Bandol sur Mer

I am wrong, again. This is the smallest, most laid back, most casual Michelin restaurant. With only 14 indoor seats, two servers, a chef, sous chef and dishwasher, in a really open kitchen: the furthest seat from the chef is maybe 5m away.

But the food is excellent, the service amazing. I think that the one server is wearing a Carhartt t-shirt just to annoy people who think a tie is needed to enjoy amazing food.

I will definitely return.

2021 10 03. M1.

This was our best experience we had in Berlin.
This tiny place with the kitchen almost side by side with the tables. I Think there is room for six small tables so book your reservation in advance.
We choosed the meat meny and everything tastes delicious and very flavourfull.
The sevice was in top. We asked for wine by the glass and they helped and recommended wine that tastes really good with the food.
The price is in the lower range for a michelin star restaurant. I would come back.
If you're on vacation give yourself the pleasure and try this place.

Went here on recommendation of hotel front desk. What a wonderful recommendation! Only table available was outside but weather was nice and we were only ones sitting out so it was like a private dining experience. The menu consisted of two different 5 course meals, one emphasizes fish and the other meat. We ordered each and added the 5 course wine paring. Each dish was fantastic. Presentation was beautiful and the wine pared perfectly. Staff was super attentive (especially for Europe) and extremely knowledgeable, polite and friendly. Know that this is not a quick place to eat but the trip to flavortown is worth the journey.

It's a quick walk on Torstrasse from the Rosenthaler Platz station. Excellent food and ambience and most definitely worth a visit. Very unpretentious French, but slightly overpriced, although if you go easy on the wine, you'll be ok.

The entrecote is not to be missed and the veal is paradise. If you've been missing seafood, the squid with scallops will tempt you to get another portion (although I must say, portions are very fair). Their selection of wine is perfection (5 bottles between the three of us).

Before I can review Bandol sur Mer, I have to write a mini-review of Germany's attitude towards Valentines Day. Most holidays feature one of more of the following: family obligations; fasting; or Jesus. So basically, they are, actually, kind of a drag. On the other hand, the basic premise of Valentines Day is: pick somebody you like and then do enjoyable things with them. Why is this not a popular Winter holiday in Germany? I can understand skipping Yom Kippur but not Valentines Day.

Anyway, I mention this because I was a little mystified why it was so easy to get a reservation for Feb. 14, after I totally whiffed late in December. Second, Bandol sur Mer is cozy, and everybody except for one couple was speaking English. It was like being back in the ancestral homeland, except for the part about public transit taking you there without much hassle or danger.

On to the food: on offer were two prix fixe menus, one of which was friendly towards fish-dairy-only eaters. Some standouts were the mackerel small plate, the veal tartare, and the modernized "mushy snap peas", but the courses were solid up and down, with enough time in between (we were there from 9-12 = 21-24) to not feel overly stuffed.

I'm not sure who is classifying it as €€ instead of €€€, but you won't feel ripped off either. Highly recommend, and will return once in a while.

Food is alright but the service is really bad.
Way overpriced for what it is.
Michelin stars not always represent good food, wine and service.

Food was inventive, service was delightful, but the pours were anemic. For the price of the tasting menu, I think a bit more generosity with the pours would really raise the bar for this place.

I had a phenominal meal here last Saturday. This is a cozy little restaurant that features some amazing cuisine. If you are looking for a normal menu and large serving sizes-- This isn't the right restaurant for you. They create a gourmet experience for you using a lot of new techniques. Here it's about the variety and complexity of the flavors. They offer things two ways-- You can pay individually for the menus items, which adorn the chalkboards around the restuarant, or you can choose one of their multi-course menus. If you do it this way you'll get a lot more value for your money. They also offer wine pairings- which I partook of. The place is very small, with only 6-8 tables that seat between 2-4 people, and the kitchen is open and in the same room, so you are inundated with amazing smells as your food (and your fellow diners) is prepared.

Let's start with the service- Phenominal. The waiter was professional, friendy, and described each dish like he was the chef as he presented it. He worked with me to help me pick out the right choices, and fully explained the reasons why he chose he wine pairing for each dish as if he was a Sommelier (which he may have been). His knowledge was extensive on both the food and wine, and the flavors of each and how they would interact. I could not have been in better hands.

The dishes features aromas and flavors that were very complex but perfectly paired-- such as the Rabbit (cooked perfectly) served with mussels, langostino, edamame, and thinnly sliced chips of crispy blood sausage, all with a dense, luscious broth of intense buttery flavor made from the mussels and lord knows what else. This broth was easily one of the single best things I have ever had and I ended up pouring the remainder of it directly into my spoon and drinking it down. The chefs also do an amazing job of incorporating dollops (spheres?) of pureed vegetables like roasted orange bell pepper or a dense, yet sweet tomato paste/puree (that was anything but tomato paste), or Parsnip... They had one dish that had Onions served three different ways- and one of the ways was a delicate sweet foam.

If you like great food and wine, you should come here. You'll drop a lot of Euros, but you'll leave very happy with an experience, not just a meal. You don't have to dress up to dine here- but you'll feel underdressed in comparrison to the service and food you are being given. It's a GREAT place for a date. Probably not a good place for small children as it is high cuisine.

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary dinner here. We both love creative food paired with interesting wines so the opportunity to have both tasting menus (12 different courses with 12 wines) was right up our alley. The presentation was gorgeous, the juxtapositions were always interesting and several were truly inspired. We had a number of small distribution wines we've never even heard of before. The sommelier / waitress was excellent - with an impressive bilingual ability to explains the food, the wine and the philosophy behind each plate. Great food and a super chill atmosphere (no pretense). Thanks to Berlin Food Stories blog for the tip.

I don't review many places so for me to take the time to log-in and review this location says a lot. I was in Berlin on business and went to this restaurant 2x as the food was just that good. I had the entrecote which had such great flavor, grilled scallops and the bouillabaisse. Everything was cooked perfectly and seasoned just right. The wine selection could be a bit better but other than that, I really liked this place.