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Marco Müller grew up between Potsdam and the Brandenburg countryside, where cooking was part of his life before it became his profession. Barred from taking his Abitur because of his family's political views in the GDR, he turned to the kitchen instead – and found his calling. After early years training in Berlin and a formative stint under two-Michelin-star chef Johannes King on Sylt, he took the helm at Rutz in 2004. What followed was the steady construction of one of Germany's most distinctive culinary identities: a regional German kitchen built almost entirely from scratch, from the producers up. Today, Rutz holds three Michelin stars – the first restaurant in Berlin to reach that level.
Could you please tell our community a bit about yourself and what you do?
I'm the head chef at Rutz in Berlin, which holds three Michelin stars. The restaurant was named after Lars Rutz, its co-founder, and I came on board in 2004. We cook with the German regions as our foundation – working with local producers, developing our own ferments, and trying to give German produce the standing it deserves. That's been the project from the beginning.
What are you currently working on or excited about?
Right now I'm fascinated by lobster from the Helgoland island in the North Sea. It’s the same species as the Breton lobster – but it has a different flavor. More intense, more mineral, rougher. For a long time, it was so undervalued that it was processed as animal feed.
Today the catch is strictly regulated and female lobsters may not be caught. And because the tails are more sought after, the claws are more accessible on the market – which is exactly what I find more interesting. The claw has more character, more texture, more distinctiveness than the tail.
We're currently working on integrating lobster claws into our menu. Where that leads, we don't know yet.
How would you describe the restaurant scene in Berlin at the moment?
Berlin has never been stronger than it is now. When I arrived here thirty years ago, it was a culinary wasteland — the service was rude, regional German cooking didn't exist as a serious dining alternative, and if you wanted good German food you went to an Austrian restaurant. What's happened since is extraordinary. The diversity, the quality, the individuality — it's remarkable. We have world-class cocktail bars, burger places run by former fine dining chefs, serious Asian restaurants, and a growing generation of smaller kitchens doing genuinely interesting work. Berlin has always been international by nature, and that spirit is fully alive in the food now.
What are three restaurants in Berlin you particularly enjoy, and why?
Bandol sur Mer – probably the best meal I've had in Berlin recently. It's tiny — barely sixteen seats, formerly a kebab shop — with green walls and the menu chalked on a blackboard. Two or three people in the kitchen. But the cooking is outstanding: regional, precise, genuinely good ideas. A French bistro feeling with the product focus of somewhere much more serious.
Goldies – run by two former chefs from Sven Elverfeld's three-Michelin-star kitchen in Wolfsburg. Smash burgers done properly — you can taste the quality of the beef, the buns are perfect, and they make a cheeseburger where you dip it into liquid cheese that's actually very good. The details are right. Four locations in Berlin.
893 Ryōtei – The Duc Ngo's place. He's Vietnamese by origin, grew up in Berlin, and fell in love with Japanese cuisine. The result is a fusion cooking that works not because it's trying to be clever, but because it comes from real knowledge and curiosity. I was going to his first restaurant Kuchi every two weeks for years. 893 Ryōtei is where he's at his most interesting now. Outstanding cocktails too.
Is there a newer restaurant in Berlin that you think is doing especially interesting things?
Bandol sur Mer, which I mentioned – it's not brand new, but it came out of nowhere in terms of quality. A former kebab shop in Mitte with one Michelin star and some of the most focused cooking in the city.
Are there any hidden gems in Berlin you would like to highlight – and what would you order there?
Blomeyer's Käse in Charlottenburg. It's not a restaurant but it deserves a place on any serious eating list. Fritz Blomeyer has built something I believe is unique in Germany: a cheese shop dedicated entirely to German cheese, sourced from small farms, aged properly. His wife makes what I think is the best French baguette in Berlin. Just go, stand at the counter, and eat whatever he puts in front of you.
Hot Spot – For a proper restaurant, the Cantonese place run by Mr. Wu – he's been going for twenty years and hasn't renovated once. The aubergine in fish fragrance is one of the best things I’ve eaten in this city. I always order at least two portions.
What is your favorite dish and where is your favorite restaurant to have it?
Königsberger Klopse – poached meatballs in a caper sauce with potato purée. It's a childhood memory; my grandmother made them, and they've almost disappeared from restaurants in Berlin. We used to make them at Rutz: half Duroc pork, half veal, our own garum instead of anchovies, capers we bake ourselves, char caviar on top, and a potato purée with so much brown butter it's almost a sauce. If you want to eat them in Berlin now, go to Rutz Zollhaus, our more informal second restaurant.
Is there an up-and-coming chef you think is doing great things?
My former sous chef Dennis Quetsch, who has just opened a small restaurant in Bavaria. He was with me for thirteen years – I taught him everything I could, and then we developed much of it together. He asked for time to get established in his place quietly, so I'd rather not say more yet. But I'm watching him closely.
Is there a food expert or curator whose restaurant recommendations you would particularly want to hear?
Jürgen Dollase. He's possibly the most knowledgeable food critic Germany has ever had – someone who truly understood flavour, technique, and vision, not just in theory but on the plate. He was one of the very few critics who understood early what we were trying to do at Rutz. That matters to me still.
