Hallo Berlin Express

After we finished our wine and cheese at Casellula we decided to head somewhere closer to our final listening party destination for dinner. Unfortunately we had no idea what was in the immediate neighborhood and we ended up stopping at another bar just to get out of the frigid weather.

We decided to have a drink and research some places in the area before heading out intro the cold again. That’s when I realized we were right next door to Uncle Nick’s! I loved the grilled octopus I had last time I was there so we quickly finished our drinks and went over.

Unfortunately it was not to be. Uncle Nick’s was packed and we were running really short on time at this point. Then we noticed the Hallo Berlin Express across the street. We haven’t really loved the food or service at the regular Hallo Berlin but we were running out of options and it seemed like it would be quick so we went.

The first thing I noticed about Hallo Berlin express was the cheap dank décor of the space. From the bright yellow carnival like menu up front to the 99 cent store place mats- it just seemed like a dive. The next thing I noticed was that the cook was also the waiter and the cashier. Luckily there were only about 8 other people inside so he seemed to be managing it pretty well.

We were hungry and on a time restraint so I went ahead and ordered the Bauernwurst.



This sausage is a mix of beef and pork and has a nice spicy flavor from the mustard seeds inside. I thought it was really tasty and much better than the usual bratwurst I always get. Unfortunately this was going to be the best part of our meal.



The potato pancakes we split were crispy around the edges but too thick and mealy on the inside. The whole plate was extremely greasy and even the sour cream and applesauce couldn’t save this dish.

Mr. T ordered the Smoked Andouille cheese brat.



Okay now Mr. T forgot to say no mustard when he was ordering but went up to the counter before we got our food to give his request. The man behind the counter told him he couldn’t do it- the mustard was already on.

However the sausage was still cooking and the mustard was only on the bun. Why couldn’t he just give us another bun? He wasn’t exactly friendly so we just took the sandwich anyway and Mr. T didn’t eat it. I tried a bite and have to say it sounded a lot better than it actually was. I didn’t get any of that spice that andouille usually carries and the cheese inside was non existent.

The last part of our meal was actually the worst- the spatzle.



Come on now. Look at this dish. I’ve never seen a more depressing and boring version of spatzle in my life. This is really just a big bowl of spaghetti noodles. Maybe this is the version they make in Berlin but it doesn’t even come close the fluffy, buttery version of spatzle we had in Munich.

So basically Hallo Berlin Express really stunk. We got to our event on time but neither of us was too happy at that point. It was just a bad food night all around. Oh well- better luck next time.

Hallo Berlin Express