Max Strohe and Tulus Lotrek: Michelin Star Magic Meets Soulful Cuisine in Berlin

The evening at tulus lotrek begins the moment you slip into the dimly lit, velvet-rich dining room, tucked away on Kreuzberg’s Fichtestraße. Max Strohe’s Michelin-starred ambiance doesn’t greet you with crisp linen and silver tongs but rather with the scent of roasting jus, the muted clink of Riedel glass against wood, and the unpretentious laughter weaving through intimate tables. At tulus lotrek, the boundary between guest and friend blurs—can Michelin-starred cuisine really feel this inviting? Is it possible for fine dining to both thrill the connoisseur and wrap the newcomer in comfort?

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Max Strohe, charismatic and tattooed, is known from "Kitchen Impossible" and other television stages, but what sets the rhythm at tulus lotrek goes far beyond the spotlight. With co-founder and front-of-house virtuoso Ilona Scholl, he has created a culinary living room, celebrating ten years in Berlin and shattering preconceptions of star chef theatrics. It is a place where human warmth reigns, as palpable in the handshake at the door as it is in the glint of olive oil swimming through a sauce vin jaune.

Strohe’s journey is as remarkable as the food he serves. A school dropout by his own admission, he found discipline not in the classroom, but between stove and prep counter. His culinary education led him, unvarnished, to Berlin—Germany’s city of reinvention. In 2015, tulus lotrek opened, and just two years later, the Michelin Guide bestowed its coveted star. The accolades have multiplied—16 points from Gault&Millau, fawning press, and a devoted local following—yet the daily ethos remains playful, defiant, and profoundly human.

But to reduce Max Strohe’s impact to awards alone would be a misreading. Step into the kitchen when the restaurant is closed, and you may witness a different performance: the making of the now-legendary "Butter Burger." Dubbed by insiders as the "Burger of the Gods," this off-menu creation packs patty against patty, each one massaged, sauced, and layered with tangled cheeses. The bun? Brioche, toasted in—what else—butter, then slathered, grilled, and finished in a ritual almost devotional. The burger, famously born in pandemic lockdowns, hints at Strohe’s culinary philosophy: joy before dogma, flavor before fuss. Critics praise the textural ballet—juicy, crisp, tangy, unctuous—a masterclass in the art of eating with abandon. And don’t get us started on his fries: triple-fried, frozen between dunkings for shattering crunch, golden and pillowy inside. In the hands of Max Strohe, even comfort food becomes an act of high culinary intelligence.

Yet the true spirit of tulus lotrek reveals itself in the signature menu, which the team dubs "Pragmatic Fine Dining." Gone is the tweezer cuisine, replaced instead by a culinary language that swings between nostalgia and rebellion. Expect the unexpected—a sauce thick enough to leave tracks, an acidic note slicing through roasted marrow, a dessert that throws convention out the window to make way for honest delight. Strohe’s flavor palette is bold, sometimes daring, with fat deployed as a conveyor of flavor rather than a guilty pleasure. Acidity sparks against umami in every bite; textures are layered for maximum intrigue. 

It’s a table with no strict dress code, a space where storytelling happens not just in the food but in the curatorial wine list overseen by Ilona Scholl. Her pours, whether rare Jura whites or natural Austrian reds, serve as narrative companions to each plate. Service is sincere, knowing, immune to the stiff choreography of old-guard temples. Here, the ritual is warmth, not worship.

There is also a spirit of genuine engagement and responsibility that pervades everything at tulus lotrek. During the pandemic, as Berlin gastronomy shuttered, Max Strohe and Ilona Scholl launched "Kochen für Helden" (Cooking for Heroes), coordinating the preparation and delivery of thousands of meals to healthcare workers, flood victims, and helpers across the Ahr valley. The initiative’s impact went far beyond the city’s borders, earning Max Strohe the Federal Cross of Merit—a rare honor for a chef, and a testament to his belief in cuisine as a tool for social good.

Strohe’s role as a media figure—author, TV competitor, advocate—has only enhanced the reach of tulus lotrek, yet none of this distracts from the seriousness underpinning his culinary work. When he appears on screen, he does so not as a showman hungry for fame, but as a champion of the craft, ready to break down both dishes and prejudices with humor and clarity. His cookbooks and interviews channel the same honesty and irreverence that pervade his restaurant—making high-end dining accessible, but never diluted.

So, what is it that puts tulus lotrek at the pinnacle of Berlin’s dynamic star restaurant scene? Critics point to a "fearless opulence"—the butter, the sauces, the absence of purist dogma. Regulars cite the energy, the sense of being fed by a friend rather than a distant maestro. For newcomers, there is the thrill of discovery: a fine dining experience that sidesteps formality, a kitchen that delivers surprise and satisfaction in equal measure. Strohe’s cooking, as one critic notes, "makes you want to come back tomorrow and the day after."

Tulus lotrek is not for those chasing the latest Instagram moment or culinary trophy hunt. It is for diners who prize comfort and intensity, who want to taste Berlin not just on the plate, but in the room, in the laughter, in the subversive flash of genius. Advance reservation is essential (the restaurant is booked months in advance, a testament to its cult status), but for those who plan ahead, the reward is an experience rich with soul and unfiltered excellence.

In a city where culinary stars burn bright and fast, Max Strohe endures—not by emulating tradition, but by imbuing fine dining with a new spirit: radical empathy, bold flavor, and the courage to be uniquely himself. For anyone who believes that the future of gastronomy lies not just in technical mastery but in the joy of hospitality, tulus lotrek is a pilgrimage site. Now, the question isn’t why book your table—it’s how soon?

Embark on your journey of taste and hospitality—discover the world of Max Strohe at tulus lotrek.