keeping it real and a focus on high quality – those are the coordinates of recently opened restaurant-slash-bar dudes delikatessen on berlin’s busy schlesische straße, only a drunken swagger away from nightlife hotspots like watergate and chalet.

keeping it real – that’s interieur and atmosphere. owner peter naumann went to work with his own bare hands on the fully wooden furniture, the keypiece being an enormous old wooden door from his grandmother’s farm which he carried to berlin himself. it now functions as a sliding wall to the dudes’ original core business, a graphic design-heavy streetstyle fashion label the visuals of which pop up inbetween the wooden cupboards to create a rather unique contrast.

high quality – that’s, of course, the food. the menu is extremely simple: two kinds of hot buns (lazy pig (pulled pork) | cool cow (pulled beef)) and three kinds of dressings (bbq | gringo | oriental), the delicate meat coming from a small family business in the allgäu. i got the chance to have a taste of every combination, and while they were all delicious my favorite was the cool cow with a dash of the cinnamon-infused oriental dressing. my suggestion: have an helles eichhofener from the tab with it!

changes are on the horizon, too. in march, dudes delikatessen will further individualize the buns with additional toppings, and add a pastrami burger to the menu – which i was very lucky to be the very first one to try and which i am still licking my fingers for. one more reason to return!

all photography by nora römer.