Guide to good eating in Berlin

Thanks to some helpful tips from friends, I discovered that eating in Germany doesn't have to be endless bland meat and potatoes:

MUSTAFA'S GEMUSEDONER

Mehringdamm 32

The humble doner kebab originated from Turkey, but thanks to Germany's large Turkish community, it has become one of Germany's most beloved street foods. In fact, there are more kebab shops in Berlin than there are in Istanbul. The most popular is Mustafas Gemusedoner - a simple street stall that attracts lines of one hour or more for its tender chicken and fresh colourful vegetables wrapped in hot pita and yoghurt garlic dressing. It's everything your body needs and only for an affordable 3.90 euro. We got there at 10:30 am and avoided the long queues. Despite the hype, Mustafas is still a true street food experience - you are expected to sit on the side of the road and consume this monster. Mine was falling everywhere and going all over my face but everything that made it into my mouth was delicious.

SPATZEL

A real hearty dish that warms the soul. These buttery lumpy noodles can be served as a side dish or as a main drowned in your choice of cheese or stew. We were spoilt for choice at Spatzle Club, Seydelstraße 2, 10117 Berlin.

FLAMMKUCHEN

This is a crispy thin crust wood-fired "pizza," topped with creme fraiche, red onion, speck, gruyere cheese, spring onion and other fresh herbs. I had great flammkuchen at Die Schule, Kastanienallee 82, 10435 Berlin.

BURGERMEISTER

U1 Schlesisches Tor, Oberbaumstraße 8, 10997 Berlin

The burgers here are served out of an old public toilet under a subway platform in one of the busiest nightlife areas in Kreuzberg. How uniquely Berlin and iconically hipster. They serve their legendary burgers until 3 am every morning, often attracting pretty long lines. We waited for 1.5 hours and it's true, the burgers are good. As you can imagine, the place was packed and we couldn't find a seat so I ate standing up , exactly like I am in this picture - burger in one hand, fries in the other. There are several locations around Berlin now if you don't have that time, patience or indignity that I have when I travel.

CURRYWURST

Classic Berlin fast food consisting of sliced pork sausage, served with curried tomato sauce. Currywurst is everywhere in Berlin. In my opinion, all the best street food comes from the most dingy food stalls and the snack bar under a train line at Konnopke's Imbiss fit the brief. It stands proudly as the first currywurst stand in Berlin.

WIENERSCHNITZEL

I have to admit that German schnitzels were not what I expected. First of all, they were made with veal or pork - and not chicken, which turns out is just an Aussie thing. Schnitzels originate from Gemany's neighbour, Austria, and are traditionally crumbed and fried. In Germany, schnitzels refers to the thin cutlet of meat and may not actually be breaded. If you are hoping for meat in crispy batter, you will want to order the classic "wienerschnitzel".

ZEIT FOR BROT

Berlin's best bakery chain, famous for their cinnamon scroll which comes in various flavours. My freshly baked white chocolate and raspberry scroll was perfectly rich, warm and gooey on the inside. Just thinking about it makes me want to buy a planet ticket back just for another bite. I've never tasted a scroll that tasted so good. Also great baked goods generally.

Instagram: @zeitfuerbrot

JONES ICE CREAM

Goltzstrasse 3, 10781 Berlin

Smooth and creamy ice cream served in handmade cones. This ice cream is made fresh in-store every day. It is by far, the best ice cream in Berlin. It provided some much needed respite on the scorching hot summer days I had in Berlin.

Instagram: @jonesicecream

FOOD TO AVOID (UNLESS YOU'RE INTO THAT)

We also discovered the "do nots" of German food - generally meat-related:

1. SAUSAGE SALAD

German cuisine is notoriously meat-heavy - but don't bother trying to get a balanced diet by ordering a sausage salad. Turns out a "sausage salad" is just a giant pile of ham on a plate doused in (a zesty) vinaigrette.

2. HORSE SAUSAGE

You may want to translate all signs before you eat anywhere. There is a place in the main street of Viktualianmarkt in Munich that specialises in horse sausage. A friend of mine stumbled into this shop hungover, looking for a Coca Cola, and almost vomited from the smell of raw horsemeat.

3. A PORK KNUCKLE FOR ONE

Pork knuckle is a Bavarian specialty, but beware those things are ginormous. Same friend broke out into meat sweats when attempting to get through it.