What I love about Berlin are its absurd phenomena which can be discovered off the beaten tracks, existing mostly only out of the generosity (or ignorance) of the municipal administration in (more or less) public spaces throughout the whole city. One of those is the Thai Market in Wilmersdorf. The park itself is rather random and definitely lacks the beauty of Tiergarten or Treptower Park, but it’s nevertheless a central point of the Thai community in Berlin. Years ago, they started gathering here on weekends, bringing food and drinks, gambling, talking, and enjoying the sun. And what started out as a private gathering transformed into an open market happening on weekends, where you get some of the best home-made Thai food there is in Berlin.

On Saturdays and Sundays, old and young Thai women travel to the park, bringing frying pans, soup pots, bowls, and bottles, which they set up at small food stalls on the grounds. Protected from the sun by colorful umbrellas, they offer traditional Thai dishes from pad thai, fried fish and pork belly to sweet coconut tartlets and Thai iced tea. All you have to do is to bring a blanket, napkins and some money and you can start choosing your lunch. Many dishes are made fresh to your order and liking. Just take a look at what’s on offer and ask for a portion. Most main dishes cost around 5 euros.

Of course, this is nothing for the persnickety, and some of the fish might not be very recommendable on a hot summer’s day, but the atmosphere (and the very spicy papaya salad) is something you should not miss when you’re in Berlin.