Cumberland Restaurant Upscale cuisine and Ku'Damm elegance

This opulence can perhaps only be found here in the "Old West Berlin". Magnificent glittering chandeliers, lots of marble, ceilings eight (!) meters high, reminiscent of a cathedral - the Cumberland Restaurant on Ku'Damm is possibly one of the most beautiful restaurants in the city.

Since November 2020, after extensive renovations, it now resides in the rooms of former Restaurant Grosz, which closed in 2019 - without coffee and cake, but with classic French cuisine, spruced up with modern influences for lunch and dinner.

If the cuisine weren't so exquisite, the listed Cumberland building on Kurfürstendamm would already be worth visiting. At the front of the building lies the Vinothek, where you can enjoy a good glass of wine in relaxed atmosphere below expressionist art (under the eyes of Dietrich, for example). In the back lies the gourmet restaurant - upmarket yet pleasantly informal. 

Here, glamorous classics are artfully interwoven with modernity - on the plate as well as in terms of design: from the image of the listed monument Cumberland Haus on the porcelain and filigree gold rims to the tongue-in-cheek Köll classic on the menu or the modern interpretation of a surprising paprika ice cream dessert (which turns out to be truly good).

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The signature of the young Cologne chef Dennis Melzer can be found on the menu, for example, when you order the "Gedeck der Ehrengarde" from the menu. You are served spinach, potatoes, and egg in Cologne, as in the Cumberland restaurant. Here on Ku'damm, however, the interpretation is far less rustic than on the Rhine. 

The kitchen is highly ambitious. After all, Dennis Melzer previously cooked in Joachim Wissler's three-star restaurant Vendôme in Bergisch-Gladbach. Now he is revitalizing the restaurant in the Cumberland Haus with a modular menu from which you can choose a four- or six-course menu or à la carte. He is supported by sommelier Steve Hartzsch, who previously worked at Noname, and restaurant manager Benjamin Becker, formerly at Golvet, among others. 

Classic French, modern influences, seasonal and regional. "But since enjoyment comes first, we add timeless specialties to our selection," explains Melzer. So you can read beetroot, venison, and truffles - so far, so good. The Cumberland restaurant is supposed to be casual but equally stylish and cosmopolitan. 

And really, you could just as easily be sitting in Paris. We start with Fine de Claire oysters (people on Ku'damm don't like to go without them). Usually, you can have a glass of champagne with them - but today, we're not having any, and Steve Hartzsch is still providing us with first-class non-alcoholic alternatives throughout the evening.

The first course reveals Melzer's skills: The delicate texture of the handmade silk tofu in the first course melts in the mouth like only the finest chocolate can. With a fine acidity from cresses and a tomato broth, it forms a delicate and elegant dish, like a graceful panna cotta - so that's what tofu can be. It is simply delicious.

On the other hand, the Scandinavian king crab complements this dish but is no less exquisite. Dressed as a tartare with all kinds of pickles, it tastes rich, generous, and delicious. The first course: a prelude that is as exquisite as it is multifaceted.

An impression that is reinforced in the main course: Not only the pea risotto with nut butter and plenty of black truffles tastes lovely. Needless to say, the venison fillet is tender, and the potato soufflé is as light as powdered snow. So we take another fork and, instead of champagne and wine, indulge in the splendor of these rooms, of this dinner. Gourmets with a penchant for luxury will definitely be very, very happy at the Cumberland Restaurant. 

Ronja C. Kolls

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