Konnopke’s Imbiss

Konnopke's Imbiss is a Berlin institution, a sausage stand tucked beneath the elevated U-Bahn viaduct on Schönhauser Allee in Prenzlauer Berg. Its story goes back to 1930, when Max Konnopke, who had moved to Berlin from Cottbus, started selling sausages from a simple cart with a folding table, an umbrella and a kettle. The business later moved into fixed kiosks, survived the war and the East German years, and has been run by three generations of the same family.

The stand's speciality is currywurst served without a skin, a style associated with the eastern half of the city, topped with its own curry sauce. Order it with chips or a bread roll; the menu also includes other sausages, potato salad and a vegan currywurst, so non-meat eaters are not left out. Food comes quickly and prices are low.

The setting is part of the charm. Trains rumble overhead on the viaduct, and the stand sits in the middle of the broad avenue near the junction with Danziger Strasse and Kastanienallee, with a covered area and tables where you can eat. It is a good stop for a quick lunch while exploring Prenzlauer Berg, and it suits budget travellers, families and anyone curious about everyday Berlin food. Many visitors like to compare it with Curry 36 in Kreuzberg and decide which style they prefer.

Opening hours are limited compared with late-night snack bars. The stand is open Tuesday to Friday from 11am to 6pm and on Saturday from 12 noon to 6pm, and it is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so plan a daytime visit. There is no booking; order at the counter. Lunchtimes can be busy, but service is quick.

The stand has become a symbol of continuity in a district that has changed enormously since reunification. When construction work on the viaduct threatened its future, an agreement in 2010 allowed the kiosk to stay beneath the tracks, and regulars still treat it as a neighbourhood meeting point. Visiting gives a small taste of what everyday life in Prenzlauer Berg was like before the area filled with cafés and boutiques. Bring your appetite rather than high expectations of comfort: the pleasure here lies in the simple food, the history and the rumble of the trains overhead.

Eberswalder Strasse station on the U2 is directly above the stand. From here it is a short walk to the Mauerpark, with its Sunday flea market, the Kulturbrauerei, and the cafés and shops of Kastanienallee and Oderberger Strasse, including Prater Garten, Berlin's long-established beer garden.