Upscale Grocer in Berlin

So let’s say you want to cook something really fancy and you need the best ingredients, but you don’t know where to go in Berlin? Well then, Frische Paradies is the place for you. Although Berlin seems to have a lot of the “regular” grocery stores, fresh ingredients are somewhat tough to find. Instead the expectation is that you would go to a specialty store for the best ingredients. Enter Frische…a store I can only describe as a transcendental foodie experience.

When you first enter the store, you’ll see the cash registers (or Kasse) to your right. Behind these registers are small refrigerators with truffles, and other very expensive rarities. Straight ahead is the veggie and fruit section. To your left is the fresh fish area and further on you’ll find additional pasta and meat areas, (although no fresh butcher.) Throughout the store there are various stations where you can sample the goodies, including meats, cheeses, breads and even wines! The quality of the products is extremely high end and VERY expensive. With that said, when dealing with seafood and meat, higher quality is arguably better.

This past weekend I picked up some fresh mussels from Frische and the taste was outstanding. As you may know, mussels are minimally cooked, so freshness is synonymous with safety. This is a great example of where Frische is your best option. Conversely, when you leave the store, there is a lesser quality grocery store next door. I would recommend using Frische for your more necessarily “high quality” items, and then make a quick stop next door for your basics. Using this technique, you can guarantee that your dinner guests will be impressed, and you won’t break the bank.