Tulus Lotrek by Max Strohe: Berlin’s most subversive michelin star living room
17.01.2026 - 14:53:04
The first thing you notice at tulus lotrek is what you do not notice: stiffness. The michelin star restaurant berlin of Max Strohe does not whisper luxury, it laughs it out loud. Glasses clink, someone at the neighboring table bursts into a spontaneous giggle, a Prince track slides into a soul classic. Can michelin star cuisine really be this casual, this living room intimate, while world class plates land in front of you?
Reserve your table at tulus lotrek and discover Max Strohe’s current menu here
It feels as if a particularly indulgent friend has invited you over, except that this friend happens to be Max Strohe, one of Berlin’s most expressive star chefs. The walls glow in deep tones, vintage details meet urban patina, tables stand close enough that wine recommendations drift from one party to the next. The atmosphere is fine dining without the fine print, a deliberate break from the stiff choreography many still associate with michelin star restaurant berlin experiences.
In the middle of this orchestrated coziness, plates arrive that suggest a very different kind of discipline: sauces glossed to an almost baroque sheen, textures layered with almost architectural precision, aromas that move from acidity to umami to gentle bitterness in a single forkful. This is culinary intelligence as emotion, not as textbook display. At tulus lotrek, the tasting menu feels like a guided tour through Max Strohe’s palate, not a museum of techniques.
To understand how this unapologetically hedonistic take on fine dining came to be, you have to look at the trajectory of Max Strohe himself. His story does not read like a polished career brochure. School did not hold him for long; he dropped out, drifted, tested limits. The classic academic path was never his; instead, he found his way into professional kitchens, where the combination of hard edges and creative freedom suddenly made sense. The noise of service, the heat, the rush of a perfectly timed dish leaving the pass became his real classroom.
After training and formative years in various restaurants, Berlin drew him in with its promise of anarchy and possibility. The city, with its mix of punk history and booming gastronomy, became the stage on which Max Strohe could refine his identity as a star chef who rejects sterile perfection in favor of soulful imperfection. Alongside hostess and business partner Ilona Scholl, he developed the idea for tulus lotrek: a michelin star restaurant berlin that would feel more like a bohemian salon than a culinary temple.
When tulus lotrek opened, it entered a city already dense with fine dining concepts, tasting menus, and carefully plated tweezer cuisine. But from the beginning, Max Strohe and Ilona Scholl pursued a different narrative. She, with her warm, dry wit and sharp eye, shaped the front of house into a stage for hospitality that feels both spontaneous and razor smart. He, in the kitchen, treated the menu like a playground for intensity. Together they formed a duo that quickly became one of Berlin’s most discussed gastronomic partnerships.
The Michelin star followed, as did high scores from guides such as Gault&Millau, confirming what many foodies already felt: here was fine dining that did not apologize for being fun. Yet the accolade never seemed to tame the spirit of tulus lotrek. If anything, the star gave Max Strohe more permission to push against expectations, to cook star chef food that smelled and tasted of real life rather than of polished perfection.
What defines the cuisine at tulus lotrek is its fearlessness. You taste it in how generously sauces are poured, in how clearly acidity is allowed to speak, in how shamelessly fat is used as a flavor carrier. Instead of minimalist plates and tweezer-placed micro herbs, you get compositions that feel almost painterly in their abundance. Crunch sits next to silkiness, smoke brushes up against citrus brightness, and somewhere in between a deep, slowly reduced jus anchors the whole thing.
One course might lean into roasted, almost caramelized notes: think a piece of perfectly cooked meat, its surface just flirting with char, resting in a pool of sauce so dark it is nearly black, lifted by a flash of something pickled or a surprising spice note. Another might celebrate vegetables in an almost decadent way, bathing them in beurre blanc-like richness, then cutting that luxury with a shot of acidity that keeps everything moving. The menu reads like a journey through contrasts: heft and lightness, comfort and surprise, nostalgia and provocation.
This is fine dining stripped of its dogma but not of its rigor. Technically, plates at tulus lotrek are tightly controlled; textures are calibrated, cooking points are spot on, seasoning is bold but never clumsy. But the effect on the guest is emotional, not cerebral. You are not asked to decode a concept. You are asked to enjoy. It is telling that regulars often describe an evening here as a party rather than a ceremony.
