Berlin: Spätzle Express

Address: Wiener Strasse 14a, Kreuzberg 10999
Nearest Station(s): U-Görlitzer Bahnhof
Opening Hours: Daily 12pm – 10pm

Plonk yourself down at one of Spätzle Express’ wonky tables and extend your German culinary repertoire beyond artery-clogging currywurst and kebabs. This cheap imbiss serves a variety of Swabian comfort foods from €3.50 – €7.20, but is most famous for its namesake and specialty. Spätzle – potato and egg-based dough boiled in salt water and fried – is pasta that tastes like a combination of haloumi and omelette. Other choices on the menu include Maultaschen – meat or veggies encased in squares of pasta; Schupfnudeln – potato noodles much like gnocchi; and a variety of other classic German dishes such as meatloaf and lentil soup. The meals come in three sizes, but because the portions are so massive and the food is heavy, a small should be enough to satisfy even the hungriest customer. One of the most mouth-watering selections is Spätzle with cheese and mushroom sauce. If for some odd reason you are still feeling peckish afterwards, chow down on some Schupfnudeln with cinnamon sugar. Although express seems to be a slight exaggeration when it comes to service, you can take comfort in knowing that each meal is prepared fresh rather than scraped off a skewer that has likely been rotating since 2005.