Good Friends Restaurant Berlin

Delicious Hong Kong-style fried duck and cabbage. I had it with rice, chili oil, simple, but so tasty. The only downside was that the staff seemed a bit grumpy.

Good Friends is a fantastic spot for authentic Chinese and Hong Kong-style dishes! I had the fried tofu and Singaporean fried noodles—both were full of flavor and really satisfying. The tofu was perfectly crispy, and the noodles had just the right amount of spice. There’s also a great variety of vegan options, which was a nice surprise. Service was quick, portions were huge, and everything tasted fresh. Definitely a great place if you’re craving real, flavorful Chinese food in a casual, no-fuss setting.

The food was super delicious. It’s mostly full so you have to make a reservation at least half a day before. Since it’s full it might also take a while to wait for the food but was not too long. I definitely recommend these two dishes, Peking duck with the rap pancakes, normal fried water spinach with rice. I went with my dad and this is quite enough for us. I’m quite a big eater so it can also be for one person meal.

Very nice Chinese Restaurant with wide variety of good quality dishes. Highly recommended.

A solid location for a decent Chinese meal. I know many fans of this restaurant, though personally I find it just right. A large choice of all the classics of a European Chinese eatery, served promptly and of good value.

I came here with my partner for lunch, we hadn't made a reservation. The food was delicious, service was impeccable and the portions were generous. We had the Peking duck, fried noodles and a portion of dumplings. Everything came out quickly. It was fresh and super flavorful. The other guests seemed to be a mix of locals and families. What a gem!

Opposite to its name, definitely not “GOOD” friends. BIG NO! I left without eating. The restaurant was completely empty when I arrived, and I politely asked if I could sit near a power outlet to charge my phone while eating. The waiter showed me a suitable table, and I was about to sit down, but the man at the cashier, who seemed loud and unfriendly, suddenly started shouting “No, no, no” several times in a rude tone. He insisted I sit at the middle tables, none of which had access to an outlet. Very unwelcoming and unpleasant experience.

I really regret that I did not take any photos. Maybe because I was so hungry and I ate everything with full pleasure. We ordered dumplings, spare ribs, duck with veggies and pork belly with tofu. Everything was super delicious. It is a popular place, we did not make any reservations therefore needed to wait about 5-10 mins which was ok. Staff is very strict and helpful. Nice place. Enjoy your food.

I went there during lunch time on weekday, therefore it was not crowded. The restaurant meets all my expectations. I order only dim sum and steamed bun. The food was good and fresh. The waiters were very friendly and attentive. Definitely would go there again for lunch menu.

I can only speak for the food that was delivered, not eating in the restaurant. The food came right on time and was still very hot. Overall though the food was boring and not very flavorful. The duck was fairly expensive but much of it was overcooked and not so flavorful. I was disappointed

Traditional Chinese/Cantonese restaurant with high prices and hit or miss food. Depending on what your order, the dish can be okay, but more often than not, it leans on the side of too oily. I tried the Peking duck, and while the duck tasted good, it was not cut in the traditional Peking duck style, the pancake was something out of a package, and it came with lazily chopped cucumber strips rather than finely sliced leek. That said, it's not very easy to find good Chinese food in Berlin, so I can see why this place is still usually quite busy. The price and quality ratio makes it a two star for me. If it was more affordable (13 euro dishes instead of 18 euro+) it would be a three. I recommend trying Jolly instead and ordering from the Chinese menu in the last page.

Good but employees rough. maybe crowded. dishes delicious. can sometimes be crowded. so you can wait. the restaurant has a rich menu. Good choice for Chinese cuisine. prices are also normal.

