Tastes like it used to: Rogacki brings classic Berlin recipes to the cookbook
Anyone in Berlin who hears the name Rogacki doesn't just think of any old delicatessen.
Berlin classics for home cooking
This cookbook brings together 64 original recipes from the Rogacki archive. The focus is on those dishes that generations of Berliners associate with the Rogacki name. These include the legendary potato salad, Berlin-style meatballs, herring prepared in the traditional style, crispy fried fish, dill bites, fish soup, and eggs in mustard sauce. Also featured are Königsberger Klopse (meatballs in a white sauce), beetroot soup, dark rye bread with scrambled eggs and smoked eel, and fried plaice with bacon. Many of these dishes are classic Berlin everyday fare. In addition, the numerous fish dishes reflect the tradition that Rogacki shaped over decades.
The story does not begin in Charlottenburg.
What many customers today don't know: Rogacki's story didn't begin in Charlottenburg. The company originated in 1928 as an eel smokehouse in Wedding. Over the following decades, the small family business developed into a Berlin institution. Only later did the branch on Wilmersdorfer Straße become the heart of the business and the place to be in West Berlin. Regular customers, neighbors, businesspeople, and celebrities met there, and it wasn't uncommon to linger after shopping. Around the overflowing counter with its fish, sausages, and delicacies, Rogacki was simultaneously a meeting place, a canteen, and a social hub. Rogacki represented a Berlin that took its time: for a chat or for a glass of sparkling wine with oysters.
The change after the death of the owner
The recent history of this traditional company is closely linked to the fate of its long-time owner, Dietmar Rogacki. He led the family business in its third generation.
Following his tragic death in a house fire at his Staaken villa in May 2025, the company faced an existential crisis. A few months later, the flagship store on Wilmersdorfer Straße closed, and the company filed for bankruptcy. With Rogacki's demise, a place where people had shopped, eaten, chatted, and made memories for decades disappeared. But those memories will be preserved.
The new owners of the naming rights and recipes, Jan Spielhagen and Daniel-Jan Girl, also have personal childhood memories associated with the traditional company. Daniel-Jan Girl grew up just around the corner and regularly shopped at Rogacki with his mother. For Jan Spielhagen, the delicacies graced the family table on weekends.
Her book, which was created through a crowdfunding campaign, is just the first step. The Rogacki brand is to be carefully revived. Plans include events, pop-up concepts, and, in the long term, even a new flagship store for the 100th anniversary in 2028.
