When a doggy bag isn't enough: Gourmet restaurant for dogs and cats opens in Berlin

• Pets Deli in the Gruenewald district of Berlin caters for pampered pets
• Meals are priced from €3 to €6, with treats such as cupcakes costing €4
• Beef, turkey or kangaroo meat with broccoli or berries all on the menu
• Charity chief said deli gave impression pets were loved more than children

By TOM GARDNER

PUBLISHED: 10:23, 3 January 2014 | UPDATED: 11:33, 3 January 2014

Pets and their owners are lapping up Germany's first restaurant catering specifically for cats and dogs.

Beef, turkey or even kangaroo meat with broccoli or berries are all on the menu which has been devised by a pet nutritionist.

Treats in Pets Deli, which opened over Christmas in the upmarket Gruenewald district of the capital, range from €3 to €6, with cupcakes costing €4.

Tasty treat: Wide-eyed Pivo looks like he can't wait to sink his teeth into some of the gourmet snacks behind the counter at the Pets Deli in Berlin

Mouthwatering: A dog named Pivo surveys the morels on offer at the Pets Deli food shop in Berlin's Gruenewald district

The gourmet eatery has seen a steady influx of hungry animals for whom ordinary food simply won't do.

Owners can enjoy a coffee in the plush surroundings while their pets tuck into a bowl of specially prepared meals, tailored for the animals' digestion, or they can take the food away in a plastic tray doggy bag.

 

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Business owner David Spanier, 31, had the idea for the doggy deli after finding his own canine friend could not digest pet food from supermarkets.

For the pampered pet: The Pets Deli in Gruenewald, Berlin, offers a menu for dogs and cats

Doggy bag: Store manager Katharina Warkalla tries to find out what customer Lilly wants to eat during a visit to the Pets Deli food shop in Berlin's Gruenewald district

'Junk food is bad for animals,' he told The Local news website, adding: 'It's as if I ate fast food every day. I may like it, but it's very bad for your health.'

The store manager, Katharina Warkalla, is an animal nutrition expert and serves up portions of beef, turkey or kangaroo meat with broccoli or berries, and carbohydrates such as rice, pasta or potatoes.

'The meat is of such quality that it could be safely consumed by humans', said Spanier.

Delicious: Hungry Lilly looks on as store manager Katharina Warkalla mixes a meal for her in Pets Deli

Nibble: Lilly takes a sniff of the lunch prepared by Pets Deli store manager Katharina Warkalla

But the opening of the deli in the upmarket neighbourhood of Grunewald, in the German capital has provoked controversy, with some critics saying it is a symbol of pure decadence.  

Leading newspaper Bild asked: 'Does Berlin really need a gourmet restaurant for dogs?'

Wolfgang Büscher, of the Ark charity, which works with disadvantaged youngsters said: 'A store this decadent gives the impression that we do more for animals than for children.'

Lapping it up: A happy customer tucks into a bowl of gourmet food at the Pets Deli restaurant for cats and dogs in Berlin, German

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2533108/When-doggy-bag-isnt-Gourmet-restaurant-dogs-cats-opens-Berlin.html#ixzz2pNIhjzbs
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