Freddy Schilling

It’s only just gone noon when I walk through the door of this Eigelstein joint, but most tables are populated with hungry diners. I manage to secure a spot at the counter – great for watching the boys in the kitchen flipping the burgers. I order “Freddys Favoriten”, a classic burger with organic Neuland beef, lettuce, gherkin, onions and ketchup in a whole wheat bun, plus some home-made fries and lemonade. The nice man behind the counter recommended the cabbage salad as a side for a simple reason: otherwise, he claimed, I’d eat too many of the delicious fries. And he’s not wrong: they’re crispy, well-seasoned and probably highly addictive. The burger in front of me is huge and I already know I’m going to fail to do it justice. It’s a good burger, very tasty, although the bun starts to disintegrate fairly quickly owing to the large amount of ketchup. By the way, all burgers are available with a vegetarian patty.

I’ll start with my favourite – Freddy Schilling is simply an all-round pleaser with lovely interiors, really friendly and helpful staff, hand-cut fries and own-made sauces. The vegan patty (made from white beans, chickpeas, beetroot, mushrooms, onions and tempura) can be combined with any option on the menu by skipping the cheese or swapping the sauce depending on whether you go for a veggie or a vegan burger. They even have gluten-free buns. My burger was absolutely divine!