Remi in Mitte: 11-Member Jury Honors the Chef

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Remi in Mitte: 11-Member Jury Honors the Chef.

Lode van Zuylen stands for an award that cannot be exhausted in a restaurant ranking or a single dish. The economic development corporation Berlin Partner honored him as Berlin Master Chef 2026. The award ceremony took place on Saturday evening at the former Tempelhof Airport. Van Zuylen is behind “Remi” in the Suhrkamp-building on Torstraße in Mitte.

The Tagesspiegel’s report and Zeit’s portrayal put the focus on a point that can easily get lost in a simple ranking report: The jury sees the chef as both a gastronomer and a host. The restaurant is intended to invite people into the heart of Berlin without forcing them into a fixed category.

The Title Goes to the Chef, Not Just the Venue

The jury’s central decision is unambiguous. Lode van Zuylen was named Berlin Master Chef 2026, prevailing over five other nominated chefs. This makes the decision a competition between individual people, rather than merely a recommendation for an address.

The Master Chef title is not tied to any prize money. Van Zuylen received no additional payment for the award. According to the available information, the prize lies in the recognition bestowed by the independent expert jury of the Berlin Master Chefs. According to the source, it includes, among others, journalists and gastronomic critics.

Why the Jury Chose “Remi” in Particular

The jury’s reasoning provides an unusually clear insight into the concept. The jury described van Zuylen as a chef who was just as much a gastronomer as a host. In its statement, it said he invites the whole city into the “beautiful restaurant” in the Suhrkamp building on Torstraße without making guests decide in advance whether “Remi” is fine dining, a place for gathering or a grand café.

In doing so, the jury identified a gesture that was central to the selection: The venue opens itself to different expectations without surrendering its own identity. The three terms do not constitute an official classification of the restaurant. They describe the different ways guests can experience “Remi.” They also fit van Zuylen’s background in the Dutch-Flemish tradition, from which the chef comes.

The Menu Makes the Dutch Connection Tangible

On “Remi’s” menu, you will find not only dishes that fit a modern Berlin restaurant. The source text names, among others, celeriac cordon bleu with tartare sauce and carrots, braised venison with watercress and horseradish and mackerel with coriander and mussels. This selection conveys a culinary profile in which European ingredients and clear flavors work together.

The connection to van Zuylen’s Dutch-Flemish roots becomes even more evident on the starters menu. It includes Bitterballen, fried meat croquettes, and Frikandel, a type of fried meat roll. The title therefore cannot be explained solely by the atmosphere. The cuisine gives tangible substance to the principle of being both a “host and a gastronomer.”

Six Other Berlin Awards Show the Breadth of the Ceremony

The Berlin Master Chefs award not just one title for work in the kitchen. Alongside van Zuylen, six other awards were presented at the ceremony. They range from the menu and the host to bar culture and gastronomic concepts.

• Tanadon Santanaviboon of “Hanuman Thai Curry House” and “Rram” was named Breakthrough of the Year.
• Isabell Wendel of “Bricole” is Berlin’s Host of the Year.
• The restaurant “Saint Farah” was named Berlin’s Scene Restaurant.
• The “Tresen-Treff” in Wilmersdorf received the title “Berlin Kiezmeister 2026.”
• The cocktail bar “Rum Trader” was honored for Berlin bar culture.
• Gastronomers Anja and Carsten Schmidt were honored as culinary innovators.

This range explains why the competition presents more than just chefs. The jury is looking for different forms of hospitality, advancement, atmosphere and innovation.

A Berlin Format Awarded Since 1997

The Berlin Master Chefs is not a competition invented on a whim. Since 1997, people from the gastronomy sector or culinary concepts in various categories have been honored every year. Van Zuylen’s title for 2026 thus joins a long line of decisions.

Looking at “Remi,” the core of the award remains concrete: Lode van Zuylen won the title of Berlin Master Chef 2026 against five other nominees. The jury celebrated the host who, with Dutch-Flemish roots, opened an address on Torstraße where food, atmosphere and community come together. The six other awards show that this recognition honors an entire Berlin culinary culture — but the biggest individual highlight of the ceremony belongs to the man behind Remi.