Berlin's grande dame of hotels is letting guests in on its secrets. Hotel Adlon Kempinski, the landmark property facing the Brandenburg Gate on Pariser Platz, has rolled out a set of new food and wine experiences built around its Michelin-starred restaurant, Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer.
The centrepiece is the Lorenz Adlon Experience, which takes diners into chef Jonas Zörner's kitchen before a six-course menu with aperitif and wine pairings. Zörner's current menu runs to dishes like Carabinero prawns with Imperial caviar, black hake with bouillabaisse and wagyu short rib — so the behind-the-scenes access is more than a token tour.
For those wanting the full works, the Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer package bundles the six-course dinner with an overnight stay and a Champagne breakfast that includes caviar. Guests go home with a signed chef's apron, one of the chef's signature recipes and a gift made by the hotel.
Alongside the kitchen experiences comes a run of autumn wine dinners drawing on the restaurant's cellar of more than 1,600 labels — a collection that has earned a Silver Star from Sweden's Star Wine List. The first, Live at the Pass: The Winemakers' Dinner on 24 October, has each course cooked in front of guests, with the winemakers themselves guiding the pairings. On 14 November, "Great Burgundies Against a Grand Backdrop" celebrates rare bottles from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, including the 2019 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru and La Tâche Grand Cru, matched to a menu by Zörner. The series closes on 29 November with an inaugural Goose Dinner — a refined take on the traditional holiday bird from Polting Estate, with wines chosen by head sommelier Hans-Martin Konrad.
Zörner puts the appeal simply: seeing the work and the atmosphere up close changes how the food on the plate tastes. For anyone planning a Berlin city break with a serious dinner at its heart, this is a rare chance to combine one of Germany's most storied hotels, a Michelin-starred kitchen and Burgundy's most coveted wines in a single evening — with the Brandenburg Gate a few steps from the front door.
The wine dinners will suit collectors and serious enthusiasts, while the kitchen experience and overnight package work well for couples marking an occasion. Book ahead: events like these on fixed autumn dates tend to fill quickly.
Story via Global Traveler.
