American food in Berlin: bagels, barbecue, NFL bars and how to find a Thanksgiving turkey

Berlin isn't short on burgers. What Americans miss is the specific stuff: a proper bagel, real brisket, a bar that actually shows the game, and a whole turkey in late November. All of it exists here. You just have to know where to look, and sometimes order ahead.

The short version

• US groceries: AmericanFood4U has a store under the S-Bahn arches in Mitte [1]. German supermarkets also carry a few "American" shelves, and KaDeWe's food hall is a good bet for specialty items [1][3].
• Bagels, barbecue and diners: Fine Bagels, Masha's Bagel and Delicatessen, Lino's Barbeque, Magic John's and Route 66 are all on our list, with details below [1][3].
• NFL: Belushi's in Mitte shows games on many screens with English commentary, and Lemke at Hackescher Markt is an official Pittsburgh Steelers fan pub [4][5][6].
• Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26, 2026 is a normal workday in Germany. Order a whole turkey from a butcher or KaDeWe early, or book a Thanksgiving meal [2][3].
• Venues change. Check opening hours and events before you go.

USD conversions in this guide use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026: USD 1.1163 per euro.

US groceries: where to find a taste of home

German grocery stores are excellent at bread, cheese and seasonal produce. They're less good at boxed mac and cheese, root beer, canned pumpkin and the exact brand of peanut butter your kid insists on.

Expect sticker shock on imports. A box of American cereal or a bottle of ranch costs a lot more here than at a Costco run back home. A few swaps help:

• Cranberry sauce: Germans use Preiselbeeren (lingonberry) jam, sold everywhere, which works as a stand-in [3].
• Pumpkin: Hokkaido squash is all over the markets in fall and makes a good pie filling if you can't find canned.
• Brown sugar, baking soda and vanilla: all available, under German names. Look for brauner Zucker, Natron and Vanilleextrakt.
• Measuring cups: German recipes use grams. Bring your measuring cups from home, or buy a kitchen scale.

Bagels, barbecue, pizza and diners

Berlin's American food scene has grown up a lot. These spots were all featured in a 2024 guide by The Berliner [1], and Masha's in a 2025 Thanksgiving roundup [3]:

Bagels and bakeries

• Fine Bagels, Warschauer Straße 74, Friedrichshain: New York-style bagels, at the bakery and café in the Shakespeare & Sons bookstore [1].
• Masha's Bagel and Delicatessen, Treptow: bagels and deli food, and a Thanksgiving plate in recent years [3].
• Katie's Blue Cat, Friedelstraße 31, Neukölln: brownies, chocolate chip cookies, whoopie pies, bagels and BLTs [1].

Barbecue and burgers

• Lino's Barbeque, Malplaquetstraße 43, Wedding: Texas-style brisket, ribs and sausage, plus a monthly Pastrami Friday [1].
• Goldies Smash Burger, Graefestraße 93, Kreuzberg: smashburgers and fries from a street stand [1].
• Route 66, Pariser Straße 44, Wilmersdorf: a classic diner with burgers, sandwiches and milkshakes, including peanut butter [1].

Pizza and the rest

• Magic John's, Oranienburger Straße 48, Mitte: New York-style slices and Detroit-style square pizza [1].
• The Big Dog and Midtown Grill, both in the Marriott on Ebertstraße, Tiergarten: hot dogs and a steakhouse, respectively [1].
• Estelle, Kopenhagener Straße 12A, Prenzlauer Berg: casual American-style dining with wood-fired pizza and sundaes [1].

Tipping works differently here. Round up or add around 5 to 10% when you pay, and tell the server the total. Leaving cash on the table and walking off isn't the norm.

Watching the NFL (and the NBA) in Berlin

Germany has caught football fever. The NFL played its first regular-season game in Berlin at the Olympiastadion on November 9, 2025, the Indianapolis Colts against the Atlanta Falcons, with free fan zones at Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate [4]. You'll find more NFL fans here than you'd expect.

Sports bars

Belushi's also ran a Thanksgiving meal alongside NFL games in 2023 [2]. Call ahead on big game days. Bars fill up for the playoffs and the Super Bowl.

Game times

Berlin is usually six hours ahead of the East Coast. That makes the 1:00 p.m. ET Sunday window a civilized 7:00 p.m. here, and the late afternoon games start around 10:25 p.m. Sunday Night Football and the Super Bowl kick off after midnight Berlin time, so plan a slow Monday morning. For a few weeks each spring and fall, when the US and Europe change their clocks on different dates, the gap is five hours.

Watching at home

Games air on German TV, and DAZN streams NFL games with English commentary [4]. If you want the NBA or college football, check the current rights holders before the season. They change.

Thanksgiving in Berlin

Thanksgiving isn't a holiday in Germany, so you'll probably be working on Thursday, November 26, 2026. Plenty of Americans host on the Saturday instead, and invite German friends who've only seen it in movies.

Getting a whole turkey

Germans eat plenty of turkey (Pute or Truthahn), but usually in parts. A whole bird takes planning [2][3]:

1. Order early. Ask a butcher (Fleischerei) or the KaDeWe food hall at least a couple of weeks ahead. Stock is limited [2][3].
2. Try the traditional delis. The Berliner suggested Rogacki in Charlottenburg and Fleischerei Bünger in Wedding [2].
3. Check the freezer aisle. Kaufland sometimes stocks frozen whole turkeys [3].
4. Measure your oven. German ovens are often smaller than American ones. A modest bird of 4 to 5 kg (9 to 11 pounds) is a safer bet than a 20-pounder.
5. Roast low and slow. A US-style 325°F roast is about 165°C on a German oven dial. Many German ovens also have a convection (Umluft) setting, which cooks faster.
6. Have a plan B. A goose or a turkey breast roast works fine if the whole bird falls through [3].

Eating out

If cooking's not in the cards:

• Masha's Bagel and Delicatessen in Treptow served a Thanksgiving plate in 2025, at EUR 25 (about USD 28) to eat in, or EUR 30 (about USD 33.50) for takeout pre-orders, with no reservations [3].
• Hard Rock Cafe Berlin offered Thanksgiving meals from November 24 to 30 in 2025, starting at EUR 22.75 (about USD 25), with advance orders required [3].
• Hotel restaurants and American-style spots often run special menus. Check in early November.
• The American Church in Berlin in Schöneberg has hosted community Thanksgiving events in past years [2].

Prices and dates above are from 2025 or earlier, so check 2026 details directly.

Pumpkin pie

Barcomi's in Kreuzberg has sold pumpkin pies and pumpkin cheesecake for the holiday in past years [2]. Otherwise, bake your own with Hokkaido squash and a homemade spice mix. It's a good excuse to invite the neighbors.

Other American occasions

• Super Bowl Sunday: the big bars host overnight parties. Book ahead.
• Fourth of July: it's a regular workday here, so Americans celebrate with barbecues in parks and backyards.
• Halloween: it's caught on in Berlin, but trick-or-treating is patchy. Organize with other families on your street.

Know a bar that shows college football, or a butcher with turkeys every year? Tell us in our community group for Americans in Germany.

Sources

1. The Berliner: Best US-American burgers, BBQ and pizza in Berlin (February 2024)
2. The Berliner: Thanksgiving, where to get turkey and pumpkin pie in Berlin (November 2023)
3. The Local: How and where to celebrate Thanksgiving in Germany in 2025
4. A4ORD Expats: NFL in Berlin 2025
5. In Your Pocket: Belushi's Bar, Berlin
6. Lemke: Pittsburgh Steelers at Lemke

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