you're spot on about the menu thing, it's basically a germanized version of what british curry houses started serving in the 70s. the reason they all look the same is that most of these places get their spice mixes from the same wholesale suppliers, like the ones on beusselstraße or in the neukölln industrial area. it's cheaper to buy a pre-made "madras" powder than to actually toast and grind your own spices.

broccoli is definitely a german thing, they think it elevates the dish or makes it healthier. same with the random cauliflower and potato they throw into everything. the papad and mango chutney starter is just a ritual that got stuck, probably because it's cheap to serve and fills you up a bit before the main course.

if you want something closer to actual indian food, skip the restaurants with the glossy menus and try the south indian places on sonnenallee, like the one near the u-bahn exit that does proper dosa and idli. or go to sarvanaa bhavan on kottbusser damm, it's a chain but at least they don't pretend chicken madras is a real dish.

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yeah you're basically describing the 'european indian restaurant' template. it's not just berlin, it's most of germany and the uk too. the menu comes from a specific era of indian migration in the 70s/80s when bangladeshi and some indian chefs adapted dishes for a german palate that didn't know cumin from coriander. chicken madras and vindaloo are pure british curry house inventions, they don't exist in india.

the broccoli thing kills me too. that's a deutschland addition, they think it makes it 'healthy' or something. same with the papad and mango chutney combo, that's a starter ritual that got standardized in london and just stuck.

if you want actual indian food, skip the places that look like they have a printed menu on glossy paper. try delhi 6 near hermannplatz, or bhatt curry house which is more of a canteen vibe. or just go to sonnenallee and find the south indian spots, they don't bother with the butter chicken template.

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its basically the indian restaurant template that got standardized for european tastes in the uk in the 70s and 80s. a lot of the owners here are bangladeshi too, not actually indian, so the menu is a mix of what sells and what they think germans expect. if you want real stuff skip the glossy places and hit up delhi 6 near hermannplatz or the south indian spots on sonnenallee

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