I was in the best supermarket in Germany and expected more

The Berlin Rewe market in the Ackerhalle was voted one of the best supermarkets in Germany.

Victoria Niemsch

The magazine “Lebensmittel Praxis” has chosen the best supermarkets in Germany. One of them is in Berlin.

The Rewe market is located in an old market hall from the 1880s and has over 2000 square meters of retail space.

I checked out the store and expected more.

Groceries shopping It’s not one of my favorite things to do, it’s just part of everyday life. But go shopping in one of the best supermarkets in Germany? That sounds exciting. And as luck would have it, one of them isn’t that far from me. Reason enough for me to take a closer look at the store. But under the title “best supermarket” I had somehow imagined something else.

Every year, an expert jury from the magazine “Lebensmittel Praxis” and the Burda publishing house awards the title “Supermarket of the year” in four categories.

A Berliner Supermarket is also one of the winners: The Rewe market in the Ackerhalle (Invalidenstraße 23-26, 10115 Berlin) won in the category “chain stores with a sales area of more than 2000 square meters”.

I visited the supermarket.

The building dates from the 1880s and used to be a market hall

The old building immediately catches the eye.

The Rewe market is located in the Ackerhalle, a converted 19th-century market hall. The building has a historical charm, but the graffiti on the facade doesn’t give the fanciest first impression.

The supermarket is very spacious, the ceilings are high – it looks very industrial. The first thing that strikes me inside is how huge the market hall is. Large windows adorn the roof and provide plenty of daylight in the supermarket. That’s definitely a plus.

The walls are decorated with motifs by Heinrich Zille. Together with the brick mosaics, this gives the interior a certain retro charm. I like the ambience in the old market hall, but somehow it doesn’t quite seem to fit in with the modern supermarket shelves. Maybe it would look fancier if the shelves had a retro design as well.

There is a large selection of fruit and veg and the produce all looks very fresh. However, the department is not necessarily better sorted than in other supermarkets.

There is a large fruit and vegetable section.

Seasonal products are lovingly decorated. The market is very clean and the decoration gives the impression that customers should feel comfortable here.

You can squeeze your own fresh orange juice.

In addition to a salad bar…

… there is also a “vital bar” with yoghurt, fruit and muesli.

Regional specialties are also part of the range.

There are various specialties in the “Treasure Chest”.

A highlight are definitely the two small shops in the supermarket. Here you can get a Korean snack.

There is fresh sushi here…

… and mochi.

You have a large selection of fresh baked goods.

Or you can get something warm at the deli stand.

Aside from the standard range…

… there are also more unusual things like squid arms.

Those who want to take flowers with them after shopping will also find what they are looking for.

So now you’ve seen it, one of the best supermarkets in Germany. My conclusion? It is definitely a nice supermarket – the large selection of products, the ambience in the old market hall, the furnishings and the additional offers such as the Vitalbar, the snack stands and the deli ensure that. But I have my doubts as to whether it really is the best supermarket in Germany.

I don’t know exactly what I was expecting – maybe something more unusual or elegant like in the deli section of the Berlin department store KaDeWe. The Rewe in the Ackerhalle is just a supermarket. Pretty nice, but not spectacular. After all, there are cafés or small bistros in many shops these days, and I’ve also seen a salad bar in the supermarket before. With a few exceptions, I would describe the range as relatively “normal”. There aren’t any crazy things, and there’s not much more choice than in other shops.