Had a family dinner at Good Friends just now. I was quite impressed by the food. Not bad at all. We are from Southeast Asia and has been traveling for alkost 1 month in Europe. We miss asian food and "Good Friends" is a good place to satisfied our taste bud

One of my favorite Chinese place, fast service, staffs who can speak Chinese, English, German and Vietnamese. Nice food, price acceptable, nice location

I'm really happy that I could find a good Cantonese restaurant in Berlin, So far I have tired many different kind of the Chinese cuisine, from different regions in China here. I always wondered if there is a one just for Cantonese. And then passed this place the other day, just couldn't help myself to give it a try. And it was just amazing, really tasted just like what I can have in my hometown. I ordered the most typical and delicious dish from here, the Cantonese roast duck. It was really good, I enjoyed the meal a lot. Even my friends he wanted it so bad, the only reason he didn't pick it because of it got bones on it. But let's say he was a bit regret it, after he saw my dish. We also ordered some din sums, the spring roll with shrimp was quite good, my personal favorite is the Har Gow (that is Cantonese, which means dumpling with shrimp). Just give it a try, you might love it. I went there with my partner and friends. At the end, we all enjoyed our food really much. The restaurant offers not only traditional Cantonese dishes, but also the westernize dished. So in this case, depend on the guest's mood, surely can find something on the menu. The restaurant is right next to the main street. It's really easy to find. Beside, you can have a peek of the roast duck from the window. Inside the restaurant has a really traditional Chinese style, how it decorated and how the tables set. It could be nice place to get to know some Chinese culture. The waiters sort of remind me the waiters in Hong Kong, very efficient and don't talk much, but warm inside, if you need anything just ask. The price here is generally alright. When we were there, the restaurant was completely full, we were quite lucky , got a table without waiting. After a while we sat down, the waiting line start to appeared. And it was end until outside the restaurant. That is a good sign for the restaurant. Just try to reserve a table, if you want to go. Otherwise it will really depend on luck and what time you are going. For me, no doubt, this is one of the great places for Cantonese cuisine in berlin. I will come here. Thumbs up!

One of my favorite restaurants in berlin. The food is really good and authentic. Good service and great atmosphere. Always a pleasure!!!

I am probably biased, since I am not the best expert when it comes to asian food. The staff was formally friendly (which is a diplomatic form of saying, a bit stiff on the communication side of things). Yet they were pretty quick, and the food tasted fine. The pricing is more than fair, and the location is easy to reach with the public transportation system.

Very busy place so I figured that was a good sign to eat there for dinner. I live in San Francisco so I have a bias on Asian food and it is a rare find to get authentic Chinese food here in Germany. It has been watered down to suit German taste buds. My dish of Chinese fried chicken was dried out and obviously had been sitting in the kitchen because as fast as I ordered it two minutes later it came out. A bad sign and true to form it was all dried out. The fried rice was no different than the white rice with a little bit of egg thrown in. Overall disappointing or I really ordered the wrong dish. This neighborhood has so many Asian places to eat I am surprised this one was busy. I won't go back but will try others. So far Chinese food in general in Germany has been a huge disappointment.

Many long-time Berliners have suggested this place, but to me it's just average greasy-spoon Chinese food--and expensive for what it is. It is popular though, and finding an open table is a challenge. There must, must be better in this city. I will endeavour to find it and post it here for you! Soon.

After the bad experience at another Asian restaurant in Drsden called Good Friends, I'm going to try again with this Chinese restaurant called Good Friends...two times the charm! We ordered the seaweed tomato fish soup which was seasoned nicely, and the soup was very good. The roasted pork/duck/BBQ pork over Chinese cabbage was moist and juicy..just right. Mom got the beef chow fun noodles, and that was fine. I really liked the fried halibut with black bean sauce ( which was a mistake cause we ordered steamed, so we got the fried fish for free). The clay pot of tofu, cow stomach and vegetables were nicely seasoned. The steamed halibut in light soy sauce was well cooked but I kept getting a mouthful of bones. The shanghai bok choy as fresh and light. We did good here, I figured if there's enough local Chinese people in this place, then we won't go wrong like yesterday.

