Snacks – All our local tips

Berlin is famous for many things. One of them is being green. You can find a little park, lawns and other little green areas on nearly every corner of this city. One example is the Boxhagener Platz, by locals called “Boxi(-Platz)”, situated right in the famous Kiez (= a hip little area) around Simon-Dach-Strasse (see the Simon-Dach-Strasse article).

What makes this square/little park so special is not only the friendly atmosphere created by little children playing on Boxi’s playground, but rather the Saturdays and especially the Sundays.

On Saturdays is when the surrounding footpath turns into a market for fresh and organic food, local specialties and Berliner snacks.

But what makes it burst with people is the flea market on Sundays. It’s certainly not as big as the flea market in Mauerpark (see this article) but definitely

more charming and individual. Local artists have their stands there and funny street musicians know how to amuse people and make them stop by.

I love to start my free Sunday by having brunch with friends in the Simon-Dach-Straße and then wandering about at the flea market on Boxi-Platz.

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Boxhagener Platz | Art & culture, Shopping, Snacks | Free
Gabriel-Max-Straße 10 | Friedrichshain
Food market Sat 08:00 – 13:30 | Flea Market Sun 10:00 – 18:00

Once in Buchkantine, a café just a street away from the river, you will wonder yourself: how come not all cafes have books, or how come not all bookstores serve coffee? The books are new, and in case something is missing, one can order new titles from one day to the next. The bulk is in German but there are also a few English titles.

There is Wireless internet available for free, on request, and the music covers jazz and relaxed tones. They also show detective films every Sunday between 20:00 and 22:00. The people from Buchkantine are friendly and have a great sense of humor, too, some of their passwords for the Wireless used to be: I want to stay alone with my sandwich or the horse eats cucumbers.

The mixture of books, music and drinks is a good choice for a relaxed afternoon or simply for a search for new books or new inspiration. While writing this text, I am sitting at one of their tables and I observe with curiosity my neighbour – a middle aged man, alone with his laptop, longer hair, looking at the people sitting around as if they would suddenly become characters in his novel. One thing is sure, now he certainly has become a character on Spotted by Locals.

Tip: A books’ connoisseur is in the café from Monday to Friday, between 09:30 and 18:30, and on Saturday between 09:30 and 17:00 o’clock.

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Buchkantine | Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Shopping, Snacks | Tee € 2.20
Essenerstr 11 | Tiergarten | +493094883728
09:30 – 20:00 daily

This café & créperie has a pleasant underlying 19th century romantic atmosphere.  On entering you are greeted by a beautiful art nouveau mural of a young girl covered in garlands of flowers in her windswept hair by Mucha. Further back is a cosy corner decorated with a chic chandelier, warm red velvet seating and drapes.  You can imagine a modern day Rainer Maria Rilke penning his poems whilst enjoying a fragrant coffee.

Not only does this café offer delicious homemade cakes, tarts, and fresh breakfasts; but there is also an adjoining Florist that sells a beautiful array of flowers and plants. Fresh flowers are also used in some of the café’s specialities, like the fragrant fresh rose tea, which is a must!

If you head there with a friend for breakfast, I recommend one of their breakfasts for two menu trays, where various breakfast standards and fresh fruit are presented attractively on quaint tiered silver trays.

In summer take advantage of their large outdoor terrace to enjoy the sunshine. If you enjoy a good read, then you can borrow a book from their mini library, with books donated by customers and staff. The books are sweetly housed in the hollow of a tree trunk nest to Anna Blume’s terrace area for your reading pleasure.

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Cafe Anna Blume | Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants (European)
Kollwitzstr. 83 | Prenzlauer Berg | +493044048749
08:00 – 02:00 daily

Most mornings as I merrily make my way down from Prenzlauerberg to bustling Mitte, I’m lucky enough to pass by the Café Fleury.

On entering the cosy interior with its eclectic blue/white furnishings and wicker chairs, you are immediately accosted with a mouth-watering rustic bouquet of fresh coffee, bread and melted cheese.  Scattered on the walls are little B&W portraits of ‘Nouvelle Vague’ legends Catherine DeNeuve, Jean Paul Belmondo and Romy Schneider to name a few.

This little gem luckily manages to avoid succumbing to the cliché ‘Allo Allo‘ style café.  Saying that, it seems to play with as well as pay homage to this very notion of ‘French-ness’

If you fancy kicking back with a sizeable bowl of Café au Lait (yes a bowl), then you can choose from a selection of French and German lifestyle magazines on offer to accompany you on a leisurely afternoon of lounging.

The menu has a reasonable choice of baguettes, quiches to breakfasts on offer throughout the day.  The ‘Croque Monsieur’ is to die for, it’s the best I’ve eaten outside of Paris. Being a sucker for tiny details, the accompanying edible condiment cups holding marmalade, cream, honey etc. (which are effectively the cut off bottoms of ice cream cones) are delightful.

