Osmans Töchter Berlin

Much has been reported in the media about the restaurant Osmans Töchter in Berlin. You can find out why this is so and what to eat there in this article.

I had the opportunity to meet one of the two founders for an interview.

How Osmans Töchter in Berlin came about

Originally, the two founders Lale Yanik and Arzu Bulut were separately looking for a suitable location for their dream of having their own restaurant. Then one of the two found the premises of Osmans Töchter’s (engl. Osman’s daughters) first restaurant on Pappelallee in Prenzlauer Berg. Too big for one, but it happened that Arzu and Lale teamed up and realized their dream together.

Their first restaurant on Pappelallee opened in June 2012. The media coverage was unexpectedly high. Lale said in our interview that on the one hand it was probably because two women opened an oriental restaurant in the otherwise very male-dominated Turkish and Arab restaurant scene.

I am convinced that, on the other hand, it was also very much because the two restaurateurs with Turkish roots attach great importance to a pleasant ambience and a contemporary interpretation of oriental dishes. More on this in the relevant paragraphs below. When it came to the name, it was important to the founders that it was German. And it should make a connection between their Turkish roots and the fact that they are two women. I think they did an excellent job.

The restaurant on Wielandstrasse in Charlottenburg followed in October 2019. Which continued the success story of Osmans Töchter.

The food at Osmans Töchter

During our conversation, Lale emphasized how many vegan dishes there are on the menu. And she is absolutely right. Apart from the meat skewer cliché – whether the German döner, shawarma or shish kebab – the oriental cuisine has an enormous number of vegan dishes to offer. Just think of stuffed vine leaves, humus, giant beans in a spicy tomato sauce, or smoked eggplant.

What impressed me, even with bread, they think of the different needs of their guests. In addition to the standard bread, you can also get a vegan and even a gluten-free bread – all home made of course. That shows me how important the well-being of their guests is to Arzu and Lale.

The heart of the menu are the cold and warm meze. Small dishes, similar to Spanish tapas, which you order according to your taste and then best share with the others at the table. They also generally all come on the table at the same time, so you can add some of each meze to your plate.

There were three of us so we had a good variety of food on the table. On the picture you can see the vegan selection of our ordered meze. Below I will show you all the meze in detail. The special thing about Osmans Töchter Berlin is the freshness and the good quality of the food. Even the stuffed vine leaves are home made here and not taken out of the can like elsewhere.

Incidentally, meat lovers need not be afraid that they will miss out. Although the menu is well stocked with vegan and vegetarian dishes, there are still plenty of meat dishes.

The drinks at Osmans Töchter

During the interview with Lale, I drank a delicious pomegranate iced tea. When it comes to drinks, however, you are otherwise very cosmopolitan.

Among the aperitifs you will find, for example, an Aperol Spritz or a Crémant with holdunder syrup and mint – a kind of Hugo. During our meal for three, we had an Aperol Sour on the recommendation of our waiter (see photo). That was a great tip. I can highly recommend it to you.

You can find the latter in the “Cocktails & Longdrinks” category. There are also two or three creations with a connection to Turkey. I have to try “Osmans bittere Exfrau” (Osman’s bitter ex-wife) next time. It contains rhubarb juice and bitter lemon. The “Istanbul Mule” is made with raki. You can of course also get the famous Turkish schnapps pure. There are also beers available, by the way.

In addition to juices from Dietz, Afri Cola, Henry Bitter Lemon and Tonic Water, the non-alcoholic beverages also offer Ayran. And with the hot drinks you will find not only teas but also a real Turkish mocha.

The ambience

To be frank, I was in the Berlin-Charlottenburg branch for both the interview and the meal. I really liked the atmosphere there. Lale and Arzu also have a good hand when it comes to interior design. I have not yet been to the location in Prenzlauer Berg.

As you can see in the pictures at the very top of this article and in the photo next to here, a lot of soft colors and earth tones are used. The light is also used skillfully. To be able to individually combine the tables from the size for two people up to a long table they have chosen small ones. I particularly like the benches along the walls. That’s where I find it most comfortable.

I also found the design of the floors interesting. They have painted the pattern of a carpet on one of them, which you can see in one of the pictures at the top.

The future plans of Osmans Töchter Berlin

The two business women of course also have plans for the future. And by the time you’re reading this, one or two of them have probably already been implemented.

Lale told me that they would like to open an online shop in autumn 2020. There they want to offer a selection of their meze and first deliver it in the immediate vicinity. And so that the two restaurants in Wielandstrasse and Pappelallee always have the same standard, a central kitchen is being planned near the branch in Prenzlauer Berg. That means that both restaurants are then supplied from there. In the end, this is also what a number of other restaurants that operate multiple locations do.

Conlusion

Great quality, great service, pleasant atmosphere and lots of vegan options. The prices are a bit higher, so maybe not for every day. But if you want to have a nice evening with family or friends, I can highly recommend Osmans Töchter in Berlin.