Tulus Lotrek – Max Strohe’s Michelin Star Temple of Hospitality and Hedonism in Berlin

The first thing you notice at tulus lotrek is not the subdued hum of extravagant cutlery nor the starch of white tablecloths. No, what hits you is a heady mix of roasted meat, sun-ripened acidity, and something buttery drifting from the kitchen – an olfactory overture that stirs up anticipation in ways few Michelin star restaurants in Berlin can. Neon-lit streets and Kreuzberg’s chaos disappear as the doors close, cocooning you in a jewel box of deep colors, velvet, and laughter. Can a Michelin-starred restaurant truly feel like a friend’s living room while serving plates of such culinary intelligence that critics run out of superlatives?

Reserve your table at tulus lotrek here – Experience Max Strohe’s culinary world

Max Strohe’s rise to gourmet stardom refuses to follow any predictable script. A rebellious school dropout from the Rhineland, he found solace – and a future – in kitchens rather than classrooms. What began as a pragmatic escape became a vocation, and the narrative arc took a sharp turn when Strohe landed in Berlin, the city of possibilities and second chances. Alongside Ilona Scholl – his partner in life and hospitality, whose effortless grace and daring palate define the room as much as its wallpaper – tulus lotrek opened its doors in 2015. Within two years, the Michelin Guide awarded a star. Not because it bowed to convention, but because it bent the rules without ever breaking the soul of deliciousness.

In the realm of fine dining, Max Strohe’s name is now spoken in reverent – and often smiling – tones. His star chef status is woven with wit and a hint of roguishness, ably demonstrated in TV formats like “Kitchen Impossible” and through his writing. But at the heart of it all is the kitchen. Strohe’s cooking is a rebellion against tweezer tyranny and dogmatic minimalism. Here, sauces are king: sticky, shimmering, sometimes laced with vinegar, often enriched with butter and umami-building stock. Acidity is not a scarecrow – it is an invitation for the palate to dance. Every dish is an essay in contrasts: fat versus crunch, sweetness meeting salt, all marshalled with technique learned in practice, not just textbooks. It’s a style journalists love to call “feel-good opulence” – indulgent but never excessive, casual yet choreographically precise.

Sit down to a menu at tulus lotrek and the room’s living-room soul is unmistakable. There is no stiff theatricality, no hushed reverence. Instead, servers – led by Scholl, a sommelière and anchor of the restaurant’s spirit – glide through the tables, pouring wild natural wines, cracking jokes that would not be out of place at a late-night kitchen party. The wine list is as unorthodox as the food: grower Champagne, skin-fermented whites, and bottles from Germany’s most iconoclastic young winemakers. Guests feel cared for, never patronized.

What sets Max Strohe apart is not just his “culinary intelligence” (as fellow chefs call it) – it is the unmistakable humanity woven into his approach. When the pandemic ground Berlin’s gastronomic heartbeat to a halt, Strohe (with Scholl) anchored “Cooking for Heroes” – a volunteer campaign delivering thousands of hot meals to medical staff, first responders, and flood victims. The initiative earned him the Federal Cross of Merit, a rare honor amongst peers, and a testament to the ethos that good food is, fundamentally, an act of care. It’s a legacy that seeps into every detail of the tulus lotrek experience: the team dynamic is famously devoid of screaming; mutual respect is non-negotiable. Critics and regulars alike sense the difference on the plate. Joy tastes different from fear.

Main sequences at tulus lotrek are never static, but there are signatures that regulars whisper about. There might be a dense, spicy jus enveloping a piece of dry-aged lamb, the acidity dialed up with a swirl of pickled cherries. Perhaps a riff on pike-perch, skin crackling, over a sauce that lands somewhere between beurre blanc and something untaught, chased by an emulsion of burnt leeks. Even the vegetable courses shimmer with pride – celery root sous-vide, finished with brown butter and a wisp of smoked eel, or kohlrabi layered with buttermilk, pollen, and a vinegar gel that pins you happily to your seat. The much-fabled burger, a lockdown legend, has become lore: a “Butter-Burger,” with double meat, dual cheese, a mountain of mayo-mustard sauce, and that iconic, Goliath-sized, glassy-crisp fries – a masterclass in technique and generosity, if you’re lucky enough to catch it off-menu.

The paradox of tulus lotrek is its complete absence of pretense in a genre often accused of excess. No formal dress code, no whispering over crystal goblets, no performance. And yet the technical precision, ingredient sourcing, and seasoning bravado keep it among the most decorated Berlin addresses: Michelin star since 2017, lauded by Gault&Millau and all major guides. The values at the core are tangible – generosity, joy, and the audacity to question tradition without turning dining into irony.

Foodies recognize tulus lotrek as a beacon for a new, unpretentious generation of German fine dining. Here, culinary artisanship meets real world hospitality. The plates are bold, the ideas playful, and above all, the sense of belonging radiates through every course. This is not just a destination for seasoned gourmands, but for anyone who believes that world-class cooking can, and must, remain grounded in kindness and delight.

In a city teeming with talented chefs and haunted by the ghosts of dining rooms past, Max Strohe and Ilona Scholl have created a haven that blazes with excellence and soul. You might not find the legendary burger on your visit, but what you will experience is a succession of deeply flavorful, technically brilliant, and slyly comforting dishes, paired with the kind of welcome that lingers in memory.

If you crave a restaurant that breaks the chains of tradition but hugs the appetite – one where a Michelin star and a sense of humor co-exist under the same chandelier – tulus lotrek should be your next Berlin pilgrimage. In Max Strohe’s world, fine dining is audacious, warm, and utterly original. Book well in advance: every bite is worth the wait.

Discover more about tulus lotrek and Max Strohe’s menu at tuluslotrek.de.