cafe altes europa - Berlin

My partner and I are in Berlin for the weekend and spotted Altes Europa last night as we walked past (on our way to dinner at the absolutely fabulous Clarchens Ballhaus). It looked buzzy yet intimate; and the food looked good when we checked on...Tripadvisor. We decided to try the next day and were hoping for a nice last night in Berlin. When we walked in and asked for the table (we called earlier to book but she couldn 't hear us and told us to just come later) she barely engaged with us and didn 't answer when we said hello. She was looking visibly annoyed and just said there is no table . We said politely that we are more than happy to wait anywhere as we 'd really like to have a meal there. She said we can 't wait anywhere cos of Covid (fine) but there was nothing in her tone to make us feel welcome. In fact, we tried hard to communicate and be accommodating to the rules but she simply replied in one-word answers. The lady didn 't offer any solutions or even give a simple smile. Feeling that we simply weren 't welcome at the restaurant, we eventually decided to go to Murat La Barba (A lovely Italian restaurant 300m walk from Altes Europa) where, despite being full, they did their best to accommodate us and we had a fabulous meal. In our opinion, if you want German cuisine, don 't waste your time gambling on whether the staff at Altes Europa will be in a good mood or not, simply go to the Clarchens Ballhaus, 200 metres away, where the food is delicious, the atmosphere buzzy and the staff super friendly. After all, good-tasting food is pointless if the service is rude and unfriendly. Dining out is about the whole experience.

I admit to being a bit nervous about going to Altes Europa for dinner, given the many contradictory reviews here. My experience was pleasant, and I enjoyed the rabbit with dumplings, the very good, dry Cremant and the waiter 's German sense of humour. (He even...encouraged my stumbling attempts! Can I suggest that we all relax? It 's not 'fine dining ' at Altes Europa, you won 't get a degustation menu and obseqious waiters. Instead, it 's a funky little bar with pretty good food and a nice ambience.

After travelling all the way from Australia, we were keen to find authentic German places to eat, off the tourist track, Recommended by a tour guide and Altes Europa didn’t disappoint. Great food along with very friendly, casual service. Thoroughly enjoyed our dinner and recommend...highly for excellent food, service and a wonderful ambiance

We paid 15 euro for three small sausages. I find a spider in the dish. The owner have been very unpolite and offer very poor service. Not a good experience at all

Great food, excellent service, great vibe. Had a fantastic night - highly recommended especially if you want to eat with the locals