Zenkichi

You’re currently roaming somewhere in Mitte and looking for a really good if not fancy Japanese restaurant? In the Johannisstraße, very close to the Friedrichsstadtpalast and the Oranienburgerstraße, you will find the Zenkichi, a modern Japanese brasserie serving Tokyo-style Japanese cuisine. One of Berlin’s first authentic Japanese restaurants, the Zenkichi houses not only Germany’s largest premium sake collection. The charming and refined restaurant offers high quality modern Japanese cuisine in an intimate atmosphere. Here, dining becomes a real cultural experience.

BERLIN MEETS TOKYO: EXCLUSIVE JAPANESE DINING IN INTIMATE ATMOSPHERE 

Everything in and about the Zenkichi restaurant speaks for quality. The interior, designed with real bamboo and illuminated with dimmed light, exudes tranquility and coziness. In the comfortable sitting areas  you can really concentrate on the people with whom you enjoy the nice evening at this remarkable dining place and the excellent Japanese food that is served here. “Tokyo style” – that is how the owners describe the special culinary touch they give to their dishes. Their main goal: to introduce the rich Japanese cuisine to their guests. Of course, there are lots of Japanese classics such as Sashimi in Zenkichi to be tasted at the Zenkichi. At the heart of their gastronomic concept, however, are the tasting menus that start from three courses and offer a colorful cross-section of the seasonally-matched dishes with fish, meat and vegetarian variations. These menus start at 45, – Euro and can be adjusted to any dietary restrictions. For 65, – Euros you can order the “Autumn Omakase,” an eight-course tasting menu for at least two guests. The house specialties, which can be ordered à la carte or in the menu, include the grilled Saikyo cod with a Kyoto style miso marinade, and the apple-fed pork Kakuni stewed in a sweet dashi broth with a boiled organic egg. For dessert, you should definitely try the parfait as black sesame and chocolate. The tasting menus can be combined with a sake selection, which includes an assortment ranging between 20, – and 35, – Euros. Personally curated by owner Watanabe, Zenkichi’s impressive Sake collection includes 35 types of “Junmai” Sake, a Sake variation made purely from rice and produced by small breweries in Japan.

The name of the restaurant Zenkichi goes back to the grandfather of the founder Watanabe, a famous Kyutu philanthropist. The dining place was originally founded by the gastronomic tag-team Motoko Watanabe and Shaul Margulies in 2006 in New York, where it soon became a huge success. Since 2015 Berlin has been the first over-sea home of the restaurant franchise.

JUMP Berlin says:

Dining at the Zenkichi is all about trying new things. Take some friends or relatives with you, order one of the tasting menus and immerse yourself in this fascinating and delicious “Tokyo-style”  Japanese cuisine, which is unparalleled in Berlin. A great dining place for Japan enthusiasts and connoisseurs. Jump in and enjoy!