Hi all!

This is a quick one – Der Berliner have opened up on Bell Street.

Following Glasgow Live’s report that they were due to open towards the end of 2022 – well, that came and went, but having passed by recently it was clear that opening was imminent. As it happened, I checked their Facebook page earlier which reported they were “open” – and they were.

Now – this isn’t a full review because, as mentioned before in years gone by, I don’t eat meat during Lent. I try to judge different venues by a standard mixed kebab if available, or a chicken kebab if not – so it would seem unfair for me to judge them on the basis of a falafel kebab.

That being said – my experience this evening was overwhelmingly positive – I’m going to give them a straight 10/10 right now – considering the service was excellent, the food was excellent, and the kebab and beer were less than £14 (though I did tip).

This is what I got:

The fladenbrot was really well done – toasted on the outside but not flattened to the point that German Doner Kebab do – which gave a nice crunchy yet chewy texture to the bread, which is all the more poignant given the sad news about Morton’s Rolls this weekend. The falafels were pretty good – on first inspection I thought they may have been in the fryer a bit too long, but when I ate them, my fears subsided. What really made this, however, was the sauces. Der Berliner are, from what I had today, generous when it comes to customisation – you choose your carb (that’s right – you’ve a choice of the fladenbrot, the durum wrap, or good old fashioned chips), then you get two sauces and two toppings included in the price. I went for yoghurt and chilli sauce, and feta and salad. That’s right – salad’s optional. Personally, I’d find it difficult to not have a kebab with greens, but I know people that don’t – Der Berliner will let you switch it out, it seems. And the salad was amazing, and the yoghurt sauce/feta combination was incredible. You may ask – why the red cabbage in photo two but not photo one? Answer: I was presented with a ramekin of the stuff shortly after I’d started it. To be fair – it was a welcome addition.

It’s worth stating at this point that tonight was, as it turns out, the soft launch, so I guess I got lucky. Occasionally, when doing reviews, I take a photo of the menu but the menu they had today was, shall we say, a first draft. However, I was advised that things will get even better soon, with printed menus on their was, as well as draught German Lager. For now, the options are Furstenburg, a couple of Weissbiers (not my thing 😦 ) or Peroni, but their Facebook page has a competition mentioning Spaten and Paulaner, so I’m excited on that front! For those who don’t touch alcohol, they’ve got you covered with the usual range of soft and hot drinks.

To conclude: Der Berliner are, by my count at least, the third Gourmet Kebab place in Glasgow City Centre. They are the first not to be on West Nile Street, so there is that. Being the third, they have to meet the expectations set by the previous two, and in my mind, they did with aplomb. All I would ask, nicely, is if you do go, please don’t tell me how good the meaty one is just now. We’re a month and a bit away from Easter, and I don’t think I’d last the month.

Der Berliner, Bell Street, Glasgow

Falafel Kebab + Peroni (330ml), came to £13.49

10/10