famous food markets, Markthalle 9 is a culinary focal point in colourful Kreuzberg. With an ethos of sustainability and social responsibility, stands here are richly laden with seasonal wares from local producers, from cheese, wurst and vegetables to organic wines and honey. There are in-house bakeries and breweries, and once a week, Street Food Thursday brings changing stalls to the Berlin food market hall, serving up delights from Peruvian ceviche or Nigerian fufu to Korean buns and Mexican tacos. Oh, and craft currywurst.

• Good to know:

Eisenbahnstrasse 42/43 (U-Bahn Görlitzer Bahnhof). Open Monday to Friday, midday to 6pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm. Street Food Thursday 5pm to 10pm

A perfect reflection of the multiculturalism of the Neukölln district and neighbouring Kreuzberg, a visit to this twice-weekly market lets you travel to an oriental bazaar – albeit one stretched along the bank of the idyllic Landwehrkanal. Turkish stallholders loudly prize wares from fruit and vegetables, often sold at great prices by the box, to flaky-pastry börek, olives, feta cheese and taramasalata. In between, you'll find organic bakers and hipster coffee stands.

Come back every second Sunday for evidence of "Kreuzkölln's" recent transition to a hipster heartland at the Nowkoelln Flowmarkt, with stalls full of vinyl LPs and quirky crafts, vintage threads and indie-designer originals.

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Maybachufer (U-Bahn Schönleinstrasse). Produce market Tuesday and Friday 11am to 6.30pm

Nowkoelln Flowmarkt: every second Sunday from late March to mid-December, 10am to 5pm

Berlin's hippest street food truck market takes up residence every summer at the Badeschiff, the floating swimming pool on the banks of the Spree in Kreuzberg. Roughly once a month on a Friday, Bite Club lets you sample bite-size portions from the menus of some of Berlin's coolest eateries, with new chefs at work behind the stoves at each event. The drinks menu is appropriately quirky, DJs lay down a funky, upbeat soundtrack, and the view at sunset along the Spree to the television tower on Alexanderplatz is awe-inspiring. Outside of summer, Bite Club occasionally sets up shop at other locations.

• Good to know:

Eichenstrasse 4 (U-Bahn Schlesisches Tor or S-Bahn Treptower Park). €4 entry. Details are sometimes scarce on their website, but information about dates can be found on the Bite Club Berlin Facebook and Instagram pages. 

The leafy square at the heart of boho Friedrichshain, "Boxi" morphs into a lively market place every weekend. Saturdays are for stocking up on organic veggies, honey, cheeses and wurst, and being tempted by bites from crepes to crispy, tomato-topped bruschetta. (We can't go past the melt-in-your-mouth grilled fish.) Come back on Sunday to rummage among the books, vinyl, pre-loved clothes and East German memorabilia at the flea market – after brunch at one of the neighbourhood's countless hip cafés, natürlich.

The leafy square at the heart of boho Friedrichshain, "Boxi" morphs into a lively market place every weekend. Saturdays are for stocking up on organic veggies, honey, cheeses and wurst, and being tempted by bites from crepes to crispy, tomato-topped bruschetta. (We can't go past the melt-in-your-mouth grilled fish.) Come back on Sunday to rummage among the books, vinyl, pre-loved clothes and East German memorabilia at the flea market – after brunch at one of the neighbourhood's countless hip cafés, natürlich.

• Good to know:

Farmers market, Saturday 9am to 3pm. Flea market, Sunday 10am to 6pm. U-Bahn/S-Bahn Warschauer Strasse or U-Bahn Samariterstrasse

The Kulturbrauerei is a buoyant cultural complex occupying a vast 19th-century brewery saved from demolition after the fall of the Berlin Wall. On Sundays, the stately brick buildings become the backdrop for Street Food auf Achse ("on the move"), with food trucks serving an eclectic and ever-changing array of yummies from empañadas to fresh oysters, and pulled pork to leberkäse. When it's warm, we love to kick back in the FRANNZ Club's shady beer garden.

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Schönhauser Allee 36 (U-Bahn Eberswalder Strasse). Sundays (year-round) midday to 6pm

The prize for Berlin's most entertaining market has to go to the Sunday flea market that takes over the park in Prenzlauer Berg once occupied by a strip of the Berlin Wall (a few graffitied segments remain). After sampling street food delights from Japan or Brazil, Poland or Thailand, browse the hodgepodge of stalls hawking vintage clothing and local designers' creations, records, furniture and Cold War collectibles. The musical highlight is Bearpit Karaoke, where courageous amateur singers put their hearts into performances in front of a huge, rapturous crowd.

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Bernauer Strasse 63-64 (U-Bahn Bernauer Strasse or Eberswalder Strasse). Sunday 10am to 6pm. Bearpit Karaoke runs from April to September, weather permitting. The cool greet Berlin Alexanderplatz, with its focus on sustainability, is a great option among hotels in Mitte that puts you within easy walking or cycling distance of markets in Prenzlauer Berg and Friedrichshain.

Berlin's largest indoor food market, occupying a cathedral-like red-brick building in the Moabit district, the 1891 Arminiusmarkthalle features over 400 stalls offering everything from regional fruit and vegetables, cheese and meats to honey, wine and artisanal oils. Among the huge array of gastronomy outlets you'll be tempted by tidbits from as far afield as Ghana, Austria, Quebec or Serbia.

• Good to know:

Arminiusstrasse 2-4 (U-Bahn Turmstrasse). The hall opens Monday to Saturday 8am to 10pm. The produce stalls are open until 8pm (6pm Saturdays), while most of the restaurants stay open until 10pm.

What began as an informal picnic around 20 years ago has grown into the largest Thai food market in Berlin, a local institution that earns its rave reviews. Every weekend, enticing aromas waft over the Preussenpark in Wilmersdorf, as Thaipark stall holders prepare krapao gai stir fry with chicken, look shin muh meatballs, crispy spring rolls or even fried grasshoppers. Nowadays, chefs from Vietnam, Korea and China have joined the Thais at this uniquely Berlin Asian food market.

• Good to know:

Preussenpark, Brandenburgische Strasse (U-Bahn Fehrbelliner Platz or Konstanzer Strasse, S-Bahn Hohenzollerndamm). The market is held April to October, weather permitting, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 8pm. You may have to search hard for a patch of grass to enjoy your picnic when things get busy on sunny Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Twice weekly, Berlin's biggest market sets out its stalls under the linden trees on Winterfeldtplatz in Schöneberg. You'll find produce such as meat, cheese and flowers direct from growers in the surrounding province of Brandenburg, as well as a host of yummy street food snacks. (The lines can be long at the tiramisu stall – but the wait is worth it!)

• Good to know:

Winterfeldtstrasse, on the corner of Gleditschstrasse (U-Bahn Nollendorfplatz or Kleistpark). Open Wednesday 8am to 2pm, Saturday 8am to 4pm.

We wish you "Gute Reise und guten Appetit!" on your voyage of culinary discovery among Berlin's richly laden market stalls!