El Borriquito

The "El Borriquito", in German "Das Eselchen", on the corner of Wielandstrasse and Kantstrasse in Charlottenburg is one of the foundations of Spanish gastronomy in Berlin. “We have been open every day between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m. since December 1972. Often it was even later, I mean earlier, ”recalls José Antelo García, whom everyone calls Pepe. From the beginning, the Borriquito was a place for night owls. The Abraxas disco was around the corner. After an exhausting disco night, dancers strengthened themselves here. In addition, the bar with fiery flamenco music was a place to go for waiters and cooks who had finished work and came by for a nightcap. "Or more. ¡Que tiempos! - What times! ”Pepe muses. A smile crosses the face of the slightly stocky man with a curly gray hairstyle. With attentive eyes he registers the guests arriving in batches. Around 7 p.m. the large terrace is full and the taproom is half full. It has hardly changed since it opened in December 1974. At the front a large painting in the style of Goya's Caprichos with a little donkey, from the ceiling and walls hanging garlic braids that cannot be counted. Wooden wagon wheels, from which dipped light bulbs give off dull yellow light, function as lamps. Rural tools such as flails and wooden forks provide a rustic feel. “It stays that way,” declares María de Pilar Jímenez, Pepe's wife, resolutely. He met the “jefa” thirty years ago in the Borriquito. Two years later son José was born, now the owner of the restaurant. His brother Javier, 23, also works here. “You just have to keep running such a well-running shop,” say the sons. Before he orders the fish from the dealer, son José goes through the order with father Pepe. If, as in the interview, a chef is absent, Pepe rolls up his sleeves and prepares the excellent paella, the tender fish or the juicy garlic prawns himself. “There weren't many Spanish products in the past,” says María. “Fish was completely frozen. Instead of Serrano ham, we sold Italian. The chorizo ​​paprika sausage was made by a Belgian butcher according to our recipe. Fortunately, that has completely changed ”. In the mid-seventies, the Borriquito was the contact point for Chileans who fled to East or West Berlin from the military dictatorship. “They ate garlic chicken or paella, 7.50 D-Marks per portion,” reports Pepe. Today the rice dish costs 12.50 euros. This puts you at the lower end of the price range in Berlin. "Work, work, work - and prefer a full store than high prices," says Pepe, revealing his recipe for four decades of successful gastronomy. Even today, the first thing the waiters do is to put a free glass of sherry and a homemade tapa in front of the guests.