Berlin, Germany (Gastrosofie). Beelitz asparagus is a household name in today’s Brandenburg—little remains of the old Mark—just like the Berlin restaurant Midtown Grill. While it primarily offers “New York Taste,” it also serves “Berlin Soul.” And the soul of old Berlin rests right in the heart of the Mark. Asparagus, preferably from the area in and around Beelitz, is undoubtedly part of Berlin’s soul food. The sandy soil of the Mark and the climate above it offer ideal conditions for high-quality, field-fresh asparagus.
In addition, virtually all asparagus farmers guarantee that their asparagus has been cleaned (or blanched) without any chemical treatment and washed only with fresh spring water. Beelitz asparagus is pure nature, and has been since 1861, when Beelitz farmer Carl Herrmann grew a vegetable that hardly anyone knew. But soon everyone wanted this noble vegetable just as much as the other: the potato.
The website of the asparagus town of Beelitz mentions that “in 1870 … the first asparagus was sold at the town market in Beelitz and thus became widely known.” “Many Beelitz farmers had followed Herrmann’s example, so that shortly after the turn of the century, 250 hectares in and around Beelitz were planted with asparagus.”
The finest Beelitz asparagus found its way into the kitchens of many beautiful and stately homes in Potsdam and Berlin. Since then, asparagus has been regarded not only as white gold, but as the king of vegetables.
At the Midtown Grill restaurant in Berlin’s Marriott Hotel, located between Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate, Beelitz asparagus is a harbinger of spring that speaks on the plate before summer does.
© Münzenberg Medien, Photo / Caption: Stefan Pribnow, Location and date of photo: Berlin, April 15, 2026
We can be proud that Beelitz asparagus is “served in various variations” at the Midtown Grill restaurant. The asparagus menu begins with a creamy asparagus soup, followed by an asparagus risotto with semi-dried cherry tomatoes and Gran Moravia cheese, which can optionally be complemented with wild-caught shrimp—but certainly doesn’t have to be. The asparagus risotto speaks for itself, as does the cuisine of Midtown Grill and Bella Italia. In the Po Valley, rice for risotto has been cultivated since the Renaissance and is often served as the first main course (primo piatto) or with braised dishes such as risotto alla milanese with ossobuco.
At the Berlin restaurant Midtown Grill, Beelitz asparagus with delicious potatoes and velvety hollandaise sauce also accompanies a Wiener schnitzel or salmon steak. But the spears are also available on their own. So how about 400 grams of Beelitz asparagus with butter or hollandaise?
© Münzenberg Medien, Photo / Caption: Stefan Pribnow, Location and date of photo: Berlin, April 15, 2026
The notion that asparagus makes you really happy only when served with chocolate—is true enough if you call the distinctive blend of cocoa butter, milk solids, and milk fat with vanilla and sugar “white chocolate.” At Midtown Grill, the sweet finale features white chocolate, rhubarb, and elderberry, and the white chocolate looks deceptively similar to white asparagus, doesn’t it?
The dishes on the asparagus menu can be combined. Prices range from 13 to 32 euros. A culinary spring greeting that delightfully combines lightness and regional flair.
See and taste for yourself at
Midtown Grill
Address: Ebertstraße 3, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Contact: Phone: 030220005411
Website: midtown-grill.de
Hours: Monday through Friday from noon to 3 PM and daily from 5 PM to 11 PM