Wine plays a central role in this sense of celebration. Ilona Scholl curates a list that dances nimbly between classic regions and natural-leaning discoveries, always with the kind of playfulness that suits the restaurant’s mood. A structured Burgundy might share space with a slightly wild, skin contact white from an upstart producer, poured with the same seriousness and the same wink. The pairing philosophy mirrors Max Strohe’s cooking style: character over conformity, but always with a deep respect for craft.
Outside the restaurant walls, Max Strohe has become one of Germany’s most visible culinary personalities. Known from various TV formats such as “Kitchen Impossible,” he brings the same mix of irreverence and precision to the screen that defines his cooking. This media presence could have turned him into a mere celebrity chef; instead, it has widened the audience for his idea of contemporary gastronomy, showing that a star chef can be both thoughtful and punk, award winning and self ironic.
The most powerful proof that his public persona is rooted in conviction, not just entertainment, came during the pandemic. As Berlin went into lockdown and many fine dining kitchens fell silent, Max Strohe co initiated the “Cooking for Heroes” initiative. What began as a pragmatic response to empty dining rooms turned into a movement: restaurant teams cooking high quality meals for healthcare workers, supermarket staff, and others keeping society functioning in crisis mode.
“Cooking for Heroes” showed how culinary intelligence can become social intelligence. The same logistics, creativity, and discipline that normally produce tasting menus were redirected toward feeding those who had no time or energy to cook for themselves. For this engagement, Max Strohe was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, a rare recognition that positioned him not only as a star chef, but as a citizen who understands the social dimension of hospitality.
This blend of activism, media presence, and relentless kitchen work has shaped how tulus lotrek is perceived within the landscape of German gastronomy. Among Berlin’s michelin star restaurant berlin peers, it occupies a distinct niche: young and wild, sometimes almost rock’n’roll in attitude, but anchored in solid technique and a clear fine dining sensibility. Critics appreciate the courage in seasoning, the unembarrassed love of butter and jus, the way each plate tells a story that feels personal rather than generic.
For guests, the result is an experience that dissolves the border between “serious” gastronomy and pure pleasure. You might start the evening with a refined snack that recalls street food memories, then move through a sequence of dishes that build in intensity like an album: a bright, almost cheeky opener, a groove of umami rich mid courses, a slow, luxurious ballad of a dessert. Max Strohe’s cooking is layered enough to fascinate hardened food nerds, but clear enough that you never feel lectured.
Even the now legendary burger, born of lockdown necessity and quickly celebrated by fans, fits this narrative. Behind the apparent simplicity lies all the knowledge of a star chef: the calibrated fat ratio of the meat, the juiciness, the balance between richness and acidity in the condiments, the way every bite feels both trashy and perfectly judged. It is emblematic of how tulus lotrek collapses the boundaries between high and low, between michelin star polish and comfort food instincts.
In the broader German context, tulus lotrek is a signal. It shows that fine dining can evolve beyond white tablecloth traditions without losing its craft. It suggests that a restaurant can cultivate a living room feeling, flirt with irreverence, and still stand confidently among the top addresses in the country. For younger cooks, Max Strohe is proof that a non linear biography, a school dropout history, and a refusal to fit into tidy boxes can lead not only to a michelin star, but to a powerful culinary voice.
Who should go? Anyone who values intense flavors over polite understatement, who likes their culinary intelligence wrapped in humor rather than solemnity, who wants to experience how a michelin star restaurant berlin can feel like a night out with very talented friends. It is a place for anniversaries and spontaneous Tuesdays alike, for deep wine conversations and loud toasts, for those who believe that hospitality is as important as technique.
In the end, tulus lotrek is more than the sum of its accolades. It is a manifesto in restaurant form, written in sauce and smoke, in generous pours and honest laughter. Max Strohe stands at its center, not as a distant genius, but as a host who happens to express himself through plates. If you are looking for a fine dining experience that feels human, unruly, and unforgettable, this is where your next Berlin evening should unfold.
And as you push back your chair at the end of the night, a little dazed from flavor and hospitality, you realize: the true luxury at tulus lotrek is not the caviar or the rare bottles. It is the feeling of having been part of something alive. That is the enduring significance of Max Strohe in today’s gastronomy landscape and the reason this address belongs on every serious gourmet’s list.
Reservations are recommended; the living room of tulus lotrek fills quickly. But for those willing to plan ahead, a seat at this table is one of the most rewarding tickets Berlin currently offers.