If you’re more of a sweet tooth, Fleury offers a small selection of delicious homemade cakes and biscuits, naturellement.  Be warned, I’m not the only one who is enchanted by this bijou hotspot, it is regularly busy, but the short wait for a table is, in my humble opinion, is always worth it.

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Café Fleury | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (French) | Lunch € 6.00
Weinbergsweg 20 | Mitte | +493044034144
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 22:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 22:00

The first thing that comes to your mind when you enter Sankt Oberholz is: Is this an office or a cafe? People staring at and typing on their computers can be seen everywhere. From time to time, they take a sip of their Latte Macchiato, watching who enters the room while chatting with their neighbor. The secret ingredient at Sankt Oberholz is simple: Wireless Internet. This is no new concept for cafes in Berlin but somehow this one has become the preferred hotspot for laptop owners and wireless nomads.

But don’t worry, pixel lovers aren’t the only ones welcome here. There are some more things that make St. Oberholz such a special place to visit. For example, lots of interesting, creative and international people frequent the cafe, located in Berlin’s trendy Mitte District.

So it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if the fashionable Asian girl in the corner is a successful media artist, the nerdy boy at the next chair the leader of an electro band, and if you look closer, the gonzo guy buying a fresh-made peppermint tea could be the author of a popular controversial coming-of-age novel. Or maybe they are just normal students like me.

In any case, it’s not just the people that usually frequent St. Oberholz that are unique, it’s also the cafe itself. Don’t just limit yourself to the ground floor where the self-service bar is situated. Be sure to go upstairs to the first floor and try to find a seat next to the huge windows. There you’ll have a great view over bustling Rosenthaler Platz – that means more people to watch plus the beautiful light of the sunset in the evening.

By the way, the self-service bar in the cafe offers a huge plate of delicious Spaghetti Bolognese for € 5.00! For smaller appetites you can chose from cakes, sandwiches, bagels and soups.

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Cafe Sankt Oberholz | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks, Restaurants (intern.)
Rosenthaler Straße 72a | Mitte | +493024085586
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 00:00

Cafe Solvey is an exception in Berlin’s cafe scenery. This place is designed and furnished with a special love of details. A lot of people are taking a look in the showcase while I am sitting inside with a cup of coffee and a piece of self made apple pie.

Somehow Solvey doesn’t fit in this demure neighborhood; maybe because of all the flowers, the pillows with pink roses on it, the pale green walls, and the lovely selected furniture. It reminds you of the perfectly composed gardens pictured in perfect garden magazines, but more individually.

In another room you’ll find a whole children’s paradise which is also interesting for bigger children like us: furniture for doll houses, wooden toys, and a lot more bibelot for children and grownups. A bookshelf with books and magazines is accessible for everyone. The cafe integrates also a small delicatessen and gift shop where you can buy chocolate truffle, self made marmalade, make-up like lip gloss in the form of tiny cakes, jewelry, books and more gadgets. So this spot is a lovely created garden which makes you feel like in summer while it rains outside.

The café offers Wireless Internet too and it is possible to rent the location for events. From time to time Solvey also presents readings.

Solvey also has a daily lunch special which is made of ecological and/or own cultivation.

Every Friday they offer an English Teatime from 17:00 with Kusmi Tea, Muffins and English live music.

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Cafe Solvey | Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks | white coffee € 2.30
Invalidenstraße 150 | Mitte | +493099271751
Tue – Fri 11:00 – 18:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 18:00

Chocolate, Ice cream, cakes and coffee – in this cafe you are spoilt for choice!

In a small oriel of a grand building which is situated near Savignyplatz, people with a passion for sweets will feel at home. In summer you can sit outside and watch the passers-by while enjoying your ice cream, in winter the small cozy interior invites you to a hot chocolate. In the tubular room you will find two big vitrines for ice cream and cakes in the front and comfortable armchairs in the back.

The ambiance is perfect for enjoying special coffee drinks like Chocolate café to the full. Also breakfast, yogurt with fruits, baguette, antipasti and wine is offered.

If you want to go there more often you should get a Bleibtreu-Karte (loyalty card) which gives you a loyalty bonus (a free coffee or ice cream) after 9 visits/stamps.

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Chokocafé | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Hot dark Chocolate € 2.80
Bleibtreustraße 15/16 | Charlottenburg
11:00 – 19:00 daily

Calling all sweet-tooths ahoy! The eagle has landed just off Simon Dach Strasse in Friedrichshain; Cupcake offers an impressive spread of rainbow coloured, e-number packed, sugary treats.

