I love things that are spartan and utilitarian, as well as being incredibly mean and naturally short of funds, so one of my budget Berlin ideas is to use my local student canteen or Mensa. I've been using thes eplaces for ages actually, from the days when my ancient "ex" Naomi and I would gaze into each others' eyes over Eintopf in Bonn, where she was for a year, through to when the very nice Verena took me to the one in Heidelberg a couple of years ago, though there was less gazing with her I'm sorry to say. You wouldn't think these basic places were very romantic actually, although appearances deceive about this sort of thing. Mensen (it's an unusual plural) are open to anyone, so do go to one when you're in Berlin - you can find details about them at the Studentenwerk Berlin website. They're an unchanging feature of the German scene.
You wander in, find the tills and ask for a MensaCard (if they ask you who you are, or any other question in German that freaks you out, like whether you're a student, try saying ich bin Gast) then find a machine - they're blue and hanging on the walls - where you can load up your card with a few Euros, and you're ready to take a tray, knife and fork and get queueing. Mensen vary but there's usually a choice of fairly stolid but okay food (better than I ever got in the British education system), one or two or three main course one of which - the super-cheapie - is called Eintopf, which is going to be some sort of stew or hotpot or just slowly boiled-up vegetables and leftovers, really, which makes it sounds horrid but it's ace. My one today - hang on ...
... this thing was lentils with ginger and chilli, and it had quinoa and aubergine in too, and with the roll and some water it cost me about €3. You pay just a bit more as a guest than the students do. My fave is when you get a sausage with the Eintopf, I have to admit. So anyway, Mensen are brill for the impoverished visitor anywhere in Germany really, but they're all over Berlin. Breakfast and lunch only though - they do close at night.
Have your say - join the discussion