Japanese Restaurants in Berlin, Germany

German food is said to be a little on the heavy side. And I suppose, if one sticks with traditional dishes like Sauerbraten and Eisbein, it is - and oh yeah don't forget all of those wonderful sauces and dumplings they like to serve and the Schweinebraten and the Roladen and the Rotkohl and the Weihnachtsganz and the Grünkohl and then there's Spargel in the spring and Spätzle and then come the pastries… Get the picture?

Sure the food is great here. But believe it or not, German food isn't necessarily what Germans prefer to eat all of the time. At least not in Berlin it isn't.

Generally speaking, big cities tend to offer a bigger than life selection of exotic delicacies from all over the world. Ethnic niches flourish naturally in urban areas and the bigger the city, the bigger the variety. But size doesn't always matter, at least not when it comes to having a great selection of exotic foreign foods. Berlin certainly may seem huge to the newcomer (and indeed it is), but it just doesn't "feel" like New York or Paris or London. Not yet, anyway. And yet… When it comes to getting more bang for your good food buck, Berlin offers at least as much as any of these other great cities do.

Take Japanese food, for instance (I always do). There are dozens of excellent, high-quality Japanese restaurants located all over town. And it's quite strange, too. I don't now if the Yakusa was perhaps involved in any of the planning here, but these places have been distributed in such an "inscrutably" ingenious manner that you never seem to have to walk more than twenty minutes before bumping into the next one. And that's a good thing. Each place has its own touch, a spin of its own. And here are just a few of my favorites.

At Udagawa, for example, you will enter one of the finest Japanese restaurants in Berlin. The seafood here is of the highest quality; med tuna, perch, turbot and many other delicacies are available. They specialize in sushi and tempura dishes and their sukiyaki is particularly delicious.

Udagawa
Feuerbachstraße 24
12163 Berlin
Tel. 030 792 93 73
www.restaurant-udagawa.com

Some say that Japanese food is a bit on the subtle side. That might be true at some of the places you have frequented up until now, but it won't be at Daitokai in the Europa-Center. You can go flavor-crazy at a place like this. The chefs at Daitokai use only the finest ingredients and enjoy blending them together into a "culinary artwork" all their own. The Teppan-chef at your table is always a pleasure to watch and certainly knows what he's doing - and watch it, he's got a knife. Daitokai is a bit on the expensive side, but definitely worth the experience.

Daitokai
Europa-Center
Tauentzienstr. 9-12
10789 Berlin
Tel. 030 261 60 36
www.daitokai.de

Another interesting locale is Y Sushi & More. They don't leave it at Japanese food here. The Korean cuisine is also excellent here, too. Located between Alexanderplatz and Kollwitzplatz, Y Sushi & More takes great effort in preparing everything especially fresh. The atmosphere is also particularly exclusive. Their specialties include maki and nigiri and they offer one fantastic sushi collection.

Y Sushi & More
Metzer Strasse 30
10405 Berlin
Tel. 030 4404 17 87
www.y-sushi-more.de

And speaking of atmosphere, stop by Goko if you get the chance. Goto's ambience and menu are based upon "the five elements" (gogo in Japanese). I don't now which elements they use in their sashimi, but it is definitely some of the best in town - if not this side of Yokohama!

Goko
Schönhäuser Str. 12
10407 Berlin
Tel. 030 2758 25 49
www.go-ko.com

And last but not least, for those of you who are always on the run (and that's most of you out there, by the way), make a quick pit stop at the Sushi - Wok at Checkpoint Charlie. This is take-away to blow away, sushi and Thai specials quick and dirty - and delicious. This place is certainly easy enough to find. You'll be in the neighborhood anyway. Every visitor to Berlin stops by Checkpoint Charlie at one point or another.
Sushi - Wok at Checkpoint Charlie

Kochstr. 62
10969 Berlin
Tel. 030 2362 83 59
www.sushiwok.de