Yummy baked goods range from moist butterylicious (yes I made the last word up…) frosting crowned cupcakes to scrumptious traditional brownies and blondies.  All of which are guaranteed to trigger the proverbial diabetic coma or at the very least lead to a bad case of early tooth decay; which may I add is totally worth it.

The balance of kitsch/stylish is just right; not going overboard with pink/white décor and enough cute quirky touches nonetheless.  Being the English lass I am, I like to accompany my choice of cupcake (Pretty in Pink – in case you’re wondering) with a refreshing cup of tea, served in what looks very much like my grandmothers 1960’s crockery.

Don’t be fooled, this is not solely a girly affair, my mates and I are often outnumbered by generously tattooed men with furrowed brows indulging in a cupcake or two. Fear not vegans, you too can feast Bacchus style, as Cupcake offers equally tasty vegan options as well.

Friends and foes, be warned, my advice is ‘come prepared’.  I personally would avoid eating a couple of hours in advance; these sinful delights are calorific bombs waiting to explode! Come on now, how else do you think they taste so damn good huh? If on a diet avoid this place like the plague or if you are anything like me, come here when you’re feeling like being naughtily indulgent.

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Cupcake | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Cupcake € 2.00
Krossener Straße 12 | Friedrichshain | +493025768687
Wed – Sun 12:00 -19:00

Eastern Comfort Ship is a hostel which casts its anchor next to the East Side Gallery and Warschauerstr. The boat is simply a floating bar and hostel; it will not leave this location. Though, sometimes because of the waves it seems it will.

The event is a weekly get together which takes place on Wednesday, starting at 19.00. It’s  a relaxed evening, with live concerts and an international, friendly and open crowd. The meeting is also meant to bring together people looking for language partners.

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Eastern Comfort Ship | Bars, Music, Snacks | Entry fee until 20:30 € 1.00
Muehlenstr 73 | Friedrichshain | +491635272213
Wed from 19:00

“Prego signore!” is what I first heard at Gianni’s Pasta Bar – and of course ever on. Today I’m convinced that to here is where Gianni brought his home – Italy.

This place is at half a source for any Italian food you wanna buy (wine, pasta (-sauces), cheese, meat, marinated veggies, sweets, etc.). On the other half – and here comes my recommendation – I love it for the weekly changing lunch menu and the best coffee I found in town (and it’s more than reasonably priced – cappuccino € 1.30). Oh, and I should not forget to mention their yummy ciabattas (€ 2.10 – 2.90) in four different varieties which I prefer to take away.

But the actual star of the Pasta Bar are the lovely staff: Gianni Gillone – the always charming owner and workaholic and, of course, the very nice and friendly girls whom one quickly takes to one’s heart.

Being a regular here, I keep seeing new faces as well as many daily guests – and they can’t be wrong! It’s simply a great place to read newspaper or just to chat with friends.

I recently took a couple of friends from Italy here. And they proved this place as “Italian”; they loved the coffee (that’s means something!) and liked the variety of Gianni’s goods.

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Gianni’s Pasta Bar | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Italian) | Pasta € 4.30
Schönhauser Allee 186A | Mitte | +493044323830
Mon – Sat 08:00 – 21:00

Evidenced by the growing number of articles I’ve penned for this site on cafes & bars, you may get the idea that all I do in Berlin is booze and drink coffee – and you would be correct!

With that in mind, there is nothing like a shot of vodka and a good ole coffee,  preferably all in the same place.  As I’m too lazy to go bar hopping, Gorki Park is literally right up my alley.

It’s a great place to hang out with mates or sit down with your laptop and work, with the added bonus of delicious Russian dishes like  pelmini, blini and borsch.  There is nothing like a Soljanka soup to warm you up on one of those often dour and cold Berlin winter days. Lactose intolerant beware, sour cream is served with practically everything. Yum.

Enjoy the many flavoured vodkas on offer, with a backdrop of vintage Soviet propaganda posters and pictures of Yuri Gagarin decorating the walls. Smokers you’re in luck, as Gorki Park has a comfortable smokers room/section; so you do not have to be subjected to smoking outside in freezing temperatures or relegated to the back of the building like naughty school children, as is the case in many establishments.

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Gorki Park | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Russian) | Breakfast € 8.00
Weinbergsweg 25 | Mitte | +49304487286
09:30 – 02:00 daily

On the go and want a snack that is tasty, reasonably priced and yet also healthy? Then Hot Dog Soup should be right up your alley. This is a small and friendly snack bar where you can get a range of yummy hot dogs and soups (sorry for stating the obvious).

Standard menu classics are, Tomato, Mulligatawny and Chilli soup, with a rotational seasonal choice. Recently I enjoyed a delicious autumnal wild game soup and can also wholeheartedly recommend the Danish, Kraut and Chilli hotdogs…yum. Of course vegetarian and vegan options available on request.

