Cold seasons mean treating your stomach to something warm and comforting. And while Berlin’s diverse gastronomic landscape offers numerous restaurants that evoke summer feelings even in winter with their greenhouse atmosphere, we don’t always want to eat out. Of course, the healthiest option is to cook for yourself – and the newly opened Arabic and Asian wholesale market in Berlin offers the best conditions for buying everything you need for homemade meals. But let’s say cooking isn’t really an option right now: how about a relaxing trip to a market hall, where you can sample the most delicious dishes from around the world at various stalls? In Berlin, this is possible at the Arminius Market Hall in Moabit – one of the oldest covered market halls in the city.
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The Arminius Market Hall was opened in December 1891, making it one of the oldest covered market halls in Berlin. It was part of a municipal project to replace the open and often unhygienic weekly markets with modern, covered halls. The hall was built in just one year, made possible by an innovative iron construction with prefabricated components, which was considered a technical marvel at the time. Today, the building is a listed monument and an architectural landmark of the Moabit district.
From the inside, the hall almost looks like a market cathedral: high arches, filigree floral iron details, and a surrounding gallery create an impressive atmosphere that surprises many visitors. Originally, it housed 425 stalls in ten sales aisles —an enormous variety under one roof. Even today, the Arminius Market Hall is much more than just a market. In addition to fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and seafood, cheese, bread and baked goods, it is the international cuisine that attracts visitors most: Italian cuisine, Austrian classics such as schnitzel and Schmarrnkaiser, Kässpätzle in the “Hofladen,” BBQ specialties such as pulled pork and Alabama-style spare ribs, fish and seafood variations, and much more.
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The Arminius Market Hall is a local meeting place that combines traditional market culture with urban, international cuisine. Events, street food promotions, and design and culture markets are held here regularly, making the hall a lively place. Many Berliners appreciate it precisely because it feels less touristy than other market halls – the atmosphere is authentic and typical of the neighborhood. In the evenings or on weekends, the hall often transforms into a convivial meeting place with bars and wine and food experiences: a successful mix of market, restaurant, and event location.