Berlin Revisited

Beyond beer, bread, and bratwurst

When I visited Berlin before the pandemic, I was keeping a secret. I wasn’t only there to write about its food scene or for some R&R. I was there because part of my seventh novel, Her Last Breath, was set in Germany’s capital. Normally, when I set a novel in a particular place, it’s because I’ve already fallen in love with that city. With Berlin, it was the opposite: psi-ops by the Stasi (the secret state police of East Germany) were part of the book, and I wanted to understand the physical landscape as well as the psychological one.

It was a fascinating trip. Both the Stasi Museum and the Stasi Records Archive were treasure troves for research purposes, but what caught me by surprise was how beautiful Berlin is. The city is filled with incredible museums, historic landmarks, and breathtaking gardens.

Before I went, a friend warned me that I wasn’t going to like the food. When I asked why, he described it as “beer, bread, and bratwurst.” I took his warning to heart and did even more research than I normally do before a trip. The result? I had a week of amazing meals. Here’s where I ate.