While the concept of having a Barbecue is well known in Berlin, the more common / popular way of preparing food outdoors is probably Grilling. During the summer months you can basically buy grilling devices and grilling utensils at many Supermarkets. But also some late shops and even gas stations usually have at least the basics on display: from bags full of charcoal to barbecue grates and ‘throw-away pans’ made of aluminium – and of course beer.
The central park ‘Tiergarten’ used to be a hot spot for grilling and barbecue. Rumors went that on some weekends some families from Wedding, Kreuzberg and Neukölln would bring half a cow. While I have never seen half a cow in Tiergarten, I did see crowds and crowds of people, all equipped with whatever sort of grilling device. On some weekends the park was literally full of smoke. And later on piles of trash would covered the green, burnt spots of grass everywhere, left-overs and litter filled trash containers.
Where can I go Grilling / have Barbecue BBQ in Berlin?
Berlin Barbecue: typical Berlin grilling devices – street style barbecue – Photo: T.Bortels/nuBerlin.com
Recently the authorities became a bit stricter and release a list of rules and laws to regulate the ongoing grilling action in Berlin. Since 2012 neither Barbecue nor Grilling is actually allowed in Tiergarten – which is a shame. And also in other ‘hot spots’ grilling got regulated. But of course this doesn’t mean that it would be generally illegal to grill in public or private grounds.
You may of course be grilling or doing a barbecue on private grounds at any time – as long as you don’t ‘bother’ anybody – for whatever that actually means.
And in some public parks grilling and barbecue is of course very well still allowed – or actually there are spots inside the parks where it is allowed. Here is a short list which you can also have a look at the list of legal grill-areas on the website of the City of Berlin here:
- Mitte: Monbijoupark (near Oranienburger Strasse)
- Friedrichshain: Volkspark Friedrichshain (near the hill Kleiner Bunkerberg)
- Kreuzberg: Görlitzer Park (near the hill in the south part of the park)
- Kreuzberg: Blücherplatz (green near Waterlooufer)
- Prenzlauer Berg: Mauerpark (along Schwedter Strasse)
- Charlottenburg: Goslarer Ufer (marked grilling area)
- Wilmersdorf: Rudolf-Mosse-Platz (near Mecklenburgische Strasse)
- Wilmersdorf: Preußenpark (near Württembergische Strasse – marked grilling area near park café)
- Treptow: Landschaftspark Johannisthal / Ostfuge (near Technologiepark Adlershof)
- Treptow: Schlesischer Busch (near Am Flutgraben)
- Lichtenberg: Stadtpark (near Sprühplatte)
- Lichtenberg: Rudolf-Seiffert-Grünzug (near Storkower Strasse / Karl-Lade-Strasse)
- Lichtenberg: Fennpfuhlpark (south of Fennpfuhl)
- Tempelhof / Tempelhofer Teld / Tempelhofer Freiheit:
- near sports area Columbiadamm
- near Oderstrasse / Leinestrasse
- near Tempelhofer Damm
If you prefer to have your grilling and/or barbecue in a more private atmosphere you may consider renting a ‘garden’. There are for example these two party-gardens available in Potsdam, at Volkspark Potsdam.
See also
Eating in Public
Eating in public is generally perfectly fine in Berlin. You can either walk through the streets with a Döner Kebab in your hand or nibble on a Currywurst on the corner or sit down in a park and eat a pizza. That’s all fine and nobody will look at you funny. Picnic in Berlin Basically, […]
Drinking in Public
First things first: in Berlin, drinking in public is generally not forbidden – neither in Berlin, nor elsewhere in Germany. Or in other words: In Germany, drinking in public is allowed. You won’t get a ticket when walking down the street, drinking a beer – and you won’t get a fine for drinking a bottle […]
Do you have and thoughts, suggestions, additional recommendations or comments? Please feel free to leave your comment below. Thank you!