Coffee & tea

The Fluxbau Kantine lives only a short walk away from the Oberbaumbrücke and the vibrant Kreuzberg nightlife scene. It’s an exciting venue playing host to the Berlin creative scene by mixing concerts, readings, art exhibits and an array of other colorful activities with tasty food and fabulous views of the Spree.

Visit on weekdays for coffee, cake, soup and a yummy homemade style dish or at my favorite time, Friday and Saturday evenings for dinner and a little party.

It’s the perfect spot to have a relaxed dinner with 1, 2 or 10 people if you feel like it. Just make sure you book a table beforehand. Sit back, chat and sip a glass of delicious wine as you indulge in a hearty dinner or dig into one of their 3 heavenly fondue choices (only during the winter months). Check their website or facebook page to see what exciting options are on offer. Mix your dinner party with an exciting gig or art exhibit downstairs, or don’t. You’re allowed to play wherever you want.

They also have a beautiful terrace for sunnier days and colorful parties on special occasions like say, Halloween, Valentine’s Day or any excuse they can find. So keep an eye on their schedule. You never know what they’ll come up with next. Whatever it is, I assure you, it will be worth checking out.

I don’t drink coffee very often, so I could not judge one special Kenia blend from the other. But walking down Müllerstrasse in Wedding near the town hall, there was often a delicious smell of freshly-roasted coffee beans seemingly coming from nowhere. Until I discovered the nondescript shop right next to the town hall, which had its own little coffee roaster sitting in the window, with a small vent puffing out coffee steam now and then.

Inside, it also does not look like much, but the products on offer and the coffee (the coffee!) are well worth the visit. There’s small sales counter with a clearly arranged array of cakes, biscuits and sandwiches (all locally sourced and produced) and a few chairs along the wood-panelled wall. In spring and summer they also have a few outdoor tables facing busy Müllerstrasse. But as I said, come for the coffee, made from a glistening espresso machine behind the counter. I couldn’t say if this is the best coffee in Berlin (I’m no coffee traveller), but it definitively is the best in Wedding. Oh, and if you like the blend they’ve just produced, you can also take the beans home.  

The flea market culture is something particularly wonderful in Berlin. But with so many people wanting to partake in this experience, popular flea markets like Mauerpark and Boxhagener platz have become something of a battle to walk through in the past few years.

As all of these markets started getting more and more crowded and rent prices started going up in the neighborhoods of Prenzlauerberg, Kreuzberg, and parts of Friedrichshain, many artists and international students moved their creative bohemian lifestyle down to the Neukölln streets. This little migration has changed the face of Neukölln drastically.

There are new ideas flowing and shops and bars popped up everywhere. And with these new additions came the ‘Nowkoelln Flowmarkt.’ It’s still small enough to have a very meticulous look about it and still local enough to find your next door neighbor selling homemade chocolate cake and coffee. But it’s hipper than other flea markets since its participants and visitors are mostly that wave of international creative types. You can still find odd little things like old 1950′s ornaments or modern locally hand-made trendy products. And all for flea market prices.

It only happens every third Sunday of the month, so check their blog for details. It’s always a nice, relaxed atmosphere – sometimes with street performers and ‘bio’ food stands. But most importantly, without the big tourist traffic jams.

One of my best friends moved to Amsterdam for a while after living in Berlin for years, and whenever he came back for a visit he had a whole itinerary planned for us for the weekend. He was determined to do his favorite ‘Berlin things’ throughout the few days he would be here. One of them was watching the sunset at Nola’s.

Nola’s restaurant is no big secret around Berlin. It’s a lovely place to watch the sunset while you sip on a cold drink sitting on one of the sun chairs outside during the summer or nursing a hot cup of chocolate with a blanket wrapped around you during the colder months.

Nola’s has a wonderful terrace with a fantastic view of the Volkspark am Weinberg, and an inside area with an elegant 1960′s sort of decoration that gives you the feeling of being….in a classic movie set. The Swiss cross is always present along with ‘Rivella’ ads, but this is all very subtle.

On Sundays, they offer a fabulous brunch with an absolutely delicious variety of Swiss cheese, eggs, sausages, salmon, homemade marmalade……you get the idea. And for those winter cravings…Fondue and a variety of Swiss dishes.

The atmosphere is always relaxed and more of a family environment depending on the time of day. But the sunsets…..

Russians know how to party. One of the most famous ones in Germany is the writer Wladimir Kaminer. He came to Berlin in 1990 and started a Russian Disco at the Kaffee Burger 8 years ago.

Soon the Russendisko turned into a real Berliner institution. The two DJs, Kaminer and Yuriy present famous Russian Pop, Hip Hop, Rock, Ska and Reggae twice a month on Saturday.

Kaffee Burger used to be frequented by actors, authors and singers in the 70′s and the atmosphere is still authentic. Old velour wallpaper, dark wooden chairs, leather lounges and dim light make this place perfect for Russian parties where Vodka flows freely and the joint is always jumping. An old GDR-list of beverages on the wall and the huge soldier’s head next to the checkroom remind you of times when one part of Germany was run by a socialist regime.

Now people from all over the world dance together to the beat on the rather small dance floor. Hot air and lots of romping people create a frenetic party atmosphere that generally gets started around midnight and lasts until 4 or 5 in the morning.

Aside from Russendisko on Saturday nights, it’s also worth it to visit Kaffee Burger for other events. Almost every day they offer readings, live music, movies or parties. Kaffee Burger Bar itself is always open on Friday and Saturday evening.

The next Russendisko dates you will find here.