Hasir Ocakbasi, Adalbertstraße 12, 10999 Berlin, Germany is a great Turkish restaurant in Kreuzberg, not far from the Kottbusser Tor U-Bahn station. It was highly recommended to us by expat Turks and we loved it. We started with a cold appetizer plate, then Turkish pizza and Doner Kebap. Everything was excellent and served in a relaxed, pleasant atmosphere. There's a very popular little take-out window to grab a quick meal too.
Posted by
northern CA
2766 posts
I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer here, honestly, so please take this comment with a loving heart:
This reminds me of a recent interview where RS stalwart Cameron Hewitt talks about the shoe-leather parts of being a travel writer and he says that he doesn't put a lot of stock in reviews he reads on crowd-source commercial websites (like TripAdvisor) because he can't help but wonder how many Turkish restaurants in Berlin the person has eaten at. Cameron will dutifully sample just about all of them before declaring which ones are great. Just sayin'
I'm open to being corrected, please -- maybe you have some depth of experience when it comes to Turkish eateries overall, or those near transit stops, and so on?
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
7980 posts
kkbrown46, thanks for the recommendation - I love Turkish food and will definitely check this out next time I am in Berlin.
Avi, I'm not sure why you are criticizing this review. The OP does not say it's the best Turkish restaurant ever - he said it served good food that he enjoyed and there is nothing wrong with that. If you are going to denigrate this review, maybe you should go to all the other restaurant reviews on this forum and find fault with those as well. I do not understand your post at all. No one on this forum is claiming to be a restaurant critic, nor should they need to. Our reviews discuss what we liked and what we did not; nothing more and nothing less.
Posted by
San Francisco
14976 posts
Hi,
Thanks for the tip on this Turkish restaurant which you say comes well recommended.
Admittedly, I hardly know Kreuzberg, only been through there once . That was in 2007 to see the Prussian monument in the wars against Napoleon. Kreuzberg is intriguing in Berlin history and culture. You provide an additional incentive to go back.
Posted by
northern CA
2766 posts
Mardee, you're right - that's why I cushioned that comment with provisos and concessions in front and behind.
As I said, it reminded me of a comment that Cameron Hewitt recently made about how what professionals do and what casual travelers do differs. I also try and sometimes fail to be careful to say 'I had a good time and enjoyed the food' rather than "This food is the best in town".
Posted by
OP
6 posts
My review is based on eating at 4 different Turkish restaurants/eateries in Berlin in January, 2023. Additionally, my son lives in Berlin and has tried a number of Turkish places in Berlin because he likes Turkish food. He works in the Kreuzberg area with many Turkish folks and he and many of them prefer this place over others they have tried. We liked the food we got there and liked the restaurant. Do you live in Berlin? Have you any experience with Turkish eateries? Which is your favorite?
Posted by
San Francisco
14976 posts
Hi,
I have to admit that I did not find out about the uniqueness of Kreuzberg, though the yellow traffic signs pointing the direction were situated in Charlottenburg, until the mid-1980s as the district was already well known among Germans as an enclave of Turkish residents, eateries, shops, etc, etc in Berlin. The taxi driver taking me out to that other singular district , also in (west) Berlin, Moabit told me that.
Your endorsements and that of your son are much more credible than the comments of C. Hewitt.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
Last summer I had an amazing meal at Alay by Hasir very near the Hackescher Markt Station in the old Jewish District.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Thanks, Fred! And thanks for the tip, Michael! Will try during my next visit!
Posted by
northern CA
2766 posts
Great -- thanks for that additional background info, OP !
That does indeed make your recommendation stronger.
I'd put a good Turkish meal over German cuisine most any day.
(Part of my initial doubt was not only the Cameron Hewitt observation but also the usage of 'Turkish Pizza' instead of lahmacun and the capitalizing of doner kebab made me wonder if you were aware that these things are as common as brats and burgers.)
edited to add: I just noticed with a quick Yelp search that there are at least 10 places within 15 minutes of me here in the East Bay that are known for good doner kebab.
edited some more -- I want to make up for my cynicism by supporting the OP with more info -- you all can find the menu for this location of the Hasir restaurant group here:
http://www.hasir.de/pdf/ocakbasi_speisekarte.pdf
Personally, I wish there was a version that did not include the German descriptions.