This is by far the best Cantonese restaurant in Berlin. The owners hail from Malaysia rather than Hong Kong, and therefore there is a slight slant towards Malaysian Chinese food, which I really like, rather than the ubiquitous sour-sweet concoctions favored by Hong Kong Chinese places. The first impression is that this place is gregarious and efficient, and that is what it is, although they won't mind you leaving quickly after your meal as they like to pack in as many sittings as possible. The tables have glass on top of the tablecloths so that it can be cleaned and made available quickly for the next customer. The menu is extensive but if you know Chinese food, you can easily spot that many of them are variations of simple stir-fried wok dishes. Which is not always a bad thing. But I like to order off-menu wherever possible and this is where the cook excels. Throw him a challenge and he (usually) responds pretty darn well. For example, ask for a Hokkien steamed pork mince with salted duck egg. Delicious. Or fried sticky lobster noodles with spring onions and ginger. Try to ask for anything from any other restaurant that you have liked and see what turns up. But they serve a pretty weak tim sum selection and their roast duck (made on-site) is not really up to it, and neither is their white steamed chicken with ginger. They have also gotten rather pricey over the last 2-3 years, which is not quite justified, in my opinion. A special lobster dish can now cost more than 70 Euro by itself! However, compared to any other Chinese Cantonese place I have tried in Germany, this place still walks away with the prize. NOTE: Since late 2008, this place has been going downhill and picking up pace as it does so. I would now rate it the most overpriced Chinese restaurant in Berlin relative to the quality of the food served.

I've been here a few times before over the years and was here last night. The food is "trying to be" Cantonese style - but fails miserably. I know a lot of people say that it's one of the best places for Chinese food in Berlin (which is probably true) but I rather go without eating Chinese food EVER in Berlin (or cook it yourself!) For those who have been to Chinatowns around Europe e.g. London, Manchester or Amsterdam, Good Friends doesn't even come close. The food is over cooked, greasy and way too much on the flavouring. One final point, what turned this report from 1 star to 2 stars is that the "dim sum" is OK for lunch.

Really good chinese food, try some fish dishes. Kind staff. A bit noisy and busy. They had TVs inside the restaurant for the Eurocup and I don't like football :(

really nice place, good food, lot of chinese people. Food is fresh and crispy, great. And price-quality relation is also good. Not to expensive. Try ist out and fel good.

We have been visiting Good Friends for over ten years now and have never been disappointed by the service or the quality of the food. The restaurant can be quite overfilled on the weekend so to all the annoyed people out there: reserve yourself a table!

Went to Good Friends for lunch and ordered grilled pork, duck and stir fry Choi Sam. The service was good and efficient, unlike some other restaurants with arrogant attitude from the waitresses. Food was tasty though grilled pork is a little too salty. Definitely an authentic Chinese cuisine. Will come back again in the future

Disappointing. Ordered a duck dish, was given chicken. Waiter argued in response to complaints. Maybe it's good Cantonese food for Berlin but paled in comparison to other cities. Would not pass muster in Alhambra or SF.

Not the best Chinese food in town in my opinion but it's always nice. The service truly is five stars. It's always easy to get a table.

Super yummy food and almost authentic like the food you may find in China.There are some pretty exotic cantonese dishes too.I was sitting close to the kitchen and was surprised to see the variety of the dishes they serve.and yes i was totally salivating!

You must set expectations here not too high! The Interior is completely outdated, it is loud and crowded! The waiter quickly overloaded and in Streß and forget ever order one or the other. The food was partly good, the fish is unfortunately not quite through. To order a second drink, you have to wait long. But even so I would have a second chance Good Friends.

Visited for the second time today and food was really delicious. First visit went for sweet and sour chicken then on the second visit decided to try fried noodles with beef and I LOVED IT! Also, generous portions. Must try!

Waiters are kind, but restaurant looks shabby and the food is the worst we've ever eaten. Nothing more to say.

Good Friends is a much hyped Chinese restaurant loved for its 'authentic' Chinese food by the local Berliners. It actually got another positive review in the Berlin zitty 2010/2011 restaurant guide...much to my surprise. The times I've eaten there, I left with a massive allergic reaction to their liberal use of MSG. My tongue was burned for hours. Based on the positive reviews in German, I can only conclude that most Germans have no clue when food is truly delicious or truly horrible. So, if your definition of authentic Chinese cooking includes lots of MSG and Indonesian and Japanese dishes, then this is the place for you! 1. The Food Decent if you're starving and haven't eaten in weeks. Awful if you're Chinese or grew up eating some kind of Chinese cuisine (Cantonese, Taiwanese, Hainan, Fujian, IndoChinese etc.). At Good Friends, they don't even stick to a particular cuisine, offering a variety of Asian dishes. Last time I checked, nasi goreng was Indonesian fried rice. Before trying some more 'authentic' dishes, I usually try the Won Ton soup or some other basic pork/meat dumpling because these are super easy to make and a good benchmark to gauge the kitchen and whether they use artificial MSG. Sadly, dumplings at Good Friends s are bland, overcooked and heavily MSG-ed. The plain steamed rice is decent, nothing special. Their veggie dishes are overcooked or oversteamed, most arriving in a post-limp state. In addition, most sauces and glaces rely heavily on cornstarch and are greasy and slimy. As for the dishes with meat, overly greasy and not of great quality. 2. The Staff Quick but not always eager to see you. If you order in Mandarin or Cantonese, they do become a bit friendlier. 3. The atmosphere Old-school Chinese restaurant, including the token cats, reddish interior, ducks in the window and aquariums with seafood. Relatively high quota of Chinese, some who cleverly order off-menu items or pre-order. 4. The damage Expect to pay 10-17 euros per entree. Drinks are 2-10. Beer, not so much wine. 5. Useful tidbits Make a reservation elsewhere.

