Description: On the road with novelist & travel journalist Hilary Davidson
Before I went to Berlin for a week in August, a friend warned me that I wasn’t going to like the food. When I asked him why, he described it as “beer, bread, and bratwurst” — which, I have to admit, did not sound appealing, especially to a person with celiac disease. I took his warning to heart and did even more research than I normally do before a trip. The result? I had a week of amazing meals, interspersed by visits to incredible museums, historic landmarks, and breathtaking gardens. Here’s where I ate
AC Hotel Humbolthain Park : This was my home base in Berlin, and I couldn’t have asked for a better spot to stay. This recently-renovated hotel is located at the edge of a beautiful park, a stone’s throw from Gesundbrunnen station (a major hub for public transit, making it easy to get just about anywhere in this sprawling city). Every morning, one of the thoughtful staff members would bring me a plate from the kitchen with a dark gluten-free bread and a chocolate muffin; there was also a gluten-free cereal
Buschbeck’s : Located on a quiet street in Charlottenburg, this is a lovely restaurant run by a husband-and-wife team. Everything at Buschbeck’s is homemade, and they take food allergies seriously. The menu changes daily and is written (in German only) on a large blackboard in the main dining room. Fortunately, one of the owners patiently explained all of the options in English, and she made it clear that almost everything that wasn’t already gluten-free could be modified to be. I started with a simple beet