YAFO — Restaurant in Berlin

I have been going to Yafo probably since the day they opened at the corner in 2016, almost twice every month. Every dining experience, be it eating outside during summer, or inside during winter, or birthdays, or just a couple of drinks at the bar, has been memorable. The food is simple, yet it tastes great! There is something about the ingredients, which makes the food taste great, right from the hummus, which is full of flavor, to the baked cauliflower, which has the right amount of charred flavor to it, and the delicious Sinia. Even the tomatoes in the salad on the side are rich in flavor. Overall, the menu is vegetarian and vegan friendly, with a couple of options for meat eaters. The only thing I would like them to improve on is the long food preparation time during peak hours, which could bother people who are really hungry.

The great food is complimented by the awesome crew members who runs this place (Shout out to Keren, Samar, Dani, Dan, Shani and others!). There are only a select few places in Berlin, which understand that great service is not just about asking the customer "hat geschmeckt?", at the end of the meal. The crew here does some small things, such as serving water to you when you are waiting for your table, remembering your name and your friends' names, communicating with you when a table is taking too long to free up, making the birthday boy/girl feel special with sparklers and bells, and sharing their life stories, all of which definitely make them stand out. All my friends who I have introduced to Yafo, absolutely love the place mostly because of the crew here, and the atmosphere they have created.

To summarize, one doesn't go to Yafo just for the food, but also for the people, the living room atmosphere, the lively ambiance, and the events (once, there was dancing on the tables!). It is...

Excellent food, super friendly staff but totally lacking and confused service.

Our experience: 0 mins: we sit down. 3 mins: waiter A at the next table greets us warmly (we never see him again). 7 mins: my GF gets impatient and gets up herself to fetch some menus. 8 mins: she meets waiter B and asks him if he serves our table. He confirms. 9 mins: waiter B arrives with menus but forgets to tell us what the daily specials are (we never see him again too). 13 mins: waitress C arrives to take our order. We have to ask her for the specials. We order. 20 mins: waiter D arrives with our drinks (of course he has no clue who ordered what – luckily we are only three people). 30 mins: waitress C brings my plate. 40 mins: waiter E brings the plates for my GF and friend. 45 mins: I have have finished my plate and now wait for my friends/watch them eating.

No one ever showed up after we finished to ask if we liked to have the menu again for dessert etc.

As mentioned initially: all the time the staff was super friendly. And since the place our best guess was that this is just a bunch of young people trying their luck with a restaurant for the first time.

But the lack of communication/coordination and total absence of any professional BG in serving people at a restaurant was quite evident.

One table – one waitress/waiter. Not five (who don't coordinate with each other). Make sure the kitchen finishes all (warm) dishes for a table at the same time to be served to guests.

If the latter doesn't put you off, be sure to visit this place. The food & atmosphere...

We recently visited this charming restaurant and enjoyed both the food and wine, making for a pleasant dining experience However, one notable downside was the expectation that guests speak English. The lack of effort in communication was disappointing, as even basic greetings and phrases like Hallo/Tschüss and Bitte/Danke or simple menu-related phrases were not provided. I'm always happy to assist with English when the other person is struggling to find the right words. My friends aren't German native speakers either (and don’t understand this New-Berliners’ standard expectation towards everyone - no matter if tourists or locals). We shared emotionally charged conversations and it was demanding for them to frequently switch into a third language with waitstaff. I get that Berlin has become a multicultural city where it’s easy and tempting to live and even work without having to learn the language. But I think, people are not aware that it can be challenging for native Berliners (especially elderly) when being forced to speak a foreign language in their home town on a daily basis everywhere they go. It would be nice to come back one day and see this place can/want make non-english-speaking guests feel comfortable, so I could also bring my parents. Improving basic German communication would greatly enhance the experience and can be a big difference in making all guests feel welcome, regardless of their language...