Laura Harker tracks down some of the best independent food shops in the city… 

Food shopping in Berlin can be a somewhat frustrating experience. While several mainstream German supermarkets (Rewe, Edeka, Real) have dedicated deli counters serving meat, fish and cheeses, the likes of Aldi, Lidl and Penny are still bereft of such pleasures – and not everyone wants to shop in a supermarket anyway.

The city’s food markets are wonderful alternatives of course, but most are only open at weekends, which makes mid-week shopping a challenging experience. Fortunately the city does have some decent independent butchers, fishmongers, cheese-shops and more. Below are some of our reliable favourites…

Cheese

While Germany is one of the world’s leading cheese producers, it can be frustratingly difficult to find a decent range as well as cheeses from outside the country. Fortunately shops like Knippenbergs offer a much broader selection than the supermarkets; up to 150 different varieties in fact, including cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s cheeses, from their various locations across the city (including their own shop in Wilmersdorf) and several local markets in Berlin and Potsdam. They also have seasonal specialities around the year such as their Christmas Käsepralinen.

Peppikäse in Neukölln—a shop that asks the all-important question “Is there life besides the world of cheese?”—also stocks an impressive selection of cheeses (all made with natural ingredients) that come primarily from Austria and Switzerland. As well as their main store at Weichselstraße, you can also find them hawking their goods at some of the weekly markets.

If it’s French cheeses you’re after, look no further than Kreuzberg institution Maître Philippe, which also does a brilliant line in wines and conserves, or Prenzlauer Berg’s La Käserie, which is run by Frenchmen…