Restaurant Floh (Berlin, Germany)

Am Bahnhof Grunewald 4, 14193 Berlin, Germany

Restaurant Floh is a cute, small restaurant in the Grunewald suburb of Berlin, just off the train station. It is mostly frequented by local regulars with the occasional tourist. The menu is pretty straightforward German, with emphasis on various types of meats and some local (Berlin) specialties

 

 

I have eaten twice here. The first time I get the Wiener Schnitzel (€11.90), which is huge and very well prepared. The meat is a bit cheap but tasty. The Bratkartoffel (friend potatoes) are very tasty and have a nice crunch to them. The second time I get the Hamburger (€9.90), which is a very dry piece of minced meat, seemingly deep friend, with a sad piece of bacon on it and some veggies. The fries are prefab and uneventful.

 

VERDICT: 82/100

Honest German food at a very good price. Stay away from the burger and just go for the authentic German dishes.

Moby's Smulkar (Scheveningen, The Netherlands)

Strandweg, Scheveningen, The Netherlands

Moby's Smulkar is a small cart that sells poffertjes, a type of small pancakes that are specific to the Netherlands. I am sure it moves around, but I find it at the boulevard of Scheveningen. I get one portion of poffertjes (forgot the price but will be a bit more expensive than somewhere else). However, the poffertjes are prepared absolutely perfectly, warm and doughy, doused in powder sugar.

VERDICT: 89/100
Some of the best poffertjes I have had!

Restaurant Yachthafen (Meppen, Germany)

Schützenhof 99, 49716 Meppen, Germany

Restaurant Yachthafen is not a real pig out spot. It is actually a nice, small town restaurant, outside of the center of the provincial town of Meppen. It offer German and Greek food, including a wide variety of meats and fish. Most come as plates with fries, rice, and a side salad.

I get the Gyros Plate (€12.90), which is pretty sizeable. The gyros meat is from a skewer but a bit too fat and too dry. The tzatziki is thick and creamy. The fries are the usual German fries, bit undercooked and lacking real flavor.

 

 
VERDICT: 78/100
Very affordable, but quite mediocre German-Greek food.

Paolo's Gelato Italiano (Atlanta, GA)

1025 Virginia Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

Paolo's Gelato Italiano is an Italian desserts place in the hip Victoria Highlands area of Atlanta -- it also has a shop in Charleston, South Carolina. The core of the shop is the gelato, which is on offer in many different, mostly classic, Italian flavors. In addition, there are many homemade cakes as well as coffee and various sweets, imported from Italy.

I got the usual, which I use to test any new ice cream place: lemon and stracciatella. I forgot the price, but it wasn't cheap. Both flavors very underwhelming. In fact, they had little to do with original gelato.

VERDICT: 68/100
Pricey and not very good. Definitely not "authentic gelato".

Trdelník (Prague, Czech Republic)

Celetná 565/25, 110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic

Trdelník is a special kind of rolled cake that is very popular in the Czech Republic and seems to have become a major tourist attraction in Prague. You can buy it everywhere. We bought it at a small shop in one of the most touristic streets of Prague.

I got a regular one, while SHH got one filled with nutella. Both were hot from the oven, really fresh and surprisingly tasty. I forgot the price, but it was undoubtedly much higher than if you buy it away from the tourists.

VERDICT: 86/100

Bit more expensive than at other places, but definitely not a tourist trap. Delicious!

Marco’s Grill (Paris, France)

122 Boulevard de Belleville, 75019 Paris, France

 

Marco’s Grill is a tiny restaurant, connected to butcher, that serves a variety of grilled meats (entrecote, steak, merguez), fried potatoes, and spaghetti Bolognese. Marco speaks little English.

All food comes with a variety of fresh salads and almost a full fresh baguette. The bread is delicious as are the salads; authentic Middle Eastern quality.

 

I get the Entrecote with Fries (17.50). The entire vote is very thin with lots of fat on the sides, grilled perfectly, and juicy and tender. The fries are homemade, more slices of potato, fried crispy. 

VERDICT 97/100

As close to perfection as it gets. While it looks a bit like a snackbar, the quality is better than in most expensive restaurants. Bravo Marco!

Sani Authentic Italian Gelato (Prague, Czech Republic)

Jungmannovo nám. 767/6, 110 00 Praha 1-Nové Město, Czech Republic

 

 

Billing itself as Authentic Italian Gelato, Sani is a small ice cream shop just of Mustek metro station at Wenceslas Square. This would normally scream “tourist trap” but it looks too exotic for that. It has some 14 different flavors, mostly highly original combinations.

I get two scoops (CZK 78 or $3.25): Lemon and mint, which is really fresh, not too zesty, and Pineapple Lime Arugola, which is difficult to describe but delicious. 

 

VERDICT: 89/100

Remarkably good gelato!

El Emir Lebanese Restaurant (Prague, Czech Republic)

Palác Koruna, Václavské nám. 1, 110 00 Praha 1-Můstek, Czech Republic

 

El Emir is an upscale Lebanese restaurant in upscale mall in downtown Prague – they also have another location in downtown Prague. It looks authentic and has a lot of Arab customers. The menu is quite traditional and includes meats, salads, sandwiches, and spreads. They are pretty busy, but also quite slow. I have to wait at least 20 minutes for my food.

 

I get a Fattoush (CZK 135 or $5.60), which is relatively small and consists mainly out of lettuce, cucumber and green peppers – only a little piece of tomato. It has a nice dressing but the pieces of pita chips seem to be from a bag, not fresh. I also get a Falafel Sandwich (CZK 160 or $6.65) It’s a big sandwich filled with a bit too soft but tasty falafels and some tomato, parsley and tahini.

 

VERDICT: 83/100

Very acceptable if a bit too pricey for Prague.

Joy Burger Bar & Grill (Prague, Czech Republic)

Celetná 388, Praha 1, 110 00, Czech Republic

 

Joy Burger Bar & Grill is a hip American-style upscale burger and meat restaurant that serves some 12 different types of burgers as well as classic American finger foods, steaks, salads, and desserts. All in a nice setting with hipster electronic musac.

 

I get the Scaloppini Chicken Burger (CZK 205 or $8.50) and Steak Farm Fries (CZK 65 or $2.70) with Chipotle Mayo (CZK 39 or $1.60). The big pieces of juicy grilled chicken come on a big round bun with some lettuce, jalapeño, cherry tomatoes, and a bit too much sauce. Overall it is very good though. The fries are wide but scooped from inside, which makes them a bit thinner. Very crispy! The sauce is a bit too loose and garlicky.

 

VERDICT: 86/100

This burger bar could easily compete with the ones in major US cities but so could the price!

Pho 99 (Prague, Czech Republic)

Revoluční 655/1, 110 00 Prague, Czech Republic

 

Pho 99 is a small stand just next to at the Kotva department store in downtown Prague that offers Vietnamese food. In addition to spring rolls, pho, and Bánh Mí, they also serve burgers.

 

I get the Bánh Mí (CZK 85 or $3.50), which comes with pork. The bread is a bit too crispy and the pork a bit too salty, but overall quite tasty and the fresh cilantro and spicy sauce give it extra flavor.

 

VERDICT: 78/100

Quite expensive for Prague, but pretty authentic Bânh Mí.