Fondue is right now the best way to beat the cold weather outside. I would normally go for Hot Pot but this time I wanted to try the “western version” and decided to give it a try at Ars Vini 🙂
Ars Vini is Berlin’s first Fondue Restaurant that opens its door since 2003. In comparison to other fondue places, they are not only specialized in only one type but in a variety of fondues. Ranging from meat, fish and vegetable fondue to the classical cheese fondue. And if that’s not enough, they even have chocolate fondue on their menu! Sounds like a fondue place on heaven? We shall see… 😉 
To be on the safe side I reserved a table for two one day in advance via their website. I got a reply the next following day saying that my time wasn’t available since they do it in time slots. I could choose between 5pm to 8pm or 6pm to 8pm. I opted for the last one since we still had other things to do before…
Due to unexpected traffic and trouble with finding a parking spot we arrived there around 6.45pmish. Even though I gave them a call beforehand already, the staffs weren’t very courteous and told us that our table is only reserved till 8pm. (I will come to this later) 
Anyway, this would mean that we only had one hour to eat. Hence, we skipped the three-course-menu because when we placed our order, the waitress told us that we won’t really have the time to finish the full course meal 🙁
Therefore, we only went for the main course Surf & Turf (250g) that comes with Botswana beef in Mississippi marinade (sweet n ́spicy) together with 4 Black Tiger prawns for frying in rapeseed oil [€25,9]. In addition, we also opt for a cheese fondue that comes with freshly-baked Pane Contadino [€15,9]. We went for The Swiss, which contains Gruyère, Appenzeller, rosé wine and kirsch. Together with Wild Herbs Salad as a side dish [€4,5] and for the dips we picked Aioli and Peanut [€2,5 for each dip]. 
As for beverage we chose both orange juice [€4,5/0.4L]. I was bit disappointed here that they didn’t serve fresh orange juices but from the carton (and they even tasted after that).
Shortly before 8pm we received our bill and that without even asking for it since we were still eating. Kind of rude. I would understand if the next guests, who booked our table from 8pm, would arrive. That would be only fair since it was our “mistake” that we didn’t arrive on time. But there was no one waiting for a table!! 😐 
Overall Experience: 7/10 (It was a nice dinner experience. What I really liked is that there is more option to choose from rather than just having a cheese fondue. There is something for anyone. Portions were small for the price that they charge and their drinks were surely overcharged a bit in relation to the quality)
Good to Know: It’s a quite pricy place to dine and they accept cash only. Plus, you won’t receive a bill for the payment (only on request)! Therefore, don’t forget to make a stop at the bank to be on the safe side that you carry enough cash with you. During the winter season aka “fondue season”, I would highly suggest to book a table upfront and try to stick to the time slot that they give you in your confirmation email.
Location Details:
Sredzkistraße 27, Hagenauer Str. 1, 10435 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +40 (0) 30 49088540
Website: www.arsvini.de
