Berlin is one of my favourite cities in the world! It reminds me of my home city Melbourne – another of the world’s great cities and a place I love. I am fortunate to have been to Berlin twice. After our first visit to Berlin, we said we are coming back and spending more time here. We went to Berlin for two weeks in May 2024 staying in the gorgeous area of Prenzlauer Berg – where we had also stayed on our first visit.
On our first couple of days, we did an excellent food tour of the Prenzlauer Berg area with Walk With Us Tours and a part of that visit was to Happies. We vowed to return Happies and I wish we had gone there again.
It was one of those food experiences which filled you with complete joy, with the food, the atmosphere, the staff emitting this sense of warmth, calm and yes happiness. On the first visit with the food tour, the guide told us how the owner – or best called a purveyor of joy – had started in a previous location and had searched for the perfect location in the area, funding a gorgeous spot on one of the lovely tree lined streets of Prenzlauer Berg. The café was crowd funded and the pictures of all those people had been incorporated into the artwork on the wall of the café. I mean, already this has me!
The owner Uli Marschner hand makes a modern take on germknodeln yeast dumplings from Austria and Bavaria. The dumplings themselves are the happies. Each dish has a story and a name and they are made with love and filled with tasty, delicious fillings and flavour combinations. Uli told us the story of the Krische which was inspired after visit to India which was about supporting women there working to establish businesses and an independent income. Uli also told us about the Frauke which is named after her friend who passed away and that she forever lives through the happiness of happies. No more needs to be said.
On our second visit had the Krische – dhal, chutney, tomato, yoghurt and coriander (stunning!); and the Barbel – goat’s cheese, honey, roasted walnuts, rocket cashew pesto and cranberries.
I was absolutely intent on having a dessert dumpling – which we hadn’t done on the tour – and my husband was going to pass, but when Uli said ‘well you’ll be having dessert then” and my husband said no, that was the only time I saw what might resemble a disapproving look on Uli’s face and I said to my husband, well you have to now. Which of course he did.
We had the the Frauke – white chocolate, mint, rhubarb, salted pistachios and vanilla sauce; and the Netti (the inspiration for Happies) – plum jam, brown cardamom butter, grey poppy seeds and icing sugar (one of the most delicious things I have eaten!).
We had lovely conversations with Uli and her staff and when we left – with tears it has to be said – described how much we could feel the love in what they make and the whole experience of the café, and Uli said – you get it! We certainly did.
I found an article – link below – from At Berlin Loves You about Happies which captured perfectly what Happies is – ‘The happier you are, the more you enjoy happies – and the happier they make you in return’.
I have told anyone who goes to berlin that you MUST go to Happies! There isn’t anywhere quite like it that I have been – it is truly very special place and long may it be and prosper in the magnificent area of Prenzlauer Berg in the wonderful city of Berlin – bringing a little bit of light and love into the world.
