When booking our trip to the world’s largest travel fair, ITB Berlin, a wide variety of travel-related thoughts and emotions crossed my mind. None of which involved the food.

That’s a great big shame on me because let me say, the food in Berlin was superb! My colleague and I ate at a variety of different venues and were constantly blown away by the flavor and overall satisfaction we received from each of our meals. A few of my favorites included

Pork Knuckle
Those who know me well know I am a hog farmer’s daughter. In most cases, that’s code for “pork snob,” a title I might honestly wear a bit too proudly. Which is why I was unprepared for the pork knuckle and cabbage at Augustiner Brau in Potsdam.

First, it was HUGE. I wish I could’ve weighed it. Our first meal after landing in Germany, it seemed almost the same size as my head. Next, it was LUSCIOUS. A word not typically associated with pork, I’ve never tasted such hearty and juicy flavors before. Finally, it was INTRIGUING. A tale of two textures, this dish was crunchy like a thick pork rind on the outside and incredibly tender on the underside. Never mind the onions, sauerkraut and cabbage it bathed in. Truly, my taste buds will never be the same.

Octopus
These days, it’s not terribly uncommon to see octopus on the appetizer section of a trendy restaurant menu. However, I rarely see it listed as an entrée. At Kink Bar and Restaurant in Berlin, the octopus jumped off the page at me, almost as if it was the only thing I should consider ordering. I’m extremely glad I did. The dish was equally tender and tasty. My knife sliced through the long octopus tentacle like warm butter. Black beans, rice paper and a variety of flavored oils finished off the dish and tempted me to lick the plate clean.

Vegan Vietnamese
Aside from missing the cash only sign on the front door, I was overjoyed with delight during our lunch at Cat Tuong in the trendy Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin. Splashy flavors of peanut and coconut were the star of our curry noodle bowl, while traditional spring rolls and wontons balanced out our meal. We also made room for fried tofu on a wooden dowel in a rice bowl topped with steamed veggies. However, the cat’s meow was undoubtedly the cereal bowl-sized ginger-mint hot tea I sipped on throughout the meal. According to our server’s English, the sign behind me roughly translated to, “You smile and the world changes.” Lucky for me, my smile was ear to ear throughout this entire meal.

I also savored a massive bowl of black truffle Parmesan pasta with beef tartare from To The Bone, a few different lunch-sized Mediterranean salads/wraps, and countless desserts while in Berlin.

And if you’re wondering if I paired any of these outstanding dishes with a fabulous German beer, I’ll simply say …

There’s always next year.

— Carrie Cox, account executive