Mama Cook — Restaurant in Berlin

Never before have I been so awfully treated by a restaurant!

After a long day in central Berlin me and my family of 8 persons were looking for a place nearby to get some traditional Asian dinner. We are Asians and thought that “This place looks promising, let’s give it a try”. My sister went there to buy dinner for mom due to late hours and we didn’t want mom to stay hungry after a long day of exploring central Berlin. She turns 75 years old this month. The food was OK so I decided to go down there myself and buy dinner for the rest of our company.

My sister told me in beforehand that the restaurant was a bit picky about the payment method. But as a modern traveler I was planning to use my Swedish Visa credit card. There had been absolutely no problem paying with it during our trip so far. And also very convenient.

But the experience at this place was something else. I entered the restaurant and felt a bit lost. One of the staff finally approached me and asked me what I wanted to order. I placed my order during a somewhat awkward process feeling like she was in a rush. When it was time for me to tap my card and pay, the waiter was surprised and told me they wouldn’t accept my card. I think the waiter was the “mama” of this restaurant as she seemed to be the senior and bossy one in the staff. She gave me an upset and sharp look while pointing at my credit card saying they only accept German payment cards. I calmly explained that me and my family was here on a family trip and that I didn’t bring any other payment options with me. Then she walked away mumbling something unbearable and looking upset at the same time. A few minutes later another person from the staff approached me speaking more fluent English and explained the issue once again. I calmly explained the dilemma and also mentioned that my sister also bought food a moment ago using her Swedish credit card.

Then the reaction was “So your sister knew that we don’t accept your cards and still she asked you to come here???” Suddenly I was feeling like a homeless person begging for food and being ashes I didn’t have money to pay for it. After all the food almost cost me 40 euros. In the end they were letting me pay, although acting upset and unfriendly.

A few minutes later I got my food and I walked away feeling both hungry, ashamed, regretful and ripped off.

The food? It tasted OK, I’ve tried better before. But one thing was certain: I was never going to set my foot at this unfriendly...

This restaurant brought me back of my review hibernation.

At first, I was genuinely impressed. The service was friendly, the atmosphere welcoming, and everything moved quickly. I also appreciated the convenience of being able to charge my phone.

However, things took a sharp turn at the end. Being from Switzerland, I naturally assumed card payment would be available - especially after spotting the CARD TERMINAL upon arrival. This gave me confidence that Visa, Mastercard, or at least Apple Pay would be accepted.

But when I went to pay, I was abruptly told that no Visa, no Mastercard were accepted. I politely offered my Apple Pay debit card and explained this was all I had, and was met with a rather rude response: “You don’t understand, only Germany and only German debit cards were accepted.” I asked what we could do since I had no cash, and instead of offering any help, he repeated the same line in a condescending tone.

Eventually, he grabbed the VERY SAME card terminal I had seen from the beginning, angrily punched in the amount, and slammed it in front of me. What the actual.. ? To my surprise/not surprise, my card worked just fine. So the issue wasn’t technical - it was the attitude. Why even lie???

This ending left a bad taste, especially considering the food itself was quite underwhelming (don't recommend ordering the beef). A disappointing close to what started as a promising visit. But hey, if you're hungry and need something mid and cheap...

My recent visit to to thisVietnamese restaurant, as suggested by Google, ended up well below my expectations. The Tom Yam soup veered far from the traditional expectations. Ideally, this soup should feature a flavorful blend of shrimp, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, chili peppers, mushrooms, coriander, and onions. None of that was visible. Instead, I was served a clear broth that indeed contained the shrimps but seemed to be prepared from a soup paste, filled with thick slices of zucchini and carrots, and surprisingly, broccoli florets – especially unexpected since I had specifically mentioned no broccoli for my main dish.

The oversight in the soup set a tone of disappointment, which continued with the main course. The dish, spicy garlic and chili beef, which I requested to be extra spicy, did provide a chili-induced heat but was otherwise bland and unimpressive in flavor. It was a relief, however, that the broccoli, which I had requested to be omitted, was indeed absent from this dish.

Despite the friendly service at the restaurant and a cozy, if somewhat outdated, ambiance, the culinary experience was underwhelming. Therefore, I can only give the food a meager 1,5 out of 5 points. Considering the overall atmosphere and the well-intentioned staff, I am inclined to give the restaurant an overall rating of 2 out...