VOLK — Restaurant in Berlin

Open for 5 years (Large sign proudly displayed on the window), and I fail to see how they remained open.

Timings: booked for 7 pm. Waited 1 hour for drinks to be served, 3 hours for the food to arrive, and 30 minutes for the bill. Had to ask for drinks twice, food four times, and the bill twice.

Hospitality: Zero. Pompous, lacking in basic customer service skills, ARROGANT. The first red flag was the complaining about the table next to us who had just left. From our experience, that table's complaints were entirely valid.

Ambiance: The music went from loud jazz to techno and then house. No consistent ambiance was maintained throughout the evening.

Food: The seafood platters were overpriced and overcooked. They asked about the uneaten prawns, and when we explained that they were overcooked, the owner/waiter responded with, "That's how we cook them here," taking pride in overcooked food - Says it all!

The arrogance was palpable when we mentioned that a 3-hour wait was too long for food on a 7 pm booking. The response was, "Well, dessert will be on us," as if after such a sour experience, I would want to consume anything more from that place.

The focus seemed to be more on socializing and drinking wine with their friends. We were there to celebrate a friend's birthday, and what a horrible experience it turned out to be.

Poor on all metrics. I would not go there again.

Improvement advice: Read your reviews; you might learn something to keep your restaurant open for another 5 years. Use centralized ordering systems instead of your iPhone notes. Implement a service zone to keep track of customers, not just your friends' needs. Minimize drinking on the job. Use music streaming platforms to curate an ambient playlist, not a chaos of sounds. It shouldn't have to be said, but overcooked food is not a point of pride. Spending less time with friends during service because "my friends are here" is not a valid excuse for poor service. If all that seems like a leap, consider hiring a hospitality consultant to help.

As the pictures shows: just hanging out with...

TLDR: An Evening of Frustration and Disappointment

Our dining experience was far from what we had anticipated. Upon arrival, everything appeared normal, but it took an astonishing 50 minutes just to receive our menus. The delays didn't end there; after ordering wine and other drinks alongside our meals, it took roughly an hour for the beverages to arrive. Some of the dishes were served relatively quickly, yet we endured a staggering wait of two and a half hours for our main courses.

During this time, it became apparent that other tables, even those seated after us, received and finished their meals much sooner. Adding to the discomfort, the restaurant's ambiance was marred by inconsistent music choices and wildly fluctuating volume levels, making the atmosphere less than pleasant.

Attempts to inquire about our delayed food were met with indifference from the staff, who came across as unbothered and, at times, quite rude, though not overtly aggressive.

The climax of our disappointment came when our food finally arrived around 10:30 PM, only to find it was merely passable, lacking the quality one would expect after such a wait. A waiter's request for feedback on our meal was met with a dismissive response, further exemplifying the lack of concern for customer satisfaction.

Our attempt to conclude the night and request the bill around 11:05 PM was initially ignored, as we observed waitstaff socializing and drinking with friends rather than attending to guests. It took a direct approach to finally receive our bill and make our payment, after a night filled with frustration.

We entered VOLK at 7 PM, hoping for a delightful seafood dinner, only to leave at 11:30 PM feeling utterly let down by the service, the food, and the overall experience. And we expected more by a restaurant that has been operating for 5 years (something which is prominently displayed).

I cannot recommend this restaurant and urge potential diners to consider other options where their time, appetite, and feedback might be valued...

Good atmosphere.

Food quality is like russian roulette. I looked forward to the days they had fresh Belons. I was visiting regularly to try and figure out if there were any delivery days or consistency.

I have been here 15+ times for oysters, often with groups but also by myself. I had 3 excellent and fresh oyster days, about 6 acceptable days, 4 disappointing days, and two times where it was straight unedible. This was consistent across group orders. This would be understandable since Berlin is so far inland, and fresh produce is hard to get by. But the service response to these inconsistencies made me quit my visits.

If you point out, even in the gentlest and friendliest manner with no requests of changes or refunds, that something is off, then you get the most hostile service imaginable.

Last encounter, word by word:

The server asks, “Are you done? Was everything okay?”, while picking my plate of oysters with only a couple eaten, while we ask for the bill

I say “Yes, almost everything was. Just wanted to let you know that the oysters may be a bit off. They have that pungent fishy smell and taste. I wasn’t able to eat them. It’s alright, these things go bad fast, and I understand. I just thought you might want to know and check”. We get nods in response

Another server comes back, holding an empty oyster shell in one hand to point it at me, a lit cigarette in the other hand, actively smoking, and says in an upset tone, “I ate your oysters. They are fine. You can get more now” All I could say was “No. Please, we didn’t ask for a refund or more oysters. Just for the check. Thank you”

So… Yeah. The inconsistency of the quality, coupled with the inability to even leave stuff on your plate without being met with a hostile attitude, made me feel dissuaded from bringing people here and even visiting by myself for a treat.

I don’t want to have a bad surprise for a meal, then have to lie about it to not deal with disgruntled servers. I especially do not wish to drag my...