Just don’t queue an hour at Mustafa's - it’s good Kebap, but it’s not that extraordinary. Rüya(m), Superhahn or Servet's make the same style of Gemüsekebap and are just as good.
Hey, my friend moved to Berlin 2 years ago and he takes everyone to Mustafa - is this a tourist attraction / internet one? I don't know why he does this, the kebap is original but nothing special tastewise.
Why go to Germany to get a Turkish meal? Any kebab in Istanbul is going to be better than whatever is available in Berlin. Better get some Schweinshaxe mit Sauerkraut...
Okay I am German and I can tell you I don't know anyone who prefers Schweinshaxe to a good döner kebab. Which by the way, funnily enough, was invented in Germany by Kadir Nurman, a Berliner!
It's basically our national dish at this point and we're arguably better off for it. Our more traditional cuisine is... not so great.
It's still the döner kebab one could buy earlier anywhere in Turkey or MEA just adapted to European city life with different customs and technology. When in Germany visitors should instead taste local dishes not available anywhere else even if they taste weird/bland.
Those are not really underrated or underground these days though, they are some of the mainstays of clubs in Berlin.
I don't think even Golden Gate nor ://about:blank would be considered truly "underground" anymore. As usual with the underground stuff you need to dig deeper to find them, as I don't live in Berlin I need to rely on my local friends to take me to these places as they are inserted within the underground culture.
Those are probably all listed in Lonely Planet at this point. Renate and Butkze had stints as scene clubs, but that was like 15 years ago when they were illegal. Sisphyos still has some scene-y-ness, but is a mix of tourists and locals. It only managed to stay off the radar for a couple years when it was only an outdoor location. But it's so big that it can absorb the crowds better. Birgit, on the other hand, was purpose-built for tourists. I actually like going to the biergarten there since it's right around the corner from where I live, and have played there a couple times, but it's unabashadly a club built to look like Berlin clubs except be more accessible for tourists. There was never a point that it was a scene spot.
What are your most favourite underrated techno clubs in Berlin? I've been to the big ones already, keen to explore the fringe places.