Berlin

Cheap eats with a conscience: Berlin's community kitchens

Budget-friendly food? Diverse co-diners? Quirky surroundings?

If you're looking for all of the above, and a uniquely Berlin experience to boot, the city's community canteens or VoKü (short for Volksküche, or 'people's kitchens') are certainly worth getting to know.

Berlin's former squats - now largely legitimised as living projects - are the stuff of legend, and in the spirit of all things communal, many throw open their doors for regularly scheduled, affordable feasts.

So what to expect?

Food is generally either vegetarian or vegan and prepared in bulk by hard-working volunteers. It's usually delicious and, of course, always fairly priced.

Add in the fact that you'll find yourself eating alongside a genuinely diverse crowd while getting to eyeball some of Berlin's semi-mythical alternative spaces, and the friendly VoKü becomes a tasty tip.

Of course, it's not just about getting well fed at bargain prices - the city's communal kitchens embody genuine social spirit.

And if you're more at home with haute cuisine in swish surroundings, this probably isn't your thing (you'll probably be expected to wash your own plate after eating, for a start).

But for an experience that's part culinary, part social, part political and altogether very Berlin, check out the website below, which gives details of daily VoKü offerings, as well as other living project events.

See also:
Budget eats at student canteens
Berlin's best alternative spaces

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