Dinner is usually the day’s main meal and the when most people decide to dine out, especially on vacation. It’s romantic (even if you’re with friends) to dine as the sun sets and the light dims, enjoying food and drink late into the night. But I’m here to argue why your extravagant meal should be lunch, not dinner. 

My friend Heather and I spent just three days in Berlin, and we felt a bit pressed for time. Not necessarily because there’s so much to do in Berlin (there really isn’t), but because there was so much we wanted to eat and so little time. So we opted to have one of our extravagant meals during the day, and lunch at Reinstoff in Berlin was incredible.

Why Your Extravagant Meal Should Be Lunch (at Reinstoff in Berlin)

Reinstoff in Berlin

Reinstoff opened in 2009 in Berlin’s Mitte neighborhood with Chef Daniel Achilles in the kitchen and Sabine Demel running the restaurant. It has since been awarded two Michelin stars and numerous other accolades. The Michelin guide calls Reinstoff’s cuisine “creative” while others labeled it “modern European” or “contemporary German.” Whatever it is, it was the best meal we had in Berlin and one of the best of our trip through Holland and Germany. Unfortunately Reinstoff is scheduled to close at the end of this year, so go now if you can!

Anyway, here’s why you should go to an extravagant meal for lunch as told through our tasting menu lunch at Reinstoff in Berlin.

1. You Haven’t Ruined Your Appetite Yet

Earlier on our trip when we were in Amsterdam, we arrived at one of our dinner reservations still full from lunch. Luckily that was the case, since lunch was far better than dinner, but if it had been the other way around it would have been terrible. By having your extravagant meal during lunch, you arrive ready and hungry. (And can plan ahead to have a light dinner.)

Course #1: Lübeck Labskaus

The first course of our tasting menu lunch at Reinstoff was Lübeck Labskaus with veal tongue, herring, egg and beetroot. Labskaus is a specialty of Northern Germany, especially the city of Lübeck, consisting of salted meat and pickled vegetables with onions and potatoes. At Reinstoff, it was jazzed up with egg and beetroot. Paired with Fio Piu Piu wine, a sparkling Reisling from Germany.

2. Daytime = No Eating in the Dark

Is there anything more frustrating than a restaurant so dark that you have to use your phone’s flashlight to read the menu? Then your dish comes and you feel like you’re at a literal blind tasting because you can’t see it. Dark restaurants are one of my pet peeves, but if you’re dining during the day, usually there’s natural light seeping through the windows. As the saying goes, you eat with your eyes first! (Plus it does wonders for food photography!)

Course #2: Goose Liver

Next up at Reinstoff was Goose Liver with corn and plucked stockfish. Originally we opted to skip this course, but our server changed our minds. And thankfully! The goose liver was served two ways: as ice cream and as pâté, perfectly balanced out by the salty herring and charred corn. Paired with Luddite Chenin Blanc from South Africa.

3. Less Crowds = Happy Staff

As I said before, most people dine out at dinner instead of having an extravagant meal for lunch. That means less crowds at restaurants during the day. And that means the staff is less rushed and less stressed.

Our servers at Reinstoff happily chatted with us, explaining our dishes and wines, and spending far more time with us than normal. It was great! It gave our lunch a personal touch. Plus less crowds meant we weren’t squished next to some odd couple on a weird date; we were tables away from anyone else.

Course #3: “One Thousand and One Nights”

The main course of our extravagant lunch at Reinstoff in Berlin was named “One Thousand and One Nights” on the menu. The name was a nod to the dish’s Arabian ingredients: braised and saddle of venison, rose petals, figs, and black sesame with Iranian couscous and Lebanese beans. The sous vide venison was served in different ways and each bite was a bright delight of different flavors. Served with Vinding Montecarrubo Shiraz/Syrah blend from Italy in the most amazing wine glass I’ve ever seen.

4. Lunch is Less Expensive than Dinner

Let’s not ignore the obvious here. Having an extravagant meal for lunch versus dinner is much cheaper. Usually restaurants price their lunch menus to be more affordable, not to mention not require as many courses. That means you can do the wine pairing! It’s a win-win.

At Reinstoff, the pricing for the lunch tasting menu ranged from 50€-80€ depending on the number of courses (3-5), with each wine pairing 10€/glass. Dinner, on the other hand, ranged from 110€-198€, with the number of courses between 5-9. Wine pairings for dinner were 12-22€. So we definitely chose the more affordable option!

Course #4: Green Gin & Vermouth

Reinstoff offered two options for dessert: Allgäu Blue Cheese with Pineapple and fennel seeds that Heather swears was amazing, or “Green Gin & Vermouth.” I opted for the boozier option (no surprise there!). The menu description was simply “cocktail, snacks, and sandwich,” and the servers giddily explained it was supposed to mimic ordering a drink and food at a bar.

Once it arrived, I understood their excitement. It was not what I expected at all! The “martini” was apple ice cream and gin; the “bar nuts” were nut foam and candied spicy walnuts; and the “cucumber water” was a vermouth cocktail. The “club sandwich” was bread (vermouth-soaked sous vide olive bread) stacked with red peppers, apples, tomato, and lettuce. All of it looked like it would at a bar, but it all tasted much different. Bravo!

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We ended our meal with petite fours, a plate of tiny sweet bites, and another libation to end lunch. Heather picked Escubac, a botonical liqueur like a gin (but definitely not gin). I picked Säntis Malt, a Swiss Whisky (since I’d never had whisky from Switzerland before). It was surprisingly delicious, but unfortunately not available in the U.S. just yet.

I admit I prefer going out to dinner versus lunch. But next time I’m traveling or can’t get into a restaurant, I’ll choose an extravagant meal during the day. Especially if it’s anything as outstanding as Reinstoff in Berlin!

Go to Reinstoff for :: a creative, well-executed meal with thoughtful ingredients showcasing upscale German cuisine. Notes :: Unfortunately Reinstoff closes at the end of 2018 so Chef Daniel Achilles and Manager Sabine Demel can explore new opportunities. Read the details here. 

Related :: Three Days in Berlin, Hunting Down Dark Beer in Munich, and What to Eat in Frankfurt