Das Gretel — Restaurant in Berlin

Overall: 5/5

Food 5/5 Service 5/5 Cost 5/5

Summary: I typically try to avoid non-vegan places out of principle, but since this was an unplanned visit I decided to follow the google review/comments and stay here. Gretel proved once again that you can find a rare golden nugget this way. Service was very forthcoming and friendly despite busy hours and lack of reservation (I was 1x) It was a long time ago that I had such an exquisitely prepared double espresso macchiato. Special thanks to the barista! There are not a lot of vegan options on the menu for repeated visits, but for a spontaneous visit absolutely recommended The vegan croissant with baked bananas and Greek yoghurt blew me away, a true feast for those who can handle the sweetness. The croissant with hummus and grilled veggies was lovely too, especially the touch of grilled fennel (not so common) and the micro greens. Not the most extravagant hummus I ever had, but overall very pleasant dish. Prices for food are very modest, beverages are noticeably more expensive. Why plant based milk still requires a surcharge is a mystery though. Presentation and plating is extremely well done, very appealing to the eye! Recommendation for gretel: try to make a plant based version of the French toast. I bet it would turn into...

We came there 3 times already. The food is absolutely delicious, I have to be honest. The benedict eggs on top of Kartoffelröstis with bacon and avocado crème... just yummy 😋

However the service is - and that’s not an exception, because it already happened to us twice - just purely mediocre ❌❌❌

Waiting for an hour to get water and our drinks when we’re sitting in the burning sun isn’t something acceptable in such a reputable place. After sitting under the heat without an umbrella (because it’s broken), some guests with a sun-protected table were leaving, but the waitress didn’t agree to give us the table and decided to give it to other guests who just showed up without booking. When asking if we could at least get the umbrella, she said it wasn’t possible because of the cars parking nearby. There wasn’t any sign of politeness or empathy from her during the whole brunch.

The food, as I said earlier, is yummy but waiting for 1.5 hours to get it is not meeting the standards of a good restaurant.

Sorry Das Gretel but if you want us to keep coming back and recommending you to our friends, you need to get friendlier waiting staff and a faster kitchen. We used to love you but we won’t come back after...

Was there last Sunday. I had the Eggs Benedict and it was super delicious. We also tried the glazed banana croissant which was almost cloying, so if you don't have high tolerance for sugar in the morning order something else. I would recommend this brunch for the food, but the service could use some improvement. We felt very rushed the whole time by the waiters, because they have this 1:30 reservation policy that might seem enough, but it's not since they take up to 45 minutes to serve your food when the place is crowded. And that is understandable, but at least they could extend the reservation to 2 hours at least. I think if you ask they have the option of giving more time, but unfortunately we didn't know this. And then we only had about half an hour to eat and if you want to order something else to drink/complement your meal you won't be able to. The prices are also a bit on the high side, so basically you're paying to eat your meal in a hurry and leave, which I don't like, specially when it comes to brunch. That could definitely be improved. The restaurant looks super cute inside and the sitting area outside was nice. They have a good selection of drinks as well and some...