Julius Ernst — Restaurant in Berlin

Unfortunately our latest visit didn’t compare at all to our previous visits to Julius throughout the last 3-4 years. In the past it’s always been a highlight going there for the food experience, because it felt like affordable fine dining in comparison to more expensive options, despite the service fluctuating quite a bit. But the quality of everything was always outstanding.

This time both my partner and I were quite shocked by the selection of the base menu. In fact, the regular (meat) and pescatarian menu were almost identical, with the only difference being either a slice of ham or two sardines that were served with the bread dish. Otherwise the regular menu didn’t involve a single piece of meat. Though this is not necessarily a bad thing since we do enjoy vegetarian fine dining experiences, in the past the standout dishes were often those centered around a protein. As mentioned, this is specifically referring to the base menu. It was entirely possible to purchase additional add-on menu items that did contain fish and meats; the only catch being that these add-ons were extremely expensive ranging from an extra 7-20€ pp for the non-protein dishes to 17-40€ pp for the protein dishes. There were also around 5 possible add-ons to choose from, in comparison to earlier visits where the add-ons restricted themselves to being extra caviar or oysters to an already existing dish on the base menu. This lead to a feeling of not getting access to the ‚actual‘ menu without buying the expensive add-ons. We understand that everything has gotten more expensive but we think that charging a higher base price and being able to try most or the entire menu would be much preferred to having to deal with hidden costs during the meal. It is really like one is being tempted to make extra microtransactions (though one could argue there is nothing micro about them since they cost up to 50% of the price of the entire base menu). Since we were put off by these add-ons, we only requested the eel on toast for an additional 17€ pp. It tasted pretty good.

Unfortunately, the dishes that were on the base menu didn’t impress as the dishes at Julius usually do. The buckwheat noodles were under-seasoned and the porcini mushrooms on top were raw and unflavored. There may be an argument to be made as to why this is a great combination; to us it fell flat. The second main was a tomato steak, which again lacked seasoning. The highlight for both of us on the base menu was the dessert which was a watermelon icecream with sabayon. It was nice to know that the quality of the deserts has remained outstanding. All in all the quality seems to either be locked behind a paywall that was too steep for us to splurge on without prior warning or has decreased. In the past we left with 5-6 out of 8 dishes being amazing and memorable to now only 2 out of 8 being truly exceptional.

Second part was the wine tasting: we both ordered wine pairing (55€ pp) since we know Julius boasts an impressive collection and while the wines were amazing there were only three different ones in total. Since dishes took sometimes quite long to arrive, rather reluctant top-ups were offered; however after asking for a top-up from the desert wine a new full glass was added to the bill (8€ pp). We were asked about this, but felt pressured not to say, no we’d rather just have a free top up instead.

It’s a real shame because Julius has been such a valued place in Wedding for us compared to all the other areas in Berlin that are bursting out of the seams with fine dining restaurants. We left paying 200€ per person for an experience that left us somewhat deflated and disappointed. I’m not sure that we will continue our tradition of spending a birthday or other special occasion at Julius anymore from now on unless something seriously changes. Otherwise there are too many other options that give you the experience you’re...

Don't go there! The place is a total organizational disaster. It took one hour to get an "insta-famous" caramelized French toast, an omelet, and two coffees—one whole hour! And the place wasn’t even particularly busy. Since we had time, we got to observe the complete incompetence of the entire staff, from the waiters to the "chefs." The kitchen was absolutely shocking: it seemed like there was no respect for basic hygiene rules—or even common sense. The food prep area was right in the middle of the dining room, with food scraps, raw ingredients, and leftovers all piled up together, leaving barely any space to work. One of the cooks, armed with a fancy Japanese knife, filleted a fish and then—without changing the cutting board or the knife, just giving them a quick rinse in the sink—started working on what looked like quail. He was wearing just a t-shirt, sweatpants, and sneakers. Isn’t it a basic rule in the restaurant industry to keep different types of food separate to avoid cross-contamination and allergic reactions? There was no sign of any HACCP regulations being followed, neither by him nor by the others. Even in terms of physical safety, the place was a mess. The cook was filleting fish in the middle of the dining room—all it would have taken was someone accidentally bumping into him, and he could have seriously hurt himself. Another cook spent an hour struggling to open two oysters with a knife—without wearing the proper metal mesh glove to protect his hand. I apologize if I’m wrong, but I believe these basic safety and hygiene rules should apply in Germany too. However, everything I’ve described is just a factual account of what we witnessed. In the 15 minutes it took us to eat, we could tell that the food was good, but the absurd wait completely ruined the experience. All we wanted was to leave. When they finally brought the check—a little over €43—they even had the nerve to ask if we wanted to leave a tip. I have no idea why this place...

We went to julius in late October 2023 to celebrate my birthday. We were welcomed in a friendly fashion and set at a very nice table. Two ladies were in charge, one for food one as sommelière, helped by a few guys, that mainly collected dishes. We were greeted and asked if we want champagne. We didn’t and were told that there are no other alternatives to it and they don’t have any other sparking alternatives. First dish was one piece of carrot with an egg flan. It was served right away. The problem was that there was sn option to also add an oyster. We would have liked that, but we weren’t asked. Also we were served our drinks after the first course which was a bit surprising. The first course was a disappointment, if you serve such minimalist dishes, these have to be perfect. It was just boring nothing special at all, just one slice of tempura carrot with flan. A dish I could do myself. After few better and other underwhelming dishes we got the first main. They served us a naan bread that was clearly burnt so much that we thoughtfully tried it as we couldn’t believe it not to be intentional. It tasted so bitter and burnt that we had to call the lady in charge. They took it back and apologized. Professional service to the given situation. Still thinking about that I wonder how this can happen in such a hip and pricey place?! At least three people were involved before serving two burnt naans to us. The cook, the person arranging and the person serving it to us. No one cared for it. Absolutely unacceptable! The bitter taste stayed for the whole experience. The dessert was served by one of guys (helper) that didn’t speak German nor English. He also charged us the bill which made it impossible to reach out to the place, to give constructive feedback on our stay! As he was charging us, the two ladies in charge were chatting while polishing glasses. Rarely had such an unpleasant restaurant experience in Berlin “fine...