Five Smash-Burger Spots in Berlin Worth the S-Bahn Ride

I’ll start with the disclaimer. I don’t trust “best of” lists on the internet. Half of them are ranked by how much the place paid for SEO, and the other half are by someone who’s only been to three burger places ever and is very excited about all of them. What follows is just five places I’ve been back to more than once, in no particular order.

Grill Royal Smash, Weserstraße, Neukölln. This is the one I send people to when they’re visiting. It’s on a quiet stretch of Weserstraße where half the shops still have their original 1960s signage. The patty is about 120g, smashed thin on a hot plate, crust all over. The bun is a soft potato roll that doesn’t fall apart. The “Royal” on the menu comes with caramelized onions, American cheese, and a house sauce that tastes mostly of mayo and pickle juice, which is the correct tasting profile. Cash preferred. Expect a queue on Friday.

Fleischerei Klein, Manteuffelstraße, Kreuzberg. Technically a butcher shop, technically does burgers on Thursdays and Saturdays through a small side window. The patty here is heavier, around 180g, and it’s never smashed — more of a classic pub-style burger. You order, you stand on the sidewalk, you eat. The bun comes from a bakery two doors down and it is noticeably better than any burger bun I’ve had elsewhere in the city. Be warned: they run out by 3pm and there’s no way to reserve.

Lot 6 Diner, Brunnenstraße, Mitte. This is the one that looks like it’s trying too hard from the outside — red vinyl booths, neon sign, the whole American-diner cosplay. But the food is good. Their smash double is two 90g patties on a sesame bun, and the edges get so crisp that you basically get four different textures in one bite: charred crust, medium beef, melted cheese, soft bread. It’s not subtle. It’s not supposed to be.

Die Pfanne, Schönleinstraße, Kreuzberg. A small Turkish-German place that does burgers as a side project. The patty has cumin in it. I know this sounds like a terrible idea. It’s not. The cumin is gentle, not the thing you notice first, but it’s what makes the burger memorable. They also do a lamb version on weekends that I like even more but which is harder to recommend because half of people think “lamb burger” and immediately mentally file it under “not a burger”.

Burgermeister (under the tracks at Schlesisches Tor), Kreuzberg. I know, I know. This is the tourist pick. I’m including it because it’s genuinely good and because people who pretend it isn’t are being contrarian. Yes it’s always busy. Yes you eat it standing up. But the patty is crisp and salty and the bun is buttered on the griddle and the whole thing costs about eight euros. If you’re near Schlesi and you’re hungry, you go to Burgermeister.

I’d add a sixth but I’ve been trying this new place in Wedding that I can’t make my mind up about, and I don’t want to write about it until I’ve been four or five times. Maybe by autumn.