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Thanksgiving started as a harvest feast shared between English settlers and the Wampanoag people in 1621. Fast forward 400 years, and it’s morphed into a uniquely American ritual — one part culinary marathon, one part family therapy session.
Across the U.S., millions sit down to an over-the-top spread: roast turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and the one casserole no one admits to liking. Football plays in the background, the Macy’s Parade marches through New York, and someone inevitably burns the rolls. It’s nostalgic chaos wrapped in gravy.
Now imagine bringing that energy to Berlin, a city that doesn’t even know what a sweet potato casserole is — and where the closest thing to a turkey feast in November is a Gänsebraten (roast goose). But every year, thousands of American expats try anyway.
Welcome to Thanksgiving 2025 in Berlin, where you’ll need strategy, stamina, and reservations that would impress a Pentagon scheduler. And always remember, there are certain rules –even if celebrating American Thanksgiving– that you gotta follow to the T.
Date: Thursday, November 27, 2025 (and the next day to recover)
Mission: Secure a proper Thanksgiving dinner or stay awake through the NFL triple-header — ideally both.
Here’s the catch: Berlin isn’t built for midnight football. Restaurants close early. Sports bars that survive till 6 AM are rare. Your plan must choose a side — culinary excellence or gridiron glory.
If you want to eat like an American and watch all three games, you’ll need a plan more complex than your Berlin Anmeldung paperwork — or your last proof of residence.
For those who value gravy over gridiron.
If Berlin had a Thanksgiving embassy, this would be it. Chef Jared Basso’s Estelle Dining turns the holiday into an art form — locally sourced, seasonally driven, and somehow both nostalgic and sophisticated.
What to Expect:
A multi-course menu featuring homemade dinner rolls with whipped pumpkin butter, kale salad with cranberries, roasted turkey with chestnut stuffing, and mashed potatoes that could make your Midwestern aunt weep. Dessert brings modern twists — Apple Pie Pizza or Pumpkin Pie Sundae.
Price Range: €65–€75 per person.
Atmosphere: Refined but unpretentious; perfect for small groups.
Pro Expat Tip: Party sizes are capped at 8. Call early, be polite, and don’t ghost your reservation — there’s a €25 per person no-show fee.
If Estelle is precision, Café am Neuen See is poetry. Nestled by a lake in Tiergarten, this rustic-chic restaurant trades pure Americana for charm.
Their Thanksgiving dinners typically run from Nov 21–30, featuring comfort foods like roast meats, truffle pasta, and seasonal sides. The candlelight and lakeside reflections make it feel like a holiday postcard.
Price Range: Around €46 per person.
NFL Viability: None — by kickoff, you’ll be walking home under fairy lights while the Lions kick off back in Detroit.
Pro Expat Tip: Book 4–6 weeks in advance. Walk-ins are about as likely as finding canned cranberry sauce in Rewe.
Sometimes, you just want the hits. Hard Rock Café Berlin serves Thanksgiving the way God and your grandma intended: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, and pumpkin pie.
It’s familiar, loud, and cheerfully commercial — but that’s kind of the point.
Price Range: €25–€40 per person.
Bonus: Screens and later hours mean you might catch the Packers-Lions game before closing.
Pro Expat Tip: Don’t expect ambiance; expect efficiency. Hard Rock is your safe fallback if everything else books out.
For those who treat Thanksgiving as a pregame warmup for the NFL triple-header.
Berlin’s newest American sports bar, The Brazen Squirrel, opened in 2024 with one goal: live sports done right. The screens are huge, the beer is cold, and the menu is engineered for multitasking — watching, eating, and yelling at referees.
Their 2024 Thanksgiving Special featured roast turkey sandwiches with gravy and €2.50 beers during “Angry Hour.” Expect a repeat for 2025, plus all three NFL games on screen.
Price Range: €10–€20 for food, drinks extra.
Atmosphere: Loud, all-American, zero pretense.
Pro Expat Tip: Book seats early. This bar fills up faster than a Cowboys fumble highlight reel.
For expats, Belushi’s is Thanksgiving HQ. They’ve hosted the holiday for years, pairing turkey dinners with giant HD screens, late hours, and drink specials.
In 2025, expect the return of their “Special Edition Thanksgiving Meal” — turkey, ham, and trimmings served in a giant Yorkshire pudding (vegan options available).
The secret weapon? Buy the meal, get your table reserved for all the NFL games. That’s your 6:30 PM to 6:00 AM golden ticket.
Price Range: €30–€40 per person (includes drink token).
Atmosphere: High energy, mostly Americans, plenty of beer.
Pro Expat Tip: Nap beforehand. The 2:20 AM Bengals-Ravens game is for the strong-hearted and caffeine-fueled.
Berlin Thanksgiving veterans know you can do both — but only with military precision.
Pro Expat Tip:
If you’re trying to survive the 2:20 AM game, avoid the red wine at dinner. Hydrate, pace yourself, and order fries before midnight.
For those who’d rather host, Berlin’s food scene has your ingredients — if you plan early.
And remember, if you choose to host, A4ord Cleaning Services has your back for the aftermath.
In the U.S., Thanksgiving is all about comfort and routine. In Berlin, it’s about improvisation — finding your flavor of gratitude between a roast goose culture and a six-hour time difference.
If you crave a fine-dining, wine-pairing, linen-tablecloth Thanksgiving, book Estelle or Café am Neuen See before mid-October.
If you crave beer, football, and a room full of homesick Americans yelling at referees, Belushi’s or The Brazen Squirrel are your true north.
Because Thanksgiving in Berlin isn’t about perfection, it’s about creating warmth in a city that runs on cool.
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