After visiting the chaos and craziness at the 2nd annual Hipster Olympiade (German report and lots of pictures here, oh and training, of course), a few friends and I ventured from Postbahnhof in Friedrichshain across the Spree to Kreuzberg in the search of something to eat before hitting the town. They insisted that we pay a visit to their Turkish “friends” at Leylak on Hallesches Tor, a cozy Turkish Imbiss (snack bar) that they frequent.
It truly felt like walking into a little slice of Turkey in Berlin, which is not uncommon in this part of town. Many of the clients were almost all Turkish, and what I noticed was that many of them came by to purchase lots of bread, possibly for the next morning. The ovens were constantly producing new loaves and lots of Pide seemed to come out.
I tried a Lahmacun mit Salat (1.50€, a “Turkish pizza” rolled around salad) as well as a Sucuklu Pide (~3.50€, pita bread covered with cheese and topped with slices of Sucuk, a very tangy, salty sausage). The Lahmacun was tasty, considering that I usually don’t like Lahmacun very much — I’ve had some very oversalty versions before. The ground lamb was cooked and spiced nicely. The pide was really, really good. The bread was very fresh and the sausage topping was lovely.
If I went back, I would have to try the freshly baked Börek (flaky pastry dough filled with meat or vegetables/cheese) and another Pide. Additionally, they make homemade Ayran (a fresh, chilled yogurt beverage) and appear to have a very extensive baklava selection. Memories of my short trip to Istanbul popped into my brain as I saw a magical word on the menu: Şöbiyet, a baklava-like dessert filled with pistachios and cream.
Leylak
(Hallesches Tor, U1, U8)
Kottbusser Straße 25
10999 Berlin-Kreuzberg
For here. To go. 