(20 September 2026) – When people think of Berlin’s top-class gastronomy, they often picture the loud, theatrical concepts. Yet deep in Neukölln, away from the glaring spotlight, there is a place that reinterprets the conventions of classic fine dining in a quiet, deeply emotional way. ‘Hallmann & Klee’, run by owner and head chef Sarah Hallmann, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. But anyone entering the restaurant today is witnessing the result of an organic metamorphosis: it all began here not with complex evening menus, but with poached eggs and pancakes.

From breakfast room to culinary avant-garde

Following her training at the two-star Berlin restaurant Facil and further stints in classic Michelin-starred gastronomy, Sarah Hallmann sensed a fundamental discrepancy early on. “Somehow, I didn’t feel entirely at ease in that fine-dining atmosphere as it was back then. It was always a bit too stuffy for my liking,” she recalls in conversation. Driven by the desire to create a lively, unpretentious place for people to meet, she opened her own restaurant – as a sophisticated breakfast spot, even though she herself really only needs a black coffee in the mornings.

What followed was a development that Hallmann describes as “entirely organic”. Over the years, not only did she herself mature, but so too did the restaurant’s culinary profile. The afternoon bistro-style service was followed by the first streamlined evening menus before the pandemic. The final, radical change came after the long lockdowns and her own maternity leave: the menu was scrapped entirely, and from then on there was only a single six-course set menu. The visual setting in Neukölln remained almost unchanged, yet the culinary standards had reached the very highest echelons.

The ambience of the space and the clarity on the plate

The aesthetics of ‘Hallmann & Klee’ reflect the philosophy of the kitchen exactly: simple, stripped back to the essentials, yet imbued with a deep, inviting warmth. For Hallmann, the restaurant is an indivisible, holistic experience that must be moulded from a single mould. This approach manifests itself in a distinct love of genuine, tactile materials. The counter is cast from concrete, but polished with carnauba wax until it feels as soft as warm soapstone. Even the little knife racks have a story: they are stones hand-collected from the beaches of Corsica, where the head chef grew up. “I need Hallmann and Klee so that the food, as I prepare it, can really come into its own,” she emphasises.

On the minimalist wooden plates, this clarity translates into uncompromising precision of flavour. The dishes are not overly intellectual, but focused. The starter is an Ikejime trout from Carinthia of unrivalled quality, combined with tender Yorkshire rhubarb, which grows almost fibre-free under clay domes. The components are brought together by an intensely reduced rhubarb juice, rounded off by a complex, house-made woodruff ponzu based on woodruff vinegar from the previous year, tamari and light dashi. The result is a fragrant, light spring dish that tastes like the crisp air on a spring morning by a stream.

The timeless signature dish and the power of questioning

Although the cuisine becomes more refined and delicate with every dish, Sarah Hallmann has held fast to a single, unshakeable cornerstone for a decade: her signature dish of potato cream, whey foam and lovage oil. For her, this dish – consisting of just three ingredients – is like a ‘warm embrace’ and an emotional bridge back to her own childhood in the countryside. Preparing it requires absolute precision: the potatoes – ideally ‘Bamberger Hörnchen’ – are processed in a blender to develop a deliberately creamy, velvety texture, perfectly balanced by the subtle acidity of the wafer-thin whey foam.

When she took this classic dish off the menu for two weeks last year due to poor potato quality at the end of the storage season, the regulars protested. “So many people complained; they’d come here specifically for the potato,” Hallmann says with a smile. The potato stayed. It acts as a deliberate, comforting element throughout the meal, before the kitchen ramps up the intensity massively with dishes such as red mullet with saffron bouillabaisse or the highly complex main course of quail breast and a dashi jus refined with smoked char.

Despite the great success and the fully booked restaurant, the head chef is driven by a deep, creative restlessness. She openly admits that she is constantly questioning her work:

“It took me a very long time to realise that I’m actually quite good at cooking. And even today, I still stand in the kitchen and say: ‘Yes, I really don’t know if I can do this.’”

However, she does not see this capacity for harsh self-criticism as an obstacle, but rather as her most important driving force. It is the atmosphere in the dining room that shapes her day in, day out and gives her that gut feeling as to whether a culinary approach is right or not.

New Work: Structure as a stress reliever

Perhaps Sarah Hallmann’s greatest achievement, however, lies in the forward-thinking organisation of her business. In the industry, fine dining and a sophisticated menu concept are traditionally seen as incompatible with a healthy family life. When Hallmann became a mother during the pandemic, she radically overhauled the way things were run. The restaurant operates on a strict four-day week with full time-off in lieu for the entire permanent team.

The fixed-menu concept makes planning immensely easier for the business. All purchasing and logistics are calculated down to the last detail, which drastically minimises the physical and mental stress of kitchen work. “I believe that people who are solely focused on the catering industry don’t come across well, particularly in the dining room. That’s no longer in keeping with the times,” Hallmann makes clear.

This relaxed, joyful energy is palpably felt in the dining room. The clientele at “Hallmann & Klee” is remarkably young, lively and diverse – here, seasoned gourmets sit alongside complete fine-dining novices and Neukölln hipsters. The result is a lively, unconventional gathering that strips Michelin-starred dining of any elitist coldness. Sarah Hallmann has proven that it is possible to cook at the very highest level without sacrificing one’s humanity, team or family on the altar of success. Her restaurant is not an elitist temple, but a deeply honest, joy-filled place. (Created with the support of AI)