Bötzow-Privat

I always bring out-of-town guests to Bötzow-privat because it is an easy walk from the museum island and it has a delicious menu of classic German dishes. Service is always great and I appreciate that they serve simple, traditional dishes without pretension or kitsch.

Good spätzle! I was sceptical before I came but they make an outstanding cheese spätzle!

I love this place. I've been searching Berlin for a place that feels 'cozy' and this place fits the bill! Although a bit more expensive than your average German food place, but the kasespatzle is second to none and that alone is worth the trip. I'd call for reservations, especially on the weekends. It's popular for a reason!

Loved this place!!! Go! The food was delicious, the interior is absolutely beautiful, and the staff was fun.

In all honesty, we didn't plan on going to this place, the other close to it was fully booked, so we thought we would ask (Friday night at peak time was always going to be a gamble).

At first they said they didn't have room, however as we walked 20 metres down the road, the waiter caught up with us and said he could accommodate.

It's not the biggest place, so we were packed in tightly. However, the beer was nice (can't remember the name, but came in 1L) and I ordered the Snitchzel - saw most of the other people order that so thought why not.

Very glad I did as it was lovely. No complaints either from the rest of the table (we all ordered something different). Staff were friendly and welcoming.

I've given it 5 stars as it was the best meal I had while out in Berlin.

Excellent place for traditional German food. It's a nice establishment but not formal or stiff.

The gazpacho soup was a good starter. We got the schnitzel which was the best I've had ever -- tender, thin, but still nicely fried. It came with an interesting warm potato salad that I found delectable. We also got the veal stew which came with a potato pasta which was also excellent.

Service is friendly and speaks English well.

This was one of those wonderfully memorable meals....made even better since it was in a new city that my boyfriend and I were exploring together.

One meal was more on the 'traditional' side of things (veal ragout - or stew - with herbed spaetzle) and the other one felt a bit more like 'fine dining' (filet with a pumpernickel crust, green beans, and excellent demi-glaze and a tomato strudel).

That atmosphere was a little dark (in a good way) which made it feel a bit romantic to us - but there were also many people there with friends who were having a great time.

I have to admit that this restaurant made me open my mind about German food being more than just bratwurst, sauerkraut and schnitzel.

On a side note about Germany: it still blows me away that a person can't just get table water (even though theirs is completely drinkable). We paid over $5 for a large glass of water. I wish I was exaggerating but I'm not. But that's just the way they roll over there...

A lot of places are "full" on weekend nights in Mitte, but this one luckily had one table left by the window so we nabbed it. We enjoyed a wonderful meal of pumpernickel encrusted fillet with tomato strudel and green beans and a dish of veal ragout with with herbed spätzle. We also loved the garden salad. The bread was wonderful and we had wine and beer. The whole meal which would make even a fat couple full was 44 €. Another interesting note about this place was the 100-year old floor to ceiling wooden bar. Get a spot in this small place and enjoy the some good local cooking.

This is my friend's favorite place.

I loved the decor! There are black and white pictures on the wall. The place gives an old feel.

Too bad it was rainy, otherwise, we would have sat outside. We got there a little early around 6:30-7pm. There were a couple patrons there. As the hour continued we started to get more patrons.

--White wine - I can't remember the name of the wine we got, but apparently it is sold out every where. It was a dry semi-fruity white wine.
--Schnitzel - I thought their schnitzel was delicious. When I saw it, it looked huge, and I didn't think I could finish it, but I did! Ha!
--Potato Salad - Not sure if that the Germans call that dish. It came with the Schnitzel. It was like boiled potatoes with a chive and vinegar like coating. The vinegar was slightly strong, just the way I like it.

My friend and her friends ordered the Chocolate Lava Cake -- I had a couple bites. It was good, a little too much chocolate. However, if you ignore the chocolate, the sweetness was about right. Was not overdone.

I had a great time here. By the way, they do have English menus. I don't think they take reservations, it is first come, first serve. When we got there, we asked if we could save seats, and they obliged us to put our purses and jackets to save sits for friends that were coming.

This restaurant is hidden in the residential area, yet very trendy area of Mitte. Also, I think I might have been the only tourist there, and I was with locals.

I used to live in Berlin and Bötzow has to be one of the restaurants that most accurately depict the city for me. It just exhales Berlin from every corner: from the outer benches with idle people sipping latte macchiato on summertime, to the dazzling historic interior that warms you up on a cold winter night. It can be quiet during the day, making it cinematographically possible to have lunch while reading your book on your own and enjoying some freshly made cake; as well as pub crowded at night, making it also the right spot for having a beer, for instance the original Bötzow. Other than that, food is a major here. Everything is completely taken care of. They don't have a 15 pages menu that normally gnaws your indecisiveness, but they have something for every taste. My pick for a dish has to be the Wienerschnitzel: over generously portioned meat and awesomely tasty potatoes. They see to it that everything will be right on spot on all the courses and they reinvent the menu every once in a while, but they keep the specialties of the house. It is the 19th century wooden counter, the exquisite lightning, the incomparable dishes, the thoughtfulness of the waiters and the real berliners sitting on the restaurant, that make the atmosphere so enthralling and takes you back in time, something rare in Berlin.