According to these photos on Bah Humbug, the Hallo Berlin Cart to returned to action this week (on 54th and 5th), and just in time for the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Not sure if that was intentional, but either way we’re glad to have it back. Dictator specials for everyone!
Posted by Zach Brooks at 8:45 am, November 11th, 2009 under Hallo Berlin.
Today’s New York Daily News has the obituary for Hallo Berlin Cart owner Rolf Babiel:
BABIEL-Rolf, Founder of Hallo Berlin, age 57 died at Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan, NY, on Wednesday, October 21, 2009. Rolf Babiel was born June 24, 1952 in Hoyerswerd, Germany. He went to school there & later worked as a machinist in the open pit at Knappenrode. At age 23, August of 1975 he moved from East to West Berlin. There he drove a milk truck at night. In 1981 he immigrated to the United States. He bought a push cart, called it “Hallo Berlin” & began to sell German Wurst.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 8:52 am, October 24th, 2009 under Hallo Berlin.
I can’t believe it but Rolf Babiel’s brother Wolfgang is out right now working the Hallo Berlin cart (on 54th and 5th). The line down the street was a fine tribute to Rolf (especially on a day when other well known carts seemed a little less crowded because of the weather.) I let Wolfgang know how sorry we were to hear the news about his brother, and asked him what happened. He told me that Rolf had cancer, and said as far as the future of the cart goes he’s just taking things day to day… “It still isn’t real for me yet.”
Related:
Hallo Berlin Cart Owner Rolf Babiel Has Passed Away
Posted by Zach Brooks at 2:15 pm, October 23rd, 2009 under At Lunch Now, Hallo Berlin.
Some very sad news to report… Rolf Babiel, one of the owners of Hallo Berlin, has passed away. His unique sense of humor was a huge part of what made the Hallo Berlin cart on 54th and 5th so great, and he will be missed. According to a worker at the 9th Ave. Express Location, the cart’s future is up in the air for now. (Got an update from his brother this afternoon… Rolf died of Cancer.)
The funeral is this weekend in Hell’s Kitchen. Our thoughts go out to all of his family and friends.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 11:04 am, October 23rd, 2009 under Hallo Berlin.
Now now boys, don’t stare. It’s impolite… and kind of creepy. Ladies, on the other hand, if these tweets are to be believed it looks like the Hallo Berlin Cart (on the SW corner of 54th & 5th) is the place to be!
Related:
Hallo Berlin’s Rolf Babiel Tells VendrTV How Germans Like Sex
Posted by Zach Brooks at 8:30 am, August 14th, 2009 under Hallo Berlin, Twitter.
After taking the entire month of July off, the Hallo Berlin cart returned to their spot on 54th and 5th Ave. on Monday. I also noticed (and I’m probably totally late to the game on this one) that the photos they use to promote their Democracy & Dictator Specials have changed again…
Posted by Zach Brooks at 10:15 am, August 5th, 2009 under Hallo Berlin.
The Hallo Berlin Cart Goes MIA Again: It's that time of year again. The Hallo Berlin cart (on 54th & 5th) disappears, and everyone wonders what happened to them. Don't worry... the Babiel brothers are away on their annual July vacation, and will be back in August.
Posted at 8:30 am, July 2nd, 2009 | 0 Comments
Hallo Berlin (on 54th & 5th) is the latest cart to get their own episode on VendrTV, and watching Rolf Babiel work the cart while simultaneously answering the host’s questions is a sight to behold. I learned the hard way not to take anything Rolf says seriously, but he ends up being pretty well behaved for most of this video- talking about how growing up poor in Germany taught him how to run an extremely efficient cart. The funniest bit is actually an outtake at the very end where he explains how Germans like to be spontaneous… like with sex. (Bonus Reveal: Rolf claims to have had sex in the store room and on the beer barrels at the restaurant.)
See the video for yourself, after the jump.
Posted by Zach Brooks at 10:15 am, May 14th, 2009 under Hallo Berlin, VendrTV, Videos.
Get a Berliner at Hallo Berlin and the AQ Kafe: Dave Cook from Eating in Translation was in Midtown on Wednesday, first at Hallo Berlin (for the VendrTV meetup) and then AQ Kafe (for a doughnut sandwich called a "berliner".) And Dave wasn't the only one at AQ Kafe this week for some pastry. Kathy YL Chan wrote about their budapest log on Serious Eats: New York.
Posted at 1:15 pm, March 27th, 2009 | 0 Comments
Vendr TV Hallo Berlin “EatUp” is Today: Just a reminder, VendrTV's first street vendor "EatUp" is today at Hallo Berlin Cart (on 54th and 5th). So, if you're into the idea of sharing a German brat with other like-minded cart-loving people, be there at Noon. If a "Dictator's Special" sounds appealing, but being around people frightens you, I'd stay away from the HB cart until at least 1:30 p.m. today. You can count on the line being much longer than normal today.
Posted at 9:00 am, March 25th, 2009 | 1 Comment
