Tim Raue

Rating: 19
Author: Gault&Millau

Rudi-Dutschke-Straße 26, 10969 Berlin, Germany

19/20
Exceptional Restaurant

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Chef: Tim Raue | Phillip Bendel
Cooking: Asian | Gastronomic | German | Vegan | Vegetarian
Services: Access for people with disabilities | Private Room
Style: Elegant | Romantic | With children | With family

Gault&Millau's review 2025

The fact that Mr. Raue likes to travel is something we know from television. He filmed three seasons of his show of the same name with Magenta TV. But of course, we have known it from his cuisine for much longer. In the Kreuzberg restaurant, as is well known, the excursions go to Asia – so far. Marie-Anne Wild and he landed a completely surprising hit last year with the new Berlin menu, which almost questioned the concept of the restaurant. About 70 percent of the guests order it. In addition, they also offer the koi menu, which combines Thai flavors with Japanese and Chinese ingredients as usual, as well as a vegan menu. Practically no one in the league offers so much choice. And on top of that, you can also order different menus per table. A service culture that you hardly find at this level anymore. Berlin, in other words. Unlike in the Nordic regional cuisine, Raue does not approach the topic through the products, but through classic dishes. And – Berlin or not – of course he also has his unmistakable sweet-sour-spicy aroma signature in his luggage, which he combines with biographical inspirations. Typical of the shrimp cocktail "KaDeWe", for example. The cooked, deep red Sicilian Mazara shrimp comes with a luxury cocktail sauce made from oat milk with char and flying fish caviar, mandarin angel and slices, melon and fermented chili as a powder around it. Other dishes are charmingly Berlinized. The wonderfully firm-fleshed zander, marinated and steamed in sangohachi paste, used to be a frequent guest on the koi menu, comes here with pea puree, sauerkraut with pineapple and sauerkraut juice in the beurre blanc, sharpened by Thai green chili jelly and Peruvian mint (oil and microgreens). High-end home cooking is Grandma Gerda's Königsberger Klops, which delivers a robust salt kick after a series of plates with a strong sweet and sour emphasis. Unlike the legendary Obama meatball, the one inspired by Grandma Gerda is relatively compact because it is rolled from a farce of mask, tongue and sweetbreads from veal. Instead of capers, there is a meaty caper leaf, served with buttery mashed potatoes with crumbs and beetroot. There is no trace of the cozy boredom that is commonly characteristic of a chicken fricassee in Raue's work, which is ensured by the habanero chili in the jus in addition to the wonderful nut butter foam with Alba truffles. Borscht also has a desire for the extremes. The taut saltiness of the braised Wagyu cheek balances the sweetness of the beef tea served à part with beef tongue, beetroot, gherkins and sour cream. The wines tend to be subordinate to this, they are companions that do not play themselves into the foreground. Sommelier Raphael Reichardt likes to reach for cuvées and aged wines, has a soft spot for classics, which provide a stage for the powerful aromas without drowning in the process. Of course, you can hold all kinds of things against this type of cuisine. It knows little seasonality, vegetables are only mentioned in passing, the intrinsic taste of the products takes a back seat in favor of the signature seasoning. On the other hand, Raue's powerful character plates can be recognized among hundreds, and they are the best entertainment anyway. In eight courses, you can experience more here than on some vacations.