3.5 stars. After getting off the plane, the first thing i wanted to eat wasn't any German grubs (wursts and the surprising popularity of boba tea), but for some Chinese food. I'm an Asian gal at heart afterall. And I guess when in a foreign land, you crave for homey meals. Luckily, our hotel was very close to many Asian restaurants and one of them was Good Friends, which has been firing up the wok in Berlin for quite awhile. The dishes are mainly Canton-style, with great emphasis on seafoods, dim sum and the typical 'Chinese' rice and noodle dishes. With low expectation, we were surprised by the 'wok hei' from the stir-fry rice noodle and the availability of Chinese vegetables. Each main entree includes a BIG tub of rice (a bit dry and definitely not jasmine rice), which is meant to fill you up, family style. Although the price tags are doubled what I'd pay for in NYC Chinatown, I happily patronized several Asian restaurants during my trip to Berlin. The cooking skills are definitely on par with what I experience here and better yet, the foods were fresh and sauce not overly-salted, but do inform the wait staff that you do not want MSG in your food because Chinese restaurants do add on this flavor-enhancer.

I like this place! The staff are not always the friendliest bunch but they are not unfriendly or rude and the food is great! Here we ordered 4 types Dim Sum as a starter all of which tasted great, no essence of rubber like I have experienced in other restaurants. Mapo Tofu was very tasty and a little spicy (mildly spicy for a chilly eater such as myself). The fried scallops with king prawns,macadamia nuts and fresh asparagus was very nice if a bit pricey for what you get. I shared all of this with someone else of course. The restaurant is often busy and has many Chinese customers which is usually a good indicator of quality for a Chinese restaurant. They have seats outside in the summer, if you are a non-smoker try to get a table upwind from the others!

Many people love this restaurant, and there really is delicious! Such as soup with prawns ... But how do we prepare the duck did not like! There are dishes that are not found in other Chinese restaurants! Worth a visit and make up your experience ...

OMG! I found a chinese restaurant that serves Dim Sum around the clock...the other dishes are not bad either. It's just a little funny the bus boy and waiter all spoke German and not English. It's a good thing I spoke Chinese

The best Chinese I've had in Berlin. I miss china town a lot. Good Friends eased that a bit.

From 1 (worst) to 5 (best) Food taste: 3 Good. Food variety: 4 A lot. Price: 3 OK. Mobility: Easy to reach. Recommendation and comment: With reservation is better. Above average chinese restaurant.

Very good and authentic food and it's well priced. Simple veg dishes, like the asparagus with garlic, are amazing!!!! Sesame balls are a must try here too!!!

Good tradisonal chinese food, a bit stressome athmosphere. The service could be better...

Good friends is my one of my favourite dim sum restaurant in Berlin. The steamed dishes are soft, delicate and well made. The fillings are fresh and innovative. The food is marvellous, the staff are friendly and the restaurant itself is neat & clean, don't await any big decorations. Mostly people come here to eat good food, defenatielly not for wonderful atmosphere.

Best hot and sour soup I've ever had. Very big menu with regular and Cantonese offerings. Large seating area but it is pretty busy so don't forget to call ahead.

