Where to Eat on Christmas Eve and Day in Berlin (2025 Edition)

A City That Closes Its Doors and Sets the Table

Berlin at Christmas moves to its own rhythm — a city that slows to a whisper on December 24 before roaring back with roasted goose and jazz quartets by December 25. If you’re an expat spending your first holidays here, this is your survival kit for where to eat, what to expect, and how not to end up with a protein bar and a bottle of Glühwein for dinner.

Complete List: Christmas Restaurants Open for Christmas in Berlin (2025)

How Christmas Dining Works in Berlin 

Here’s the rule everyone learns the hard way: by 2 PM on Christmas Eve, Berlin shuts down. Shops, cafés, even most casual restaurants — gone. Families retreat home for Heiligabend, the true heart of German Christmas.

The best strategy? Split your expectations:

• December 24: quiet, private, very few options.
• December 25: festive, public, indulgent.

Public transport runs on a Sunday schedule both days. If you’ve booked a 7 PM seating at Borchardt or Horváth, allow time — trains crawl, cabs vanish, and the fine-dining crowd waits for no one.

What Germans Eat on Holidays

Heiligabend isn’t about indulgence; it’s about intimacy. The traditional dinner is famously simple — sausages with potato salad — quick, warm, and domestic. Restaurants close because Berliners are home unwrapping gifts, not out chasing Michelin stars.

The big culinary show happens on December 25, when roast goose (Gänsebraten), red cabbage, and dumplings reclaim the spotlight. That’s when restaurants reopen with elaborate fixed menus that must be booked weeks in advance.

Where to Eat on Christmas Eve in Berlin

For the Luxe Traditionalists (Budget €100 +)

Borchardt (Mitte) — The city’s glitziest dining room. Expect white tablecloths, oysters, and politicians pretending not to see each other. Christmas Eve dinner is a fixed-menu affair; reserve early.

Grand Hyatt Berlin (Mitte) — The Winter Soirée guarantees perfection: live music, flawless service, and a €199 holiday menu. The safest bet for a stress-free Christmas.

Horváth (Kreuzberg) — Michelin-starred, inventive, canal-side. Chef Sebastian Frank reimagines German classics in seven courses of art and comfort.

Our guide to Christmas in Berlin 2025 will enlighten you on more traditions, customs and funl.

For the Mid-Range Comfort Seekers (Budget €30–€80)

Head to Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin’s most reliable mid-range zone.

• Restaurant Fleischerei: Cosy and German, ideal for small groups.
• A-Petit: International, flexible, family-friendly.
• Taleh Thai: Warm, dog-friendly, and confirmed open for dinner.

In Mitte, CHIARO (Hotel de Rome) delivers festive Italian comfort — seafood, pasta, candlelight, and no stress about closures.

For the Pragmatists and the Hungry After Midnight (Budget < €20)

Berlin’s immigrant kitchens keep the lights on when everyone else goes home.

• Schwarzes Café (Charlottenburg): The city’s 24/7 fallback; breakfast at 3 AM.
• Panda Meister (Friedrichshain): Dumplings, baozi, and heat lamps.
• Leylak (Kreuzberg): €2 lahmacun and unbeatable warmth.
• Magic John’s (Mitte): Pizza slices, always open late.
• Dong Xuan Center (Lichtenberg): Vietnamese pho and market energy even on holidays.

Always browse through our guide on What Not to Do in Berlin to brush up on rookie holiday mistakes to avoid.

Etiquette & Survival Tactics

• Reservations: Non-negotiable. Book now.
• Tipping: Round up or 5–10 %. Say the total aloud (“40 Euro, bitte”).
• Transport: BVG runs slow; plan extra time.
• Dress Code: Germans go formal — wool, not irony.

Final Notes from the Kitchen

Dining in Berlin at Christmas isn’t about spontaneity — it’s about strategy. Either pay for certainty (hotels, reservations, champagne) or embrace the city’s multicultural lifelines that never close.

If you plan, you’ll feast like royalty.
If you don’t, you’ll learn to love currywurst by candlelight.

Keep reading Expats Magazine for more Berlin holiday survival stories — from Heiligabend Etiquette to How to Survive Your First Berlin Winter.

Happy Holidays!

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