Desi Diner — Restaurant in Berlin

Aesthetic Charm, Culinary Miss.

I visited Desi Diner in Berlin yesterday with high hopes. As an Indian from London, I was excited to see what this retro-styled spot had to offer, blending visual flair with South Asian-inspired food.

First, the interior is stunning—walking in felt like stepping onto a Wes Anderson film set. It’s thoughtfully designed, colourful, and full of charm. On atmosphere alone, it’s a real gem.

But when it came to the food and service, the experience fell short. I ordered the Reuben sandwich, which turned out to be more like a bacon sandwich served with crisps. Not only was this misleading, but the crisps cheapened the plate and didn’t belong. For a place this curated, the food felt like an afterthought.

I also tried the chai, which was pleasant but overly sweet, even by Indian standards. And while the place wasn’t busy, the service was slow and inattentive, which added to the sense of style over substance.

Desi Diner clearly has potential, and I genuinely hope it finds its footing. But until the menu and service match the setting, I won’t be...

Was very excited to try this place because of the hype and as a desi myself, but I have mixed feelings about it.

Pros Good location and lovely ambience , does justice to a desi diner situation. Staff is nice and helpful Run by a desi owner themselves !

Cons Pricey for the quantity you get imho, I ordered the chicken waffle which was great but still felt hungry after and could eat another portion. I would say I have an average appetite myself. The salad that comes along with the meal could be way better and the portion bigger. It was almost like a kid’s meal. At a desi diner, the least thing you can expect is chai. There was none available at the time, which was a huge disappointment. The filter coffee on the menu is deceiving as I thought it was ‘desi’ or south India/Asian style filter coffee. Its just regular black coffee.

All in all I was hoping this would be a regular on my list, but not sure anymore. Still hoping Berlin will on day redeem itself with great and...

Was so excited to try, but ultimately quite disappointed. Overpriced 14€ sandwich (and then it asks for tip) for counter service lunch that wasn’t filling and kind of basic.

The burger had a good flavor, but was pretty dry. The only sauces available were ketchup and mustard, which like didn’t go with it at all. The fries were supposed to be masala, but tasted like normal fries. At 14€ was underwhelmed and still hungry. It’s basically cafeteria quality at gentrified prices.

Other problem was it took over half an hour to get our food. We got there at 14:20, ordered, and then around 14:55 got our food. Worst part was at 15:00 the cashier came over and reminded us they close at 15:00, like we had to leave despite having more than half our food left.

I hope it’s growing pains and they succeed, but I was...