While visiting Berlin, we went out in search of germknödel, a plum-filled yeast dumpling popular in some parts of Germany and in Austria. What we found was so much more than we expected, we found Häppies. We’re still not sure what impressed us most: Häppies’ founder Uli Marschner’s joyful spirit, the food itself or the fact that Häppies was financed with over €10,000 raised through crowdfunding. Uli, who worked in advertising before becoming a self-made restauranteur, took her love of germknödel and infused it with a few dashes of foreign flavor, a kick of creativity and her contagious personality to bring the world a variety of savory germknödeln, each with their own personality. With all of the imaginative flavor combinations on offer and a rotating menu, we can’t imagine ever getting bored of eating häppies.

On any given day, you can expect 6 different savory dumplings to choose from, plus the classic sweet version. While you wait for your meal, check out the illustrated häppies; every drawing represents one of the over 200 people who helped to make Häppies a reality. The häppies we ordered were Gabriel: filled with Gorgonzola, topped with walnuts and apricot rosemary glaze, Bärbel: filled with goat cheese and honey, topped with arugula pesto and cranberries, Mathias: with szechuan pork filling, topped with chili sauce, Julia: filled with mozzarella and sausage, topped in tomato sauce, and to finish, Netti: the classic plum-filled häppie topped with butter sauce and poppy seeds. We washed it all down with a refreshing glass of homemade vanilla rhubarb lemonade made with Uli’s dad’s recipe.

Häppies’ unbelievably tasty dumplings are a fantastic example of the type of cultural food fusion that can be found in Berlin. If Uli has it her way, you should see Häppies popping up in other cities around the world as well. On our part, we certainly hope that will be the case.