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Wurstmaxe

Patron: Thomas Drechsel

Wurstmaxe has been an integral part of Schmargendorf for over 35 years now. With its quiet charm, honest currywurst and loyal customers, the snack bar away from the city center is a hidden gem of Berlin's snack culture.

Currywurst without casing at Wurstmaxe
Currywurst without casing at Wurstmaxe

On the busy Breite Straße, in the middle of tranquil Schmargendorf - a Berlin district that pleasantly avoids any touristy staging - a piece of Berlin snack history has been enthroned for over 35 years now: Wurstmaxe. Anyone who thinks this is one of those interchangeable fast-food joints is mistaken. This place breathes patina - not in the sense of wear and tear, but of experience. And with it comes consistency: the lady behind the grill, who has been part of Wurstmaxe’s inventory since the very beginning, serves her customers with a calmness that slows things down so pleasantly that you wonder whether time might pass differently in Schmargendorf.

The currywurst is full of character - strong in taste, with a certain depth that you wouldn’t have expected at first glance. No nervous spice theater, but a pleasantly balanced product that knows what it can do. The sauce, on the other hand, remains a little pale: less fruity than other snacks in Berlin and also a little too watery - as if it had been denied the final punch when seasoning. But even if the sauce isn’t brilliant, it doesn’t unbalance the overall experience. Especially as the presentation is just right: Porcelain plates, wooden skewers - a charming mix of traditional snack culture and a touch of Berlin chic that never tips over into pretentiousness.

What is striking - and at the same time surprising: It’s empty. Too empty. No hurried passers-by, no city noise, hardly any walk-in customers. You eat here among yourselves - or with a Schmargendorf old hand who got over the term “regular” years ago. The familiarity with which customers and staff meet is testimony to the fact that Wurstmaxe has become a second living room for some over the decades. One even brings over a clipped newspaper article reporting on the snack bar and its latest acquisition on Sylt - the connection to the snack bar goes beyond the culinary.

And so you leave Wurstmaxe with the feeling that you have found something that nobody has actually hidden. A snack bar that doesn’t need a big stage to combine quality and hospitality in a pleasantly unagitated way. Wurstmaxe is not a spectacle, but a quiet promise that is kept. A real insider tip in Berlin’s snack culture.

Payment methods Wurstmaxe

Cash

Rating Wurstmaxe

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Wurstmaxe

Breite Straße 25
14199 Berlin

Wilmersdorf