Food & Drink
Where to get food during the Congress?
We got you covered. Thankfully, the TU is located in an area that is rich with great and varied food options. But we arranged a special food package for you directly at the TU, the NOW MensaCard Deal:
Quality lunch in the Mensa canteens, with daily numerous vegan and vegetarian dishes, plus one additional meat dish on Tuesday and Thursday and a fish dish on Wednesday and Friday. For a breakfast to go or quick snacks, with fresh fruit, sandwiches, homemade pastry and cakes, and beverages there are the bakery stands and cafeterias around the Congress for you. Read more about the NOW MensaCard Deal and the several Mensa locations below.
While in Berlin, and for the times outside Mensa opening hours, make sure to check out the culinary scene! From street food to fine dining, from classic German favourites to virtually every international cuisine, you will find everything you could ever wish for. You will also be able to find a great variety of vegetarian and creative vegan options. And the best is, a lot of the best places are in the area around the TU.
See all our recommendations in the TU area below.
TU Mensa Opening Hours and Locations
For a description, specific opening hours, and more details, see the Mensa Locations Table below. Following the details links in the table you can also check out the menu and food details (additives, allergens, etc.) one week in advance.
| Mensa Location | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Mensa TU Hardenbergstraße – Main Canteen Mon-Fri 11.00-14.30h (11am‑2.30pm) Hardenbergstraße 34 | Numerous vegan and vegetarian dishes daily, plus a meat dish on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a fish dish on Wednesdays and Fridays. Menu, Photo Gallery and Details |  |
| Mensa Pasteria TU Veggie 2.0 – Purely Vegan Canteen Mon-Fri 11.00-14.30h (11am‑2.30pm) | Berlin's first purely vegan canteen. Focus on vegan pasta dishes, plus soup, salads and appetizer bowls, and the climate meal of the day. Limited outside seating. Menu, Photo Gallery and Details |  |
| Mensa TU Hardenbergstraße – Bakery Stand Mon-Fri 8.00-15.00h (8am‑3pm) Hardenbergstraße 34 | Sandwiches, cakes, desserts & Co. - the bake stand at the Main Mensa location offers quick breakfast to go and delicious snacks. Limited outside seating. |  |
| Mensa TU Hardenbergstraße – Coffeebar Mon-Fri 11.30-16.30h (11.30am‑4.30pm) Hardenbergstraße 34 | Organic FairTrade Coffee, Tea and Soft Drinks |  |
| Café & Bakery stand – TU "Wetterleuchten" Mon-Thu 8.00-15.00h (8am‑3pm) Straße des 17. Juni 135 | This is a great quick breakfast and snack option throughout the day, with seating. Located directly in the Main Building, with chairs and tables also in the beautiful courtyard. Photo Gallery and Details |  |
| Mensa Pasteria TU Architektur Mon-Fri 8.00-15.00h (8am‑3pm) Lunch 11.00-14.30h (11am‑2.30pm) Ernst-Reuter-Platz 7 | The "Mensa TU Architektur" started in October 2021 with a new Pastaria concept. Here everything revolves around the pasta, and of course you get the homemade pasta from TU's own pasta factory. Menu, Photo Gallery and Details |  |
| Mensa TU Marchstrasse Mon-Thur 8.00-16.00h (8am‑4pm) Fri 8.00-15.00h (8am‑3pm) Lunch 11.00-14.30h (11am‑2.30pm) Marchstraße 23 | 750m from the TU Main Building and adjacent to the "Landwehrkanal", the Mensa TU Marchstraße provides a selection of dishes with freely selectable side dishes, also salads and various sweets. Good place to sit and chill with limited outside seating. Great to take a 15-minute stroll along the "Landwehrkanal" from or back to the Congress. Menu, Photo Gallery and Details |  |
| Mensa mobil - Food Truck Tue, Wed, Fri 16.00-20.00h (4pm-8pm) Sat 10.30-14.30h (10.30am-2.30pm) Sun 12.30-15.00h (12.30pm-3pm) Located halfway between back of TU Main Building and Main Mensa (Hertzallee) | For late afternoons and evenings, and on Saturday and Sunday, when the regular Mensas are closed, we’ll have 2-3 Mensa food trucks available for you, with plenty of tables and benches – outside and inside. Offering pasta and pizza, one offering burgers, fries, and Tex-Mex, plus vegetarian and gluten-free meals. The offerings change daily. You can use the Mensa card to pay, the food trucks even accept EC- and credit cards. |  |
Mensa Locations
Interactive Map
Also check out all other University Mensa locations in Berlin you can visit with your NOW2022 MensaCard
Food Around the TU
A Foodie’s paradise
As mentioned above, Berlin is one of the best places to eat. You definitely will want to take advantage of the rich variety of cuisines and styles the city has to offer.
Also note, that TU Mensas will not be able to serve you in the evenings and on Saturday and Sunday. This gives you the opportunity to experience the great wealth of local restaurants, cafés or street food around the TU.
For example, just take a stroll along Knesebeckstraße and adjacent streets, just 5 minutes from the Congress, and you will be able to find anything you desire.
For your convenience and as a “starting-off point”, we put together some great categorized recommendations for you.
Enjoy!
Supermarket Business Hours
The metropolis has the most liberal opening hours in Germany. So, supermarkets are usually open from 6.00h (6am) in the morning till at least 22.00h (10pm) at night, some even longer. A limited range of food can be bought around the clock at petrol stations and kiosks. And not to forget Berlin’s legendary “Spätis”. These late-night shops stay open round the clock to sell snacks and drinks, as well as items of daily use.
