Coda
No.79 World's 50 Best 2025 — elite chef
Veronica's Take
René Frank, the pastry virtuoso behind Berlin's Coda, has just landed at No. 79 on the World's 50 Best 2025 list, and his "dessert dining experience" is as unhinged as it is brilliant. This 15-course journey redefines what dessert can be by applying pastry techniques to mostly savory ingredients like corn, beetroot, and carrots—eschewing refined sugar and dairy in favor of natural sweetness and a daring balance of umami, salt, sour, and bitter. The result? A culinary experience that's as visually stunning as it is unexpectedly delicious, proving that Frank is a dark horse in the world of elite dining.
codaberlin In true Berlin style, this dark-hued destination dining spot marches to the beat of its own drum. It calls itself a ‘dessert dining experience’: a unique 15-course concept that sees pastry chef René Frank apply dessert techniques to mostly savoury ingredients. Frank avoids refined sugar and dairy, instead focusing on foods with natural sweetness like corn, beetroot and carrots, balancing them expertly with umami, salty, sour and bitter notes. The resulting dishes are both beautiful and unusual.
Key Facts
The people behind Coda
Rene Frank
profilePastry chef and co-owner
Pastry chef behind Coda, Berlin (No.79, World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025), a 15-course 'dessert dining experience' applying dessert technique to savoury ingredients, avoiding refined sugar and dairy.
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