Royal Elephant – Thai Restaurant in Berlin

Stop The Presses!  Spicy Food Found In Berlin!  One of the most common complaints about food in Berlin amongst visitors and expats is a lack of spicy dishes.  ‘A good curry’, ‘good Mexican food’ and ‘spicy food’ have all featured high on ‘things I miss about home’ lists I have read.  So, when I discovered the Royal Elephant, a Thai restaurant on Oderberger Strasse in Prenzlauer Berg, almost on my doorstep, I was delighted.

The Royal Elephant lets you decide how spicy you would like your meal to be.  If you don’t put in a special request the meal will be served Mild but if you favour food with a bit of oomph you can also opt for Mittel Scharf or Thai Scharf.

When I had my first meal here, having experienced a poor curry and read about Berlin’s lack of spice, I opted for Thai Scharf and whilst the dish was still tasty I was left with tingling lips and a sheen on my forehead that meant part of me was glad to have finished.

I’ve learned my lesson and now opt for Mittel Scharf.  For my taste, it has enough spiciness to make the food interesting but not so much that it overpowers the flavour and leaves me feeling like I’ve spent 20 minutes in a Sauna or flown too close to the Sun.

My meal of choice is Bami Pad – a dish of noodles with cabbage, courgette (zucchini), onion, spring onion, carrot, bean sprouts, peppers, mushroom and egg.  As a committed meat eater I choose to add beef.  The other options are chicken, prawns, crispy duck, vegetables or vegetables and soya cheese.

The Royal Elephant has a very pleasant atmosphere, the staff are friendly and attentive and the food is of a consistent and good quality.  All of the above and the fact that I can almost see my flat from the restaurant mean that I have eaten there a number of times.

In warmer weather you can also take advantage of the outdoor seating at the Royal Elephant Thai Restaurant in Berlin, eat spicy Thai food and watch the world go by on Oderberger Strasse and nearby Kastanianallee as you eat.