Amazing! Nice dim sum. Great main dishes. Good desserts. This is the real Chinese food :) Everything falls perfectly

Being in Berlin quite on regular basis, I was looking for good Chinese restaurants for some time and once this place was recommended. However, when I tried this place, I realised that this is merely one of the chinese restaurants using glutama, and very low quality of cuisine! Whethere one is connoisseur of chinese food or not, the value for good food has somehow universally shared notion: fresh ingredients and not too fatty and etc. The dumsum we had there were nothing special, and in particular the fish dises we ordered, I knew immediately that it was dried fish and not fresh fish! Fortunately, later I ve got to know other places where one can have excellent dim sum and other Asian food. Good friends serves indeed chinese food but low qualtiy of food.

Wir gehen bei fast jedem Berlinbesuch hier hin. Ist ein wenig wie ein kleiner Urlaub im Urlaub. Den meisten Rezensionen kann ich nur beipflichten: Die Speisekarte ist sehr umfangreich und doch haben wir bei allen probierten Gerichten noch nie einen Reinfall erlebt. Die Gerichte schmecken meines Erachtens ähnlich wie ich sie in Peking erwarten würde, aber ich meine, dass einige kleine Kompromisse für den deutschen Gaumen gemacht werden, was ich positiv sehe. Wer jedoch das Ambiente und den Geschmack der normalen 0 8 15 Chinarestaurants in Deutschland sucht, sollte einen Bogen um dieses Restaurant machen, da er wahrscheinlich enttäuscht wird. Unsere Kinder lieben Shrimps, Reis und Nudeln in allen Varianten. Wir Erwachsenen wagen uns dann schon mal auch an etwas schärferes.Der Preis ist für die Qualität angemessen. Die Bedienung ist freundlich. Wir freuen uns schon auf das Nächste Mal in diesem Restaurant.

This place was recommended by a friend, and so tonight we had dinner here. It was ok -- nothing bad, but not great. Service was good and fairly prompt. Overall, it's a bit too expensive for what you get, and there's better Asian (if not Chinese) in the neighbourhood.

The Dim Sum is NOT good and WAY to expensive for its quality. I have been to other places and this Place is the worst. If you like to experience REAL traditional Dim Sum in good quality, better go to Long March Canteen or Yumcha Heros! There You actually enjoy the food, for the same price!

food is not all that it's hyped up to be, prices are kinda steep and their service sucks...

I've been going to Good Friends for almost 2 years and have to say the food isn't as good as it was when I first started going there. The Dim Sum tray, although expensive, remains excellent. The other dishes are OK, but not great. Some tend to be a little greasy. I have found better Chinese restaurants in Berlin since then. I was last there about 2 weeks ago and the food was not that good and was NOT hot and spicy as stated on the menu. I had to use a whole jar of the chili sauce. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this one anymore.

most authentic chinese venue in town. great staff. reservation absolutely recommended. go for the waiters suggestions. forget the menu. live lobsters and freshest vegetables.

After we saw the (mixed but mostly positive) reviews, we decided to give this place a shot. We ordered the Peking Duck. The pancakes were very light and thin, and the duck was excellent. The soup we ordered was very authentic. Everything was quite good. We had no problem getting a table indoors (however, it was a Sunday night). Those looking for an Asian fix, this place is perfect.

I am a often visitor of this restaurant and their food always kept everytime I visit in a excellent quality. I got some friends from san fran visited me last week and we tried ming dynasty their food was too fat and too much oil. I thought maybe this is a nice restaurant and not too lousy like good friends so I brought my friends there but the food wasn't nice. It's more a western chinese style NOT real chinese food where u get at GOOD FRIENDS. I would rather recommend good friends if u like to have REAL chinese food

5 sterne dafuer, weil der authentischste chinese in berlin. gibt es schon seit ich denken kann, und ist meist gefuellt mit vielen chinesen. keine rind/schwein/huhn mit rote/weisse/gruene curry sauce nein, hier gibt es china essen, wie es in china selbst nicht anders ist. nun, chinesisch ist schon geschmackssache, gerade wenn mann die viet/chinesischen restaurants gewohnt ist aber wer es wirklich wissen will, sollte hier her kommen. preise ok, bedienung ok. ( da nur ok ein stern abzug)

Mein liebling chinesische Restaurant in Berlin. Das Essen ist lecker. Die Zubereitung ist sehr schnell. Ich wündere mich wie sie so schnell machen kann. Sehr empfehlenwert