the best pretzel in germany
We’re lucky to have a handful of authentic German restaurants in our neighborhood. Our favorites are Henne, Obermaier, and Zur Kleinem Markthalle. They each have delicious specialty dishes, but Zur Kleinem Markthalle stands out for a simple, but exceptional, side dish.
I have no good photos of their butter pretzel because I’m so excited to eat it that I forget about taking a photo.
Just a block from our apartment, Zur Kleinem Markthalle was founded in 1888 as part of a larger shopping hall. Like Henne and Obermaier, Zur Kleinem Markthalle is decorated with dark wood and red and white checkered tablecloths that instantly evoke the feeling of an old German knipe (bar). Zur Kleinem Markthalle also has a patio that’s a delight in the warm months. They serve traditional kartoffelsalat (potato salad), krautsalat (cabbage salad), and currywurst (basically a hotdog served with curry ketchup, it’s better than it sounds!). But the thing that sets Zur Kleinem Markthalle apart from all the other delicious spots in our neighborhood is their Laugenbrezel mit Butter. We just call it a “butter pretzel.”
Maybe you’ve tried a traditional German pretzel (not the small, crunchy pretzels that we string on necklaces for beerfests). I’m talking about soft pretzels as big as your hand served hot. You can find them in coffee shops, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and street stands all over Germany.
The pretzels at Zur Kleinem Markthalle are unlike any others. They have a perfect golden crust, soft doughy inside, a subtle sourdough flavor, and a generous dusting of rock salt. But the best part of Zur Kleinem Markthalle’s pretzel is that they’re baked with butter inside the dough. Each rich, butter-soaked bite is heaven. These pretzels are so damn good we order three! We each eat a whole one and then share another. Honestly, I could eat all three by myself... maybe four. We’re borderline obsessed with these pretzels. I’m not confident I could replicate them at home, but I’m still looking for a recipe. It’s worth a visit to Berlin just to eat one (or three) of these.
