Hamburger Heaven, Burgers, Kreuzberg
April 29, 2011 10 Comments
Oh my god, did I have to kiss a lot of toads to get here, or rather eat a lot of burgers before finding Monte & Popsy’s Hamburger Heaven.
If you ask Berliners where to get a good burger, most will send you to The Bird in Prenzlauerberg gushing how “it’s the best burger in town, they grind their own meat, there is a lot of meat, portions are big.” I find The Bird is a little bit like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. I fall in the latter category.
Probably because my favourite burger places tend to be petite, in venue size and hamburger size, and rather more civilized. Ranking among my top 3 favourite restaurant joints are: Lucky 7 in Notting Hill, London, IN-N-OUT in the US, and Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, New York (although they now have a lot of branches).
Because, yes, sometimes I feel like a burger but I don’t want to leave feeling like Vietellius or Claudius from ancient Rome. Neither do I want blaring music, sticky tables and coming out smelling like I have been deep-fried.
Popsy’s Hamburger Heaven is just a little Kiosk in Kreuzberg, so all the cooking smells are inside and you are on the outside. Granted, the weather has to be good so that you can take advantage of the outside tables or you can sit in the tiny caravan out front (so small that if there is even one more person sitting in there, you will be cramped).
The fries are so good! Order two. Large portions.
You can see straight onto the grill, order a free-range or organic burger (€5.00). Afterwards you can go for a stroll along the canal and if you are lucky, catch a game of pétanque. Or if you feel you have some room left, go to Hudson’s for a lovely piece of cake.
I also like the burgers and fries with cheese sauce at Burgermeister (it reminds me of something similar I used to eat at Wendy’s in Athens when I was a kid); but will write it up separately. And if you ever want something basic and quick in Prenzlauerberg, I like Marienburger, complete with a jaunty little flag, it’s vaguely reminiscent of a McDonald’s with a bit more gristle in the patty but somehow it works. I recommend you eat it on a bench, between the outdoor ping-pong tables.
Hamburger Heaven
Graefestraße 93,
10967 Berlin
T 0176 37614133
www.hamburgerheaven.org
I went through serious burger withdrawl when we were in Europe so I wish I would have known about this place when we were in Berlin. Sounds delicious and cute with the little caravan!
I can easily imagine that. If you ever get to London, Lucky 7 is fantastic!
I think exactly the same about The Bird. Oh and as someone who only recently (oh well it´s been 10 months already!) moved to Berlin: I love your blog. We are eating our way through Berlin along your recommendations! So, thank you.
Thanks Katrin. We moved here at the same time. Isn’t it great that it’s spring again? I know that winter was supposed to be mild and all that, but for me, it was the longest winter I ever experienced!
Thanks for the tip, I went here the other night, OMG the fries are soo good! Its been way too long since I had fries made from actual potatoes rather than the pre-made frozen crap you get in most places here
They are good right? Glad you enjoyed.
Hi! Our place to go for burgers in Berlin is the White Trash, near the Rosa-Luxemburg Platz U-Bahn station. It is a weird place, but the burgers and the fries are reaaalllyyy good, and in a lunch menu also cheap, with salad and a small drink
Today however, we tried this Hamburer Heaven you recommended. The burger was delicious, but the fries…? They were (almost literally) soaked in oil, really not something you imagine to go with such a good hamburger - especially if you pay 2 euros for a small portion of fries, and 3 for a large one…
Yuck! Sounds like the oil wasn’t hot enough. They were amazing when I ate there! What a bummer. Did you say something to them?
And yes, I have heard of White Trash but I haven’t eaten there yet (although I plan to), thanks for the tip.
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INteresting that you rank In-N-Out up there; as a company, they buck so many trends. I’ve never tried any of thier food, but as a company I really admire thier ethos at times. That burger looks good, and those fries look homemade - good work!