Lokal on Linienstraße in Mitte is a small corner restaurant that opened it's doors in 2012 as one of the first modern bistros focusing on regional produce. It's a very charming eatery and always a destination for a modern and simple German meal.
Lokal is located right by the football pitch on Linienstraße in the venue of a former Brazilian restaurant, which the new owners have turned into a very charming restaurant with a long bar, about 15 small tables and a massive long table at the entrance area. The atmosphere is buzzing with most seats, including those at the bar, being occupied at any given time. Step inside and indulge the friendly atmosphere of a corner restaurant along with the highest quality produce from the region cooked by a crew who know what they are doing.
“ I once had a fantastic boar heart and liver dish
The menu at Lokal is small and changes on a weekly basis. A couple of starters, a couple of mains and a pair of desserts, providing just enough options. The focus lies heavily on locally sourced ingredients and you will find a lot of seasonal vegetables along with game, fish and poultry. There is also always at least one vegetarian dish. The chef also follows the trend of serving quite a lot of offal meat, I once had a fantastic boar heart and liver dish and I love this way of honouring the animal by eating all of it. Another thing I also love with a lot of the meat dishes are the great sides with pan-fried vegetables and potatoes. All in all the menu is very comprehensive and has a clear theme.
One dish which has been on the menu for a while now is the outstanding Cote de Boeuf which is served with a side of potato gratin and vegetables, a massive piece of meat for two people sourced from a local farmer. Ordering the Cote de Boeuf is a decadent meat orgy, but boy is it a good one. I would even go so far to say that this is one of the best steaks in the city, if not the best, competing directly with all the prime steak restaurants. This massive meat cut has a lot of fat, I'm not sure where they source this excellent produce but it is a very ripe piece of meat and so full of flavour that you'll remember the taste for hours. I love it. If you love a good steak, go have the Cote de Boeuf at Lokal. You will wait a long ass time for this piece of meat but it will definitely be worth the wait. It's also fantastic value for money as you'll only pay 22 € per person. Unless you feel like eating 600g of meat by yourself. I'll leave that fatal decision up to you.
“ I still consider Lokal to be a lovely and simple eatery worth a visit
The food can be washed down with a wide selection of excellent wines and beer and the service members are usually attentive and friendly. And it's not pretentious service, just simply charming. Lokal used to be one of my favourite restaurants but in the face of increased competition in the modern bistro segment it has slipped from it's pole position. The problem with Lokal is that the food hasn't evolved at all during the last years and some of it is quite frankly a bit boring. Then I've also had many experiences where dishes weren't perfectly executed. So while I still consider Lokal to be a lovely and simple eatery worth a visit, I do not consider it to be the best in its segment.
