Jennifer and Philipp Vogel's boutique hotel in Kreuzberg features exclusivity, comfort, and exceptional dining. At Orania.Berlin, the signature "XBerg Duck" blends tradition with a Berlin twist.
Hosts Jennifer and Philipp Vogel offer guests a boutique hotel in the heart of Kreuzberg with exclusivity, comfort, first-class service and high-quality furnishings.
Guests are welcomed by Philipp Vogel and his modern culinary philosophy, which is characterised by his personal Berlin touch, most notably in the so-called "XBerg Duck". The duck is now known throughout Germany and attracts the most guests to the restaurant, with other restaurants and companies regularly asking to collaborate.
“Our XBerg Duck is a unique take on Peking Duck, known across Germany.”
Can you describe Orania's culinary concept?
Our original idea with Orania.Berlin was to create a living room feeling for Berliners with good food & good bar.We are an urban art & culture venue.
I used to cook in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Vienna and I also cooked 3-star cuisine with Dieter Müller. I can cook like that, but here for Orania I wanted to offer a more intimate experience, something that fits perfectly with our concept. I wanted to cook for my guests as I would at home.
We have 65 seats in the restaurant. In the colder seasons, it is even nicer here at Orania because we have 2 open fires, which creates an even more comfortable and cosy atmosphere.
So where did the idea for the Peking duck come from?
We developed our interpretation of the Peking Duck, the X-Berg Duck, and presented it as the highlight of our restaurant. The original idea came from an anecdote: the opening of the hotel and restaurant was just before Christmas. That's when I had the idea of serving a very familiar dish: Duck, but with a new twist!Since then, we have been serving our version of Peking duck: the “XBerg Duck”.
For us, being sustainable means thinking about the future.We have 2 main axes:
For a few years now, we have also been offering a vegan version of our XBerg Duck, which is very popular.
By the way, can you tell us a bit more about the development of the XBerg Duck brand?
We have been developing the concept for years and today 90% of our guests come for the XBerg Duck.
The XBerg-Duck logo is a “berliner” duck with a strong character, a bit grumpy, a bit naughty, a real Berliner!We are now so well known in Berlin but also in Germany. We do a lot of pop-ups with the XBerg Duck brand and also partnerships.
That's definitely a USP of the Orania restaurant, but also of the hotel.
What kind of collaborations or partnerships have you developed with other brands or local producers?
After Covid, partnerships and friendships have become even more important in the catering business. Having a good relationship with each other, a good understanding of each other is very important.
“It's about more than just purchasing. It's friendships, partnerships, equal exchanges.”
For example, we made a plate series with Dibbern porcelain.
In Berlin, we have a partnership with Bar Freundschaft, which sells our Croquette. We have another partnership with the AKI brand, which sells the caviar we have on our menu. All our duck also comes from Otto-Gourmet, which is another strong partnership for us, a quality assurance. I'm myself a member of the Irish Beef Club and therefore has an intensive insight into the production of the products, also because I maintain a friendly relationship with all his producers
We also do a pop-up tour with matching XBerg Duck merchandising.
Various culinary events with changing themes are planned for the next months. Featuring Italian cuisine, Mexican pop-ups, and many more - despite the desire to keep the quality constant, the host always wants to broaden his horizons so that regular guests don't get bored either.
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