Red Sauce & Shashlik

East Berlin's food scene was shaped by the people who came here. In GDR times, contract workers arrived from Vietnam, Cuba and the Soviet Union. After reunification more people came from the former Soviet republics and Eastern Europe. Many of them opened restaurants, shops and tea houses, and they changed what the east of the city eats.

On this tour we follow that story plate by plate: a Soviet tea ceremony, soljanka with a local beer, Cuban food and Vietnamese cooking.

About the name: red sauces are part of both the Soviet and the Asian kitchens that shaped East Berlin. Shashlik, meat grilled on a skewer, came into Russian from Turkic languages and is eaten across the former Soviet Union, from the Caucasus to Central Asia. For Itay, who created the tour, it also brings back a very personal image: the scene in Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three (1961), where the waiters of a Russian restaurant in East Berlin march out of the kitchen with flaming shashlik.

Between stops we talk about everyday life in the GDR, about what changed after 1990, and about the families behind each place.

This tour is private only and guided by Itay Novik. We pick you up at your hotel and travel on foot and by public transport. A private driver can be arranged on request.

Before you come: come hungry, and tell us about any diet when you book, so we can plan the stops.

Practical details

What you taste: A Soviet tea ceremony, soljanka with a local beer, Cuban and Vietnamese food, brought to East Berlin by the people who came here.

Private: Tuesday–Saturday, hotel pickup

Meeting point: Your hotel

Getting around: On foot and by public transport (tickets not included). A private driver can be arranged.

Languages: English, Hebrew, Italian or German

Guide: Itay Novik

Price: Private tour from €420

Good to know

Do I need a public transport ticket?

Yes. We take a few short U-Bahn, S-Bahn or tram rides during the tour. Tickets are not included, so please bring a valid Berlin AB ticket.

How does the private-tour hotel pickup work?

We meet you at your hotel anywhere within the city and continue on foot and by public transport (tickets not included). If your hotel is far out, we meet somewhere more central to save time. A private driver can be arranged on request.

Will the tour run if only a few people book?

Yes. Our tours always run, whatever the group size.

Can you cater for my diet?

Yes: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, halal and allergies. Just mark it when you book.