Drinking water in Berlin
Tip: You can refill your water bottle with tap water from any faucet you find on Congress campus and anywhere in Berlin (unless explicitly marked as non-drinking water).
| Our Recommendations | Name |
|---|---|
| Restaurants (17) |
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| Coffee & Snacks (13) |
|
| Supermarkets (6) | |
| Vegan (3) | |
| Street and Fast Food (5) | |
| Beer Garden (2) | |
| Glutenfree (1) |
|
Food around the TU
Interactive Map
Food Delivery
Of course, there is always the option to have food delivered to you. Check out lieferando.de – the major food delivery platform in Berlin. It also gives you a good overview of what is available at which price.
Mensas & The MensaCard
The Mensas
University Restaurants, Bakery Stands and Cafés
The Mensa facilities focus on high quality, varied, and healthy vegetarian and vegan dishes. The main restaurant offers an additional meat dish on Tuesday and Thursday and a fish dish (from sustainable fishery) on Wednesday and Friday. Fresh seasonal fruit, different bowls and salads, starters, sandwiches and homemade desserts complete their daily rich selection. No genetically modified food, glutamate, superfluous preservatives and artificial colouring are used.
The TU Mensa main restaurant puts out up to 4,500 meals a day, so we can be sure to get quick and reliable service!
And, by the way, the TU Mensas pay a lot of attention to sustainability and organic ingredients. And the noodles for all the pasta dishes are made in-house. You can even watch the production process live through huge glass windows. ????
There are as many as seven locations in the Congress area alone, open Monday through Friday. Plus, there are numerous more around the entire city of Berlin. For specific opening hours, see the details for each specific location below.
On Saturday, when the regular Mensas are closed, we’ll have two “Mensa mobil” food trucks available for you, with plenty of tables and benches – outside and inside. One truck offers pasta and pizza, and the other burgers, fries, and Tex-Mex.
You can use the Mensa card to pay, the food trucks even accept EC- and credit cards.
Important! To eat at any Mensa location you need to have the so-called MensaCard, as this is the only payment method. Cash or credit cards are not accepted.
The NOW MensaCard Deal
We calculated an average of €20 per day for lunch, a couple of hot and cold beverages, and some snacks or dessert.
You can always add some extra credit to your card or get a refund for unused funds at the machines in the Mensa foyers. Our helpers are happy to guide you during the Congress, should you need assistance.
NOW Mensa Card Price: €85
(incl. €5 handling fee)
MensaCard Booking is closed now
Notes:
* More on how the NOW2022 MensaCard deal works in detail here
* For late afternoons and evenings, and on Saturday and Sunday, when the regular Mensas are closed, we’ll have 2-3 Mensa food trucks available for you, with plenty of tables and benches – outside and inside. Offering pasta and pizza, one offering burgers, fries, and Tex-Mex, plus vegetarian and gluten-free meals. The offerings change daily.
* Due to the opening hours of the Mensa (and the trucks), you still have the opportunity to experience all the local restaurants, cafés or street food around the TU on Saturday and Sunday and all the evenings.
The MensaCard
Up to 20 lunch options daily. Salads and Bowls. Fresh sandwiches, fresh fruit, pastry and homemade cakes.
Hot and cold beverages.
Access to the Main Mensa at the Congress and all TU dining facilities around the city.
NOW MensaCard Price: €85
Mensa Photo Gallery
Estimated Food Budget
What budget should you consider for your visit to Berlin?
We estimate an overall a budget of 25 euros per day minimum, with a high end up to €100 for food and drinks every day.
- Breakfast from €2.50 at bakery to €15.00 buffet at a hotel.
- Lunch from €4.00 for street food/take away to €12.00 at a restaurant
- Dinner from €12.00 to €30.00 at a restaurant (plus drinks)
- Cocktails in fancy bar around €15.00
- Glass of wine typically costs around €5,50 – €10,00. One glass is typically 0,2 cl.
- Beer is cheaper, €3.00 – €5.00 for 0,3 cl.
As a reference, here are…
• a typical pizzeria menu for drinks
• a typical cocktail bar menu
• a typical menu of a pizzeria
And here is a website that has a lot of useful information and tips:
The Savvy Backpacker
Another great resource and recommended reading is the “Good to know” section of visitberlin.de
The NOW MensaCard Deal
How it works
- The NOW Mensa Card Price of €85 includes a handling fee of €5.
- Collect your personal preloaded NOW MensaCard at the Congress reception desk, open daily from 7.00h-22.00h (7am-10pm)
- As soon as you receive your card, please take a photo of it and/or write down its serial number. This number is needed if you lose your card, so the Mensa administration can block it and return the remaining credit balance to you.
- The MensaCard is for life and can be used at all the Mensa facilities throughout the city, So you can and may want to keep your Mensa card for future use.
- If you do want to return MensaCard, you can do so at the MensaCard machines at any time. You will receive any remaining credit, plus the deposit of €1.55 which was included in our handling fee. However, we suggest you spend the whole balance of the card, to avoid a possible overload of demand for refunds by the machines at the end of the Congress.
- If you booked the MensaCard Deal and need to cancel your booking, please contact us via email at registration@now2022.de. You can do so until 30 July 2022. Later cancellations will not be possible. A 15% admin fee (=€12.75 per Card) will apply.
All Mensa canteens are self-service restaurants. When you arrive there, get a tray and place your lunch items and drinks on your tray. Pay at the cashiers with your MensaCard. On the way out, leave your tray at the indicated places.