I used to frequent the Hot Dog Soup in Friedrichshain (Grünberger Str. 67) about once a month when I visited my hairdresser around the corner, always treating myself a post haircut nibble.

The second branch has on Raumerstrasse(Prenzlauerberg) has recently  closed, i am not sure if this is temporary or if its closed down for good, so to guarantee hotdog/soup pleasure the one on Grünberger Strasse (Friedrichshain) is a sure shot.

One added and charming facet, which are comics. Self published comics from local Berlin comic artists hang from loose strings on the walls for customers reading pleasure.  You can grab a delicious organic Danish hot dog and leaf through a comic or two.

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Hot Dog Soup & Comix | Snacks | Hot Dog € 2.00
Grünberger Str. 67 | Prenzlauer Berg
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 23:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 00:00, Sun 12:00 – 21:00

I adore wine and this cosy wine bar/restaurant is literally next door to my apartment, making it a prime location to spontaneously head off for a decent a meal with friends or to wile away a Sunday late afternoon snugly tucked in the corner with a glass of Rioja and a good book on my own.

‘Im Weinstein’ has an inviting ambiance with old wine barrels and dusty bottles circling the interior; added to this are simple brown wooden tables and benches set to a background of soft candlelight, creating a warm and cosy atmosphere.

With a fine selection of wines from Bordeaux to Blaufränkisch, Chardonnay to Riesling, this cosy bar avoids the haughty and intimidating air that can be the fate of good wine bars. The waiters are informed and friendly without the smug pretensions of many a sommelier.

They also serve rustic and tasty European cuisine; seasonal dishes such as scallops served with marinated carrots or braised shoulder of wild boar.  My favourite snack, which I’m addicted to, is their take on garlic bread: pan fried German black bread in butter, served generously smeared with freshly chopped wild garlic and olive oil. A tasty accompaniment to a glass of red, but make sure you take a breath mint with you for afterwards.

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Im Weinstein | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (German) | Main meal from € 7.50
Lychener Strasse. 33 | Prenzlauer Berg | +49304411843
Mon – Sat 17:00 – 20:00, Sun 18:00 – 02:00

If you are looking for affordable, tasty and healthy food, then you should pass by Ishin Japanese deli with two locations in Mitte, one in Steglitz and one in Wilmersdorf.  When I used to work in Mitte, I would have lunch at Ishin nearly every day, sushi is one of those treats I rarely get bored of and equally never feel guilty about over indulging in. That being the case, I would alternate my visits evenly between to the branches on Mittelstrasse and Charlottenstrasse, to avoid the embarrassment of seeming to turning up every day at the same branch.

Ishin offer a wide variety of freshly prepared sushi, sashimi and steamed dishes; all reasonably priced. On arrival you are offered free green tea, and if you keep hold of you tea bag, you have unlimited green tea refills with the hot water canister on offer (This all depends very much on the stamina of your tea bag).  Take advantage of Happy Hour, where they offer reductions on many set menus until 16:00 and on Weds and Saturday it’s Happy Day, where as the title suggests, deals are on offer all day.

It’s not a place where you can while away the time comfortably, it is a deli in every sense of the word, service is fast and customer traffic even faster, so be prepared to squeeze in next to someone at peak time. If you like it a little quieter and more intimate then I would recommend the branch on Charlottenstrasse, as it is considerably smaller, service is friendlier and more personable.

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Ishin | Snacks, Restaurants (Japanese) | Ume Menu € 7.00
Mittelstraße 24 | Mitte | +493020674829
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 22:00 (Mittelstraße)

It’s criminal and incomprehensible to visit Germany without trying a Bratwurst, Bockwurst or more specifically to Berlin a Currywurst! It’s madness – unless of course you’re vegetarian, vegan or have cholesterol issues.

‘Wenn’s um die Wurst geht – Tradition mit Geschmack’ – This funny little German play with words (hard to translate the joke – trust me it’s funny) is the slogan for Konnopke’s Wurst Imbiss, one of the oldest and most popular snack bars in Berlin.  It’s certainly a family affair at Konnopke’s, it will be celebrating its 80th birthday on 4th Oct. 2010.

Located under the U-Bahn rails next to Eberswalderstrasse station, I pass by this snack bar (actually looks more like a snack train carriage) every day – from early morning to evening there is regularly a long line of hungry construction workers, tourists, and locals waiting for their dose of calorific German fast food.

Nothing like the oily meaty aroma wafting across the street in the early morning, but seriously if you want to sample a decent German sausage you have to head here.

They also recently won the ‘Gastro Award’ in Berlin and Brandenburg within the Imbiss category…so if that’s not sausage certification for you, what is.

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Konnopkes Wurst Imbiss | Snacks
Schönhauser Allee 44a | Prenzlauer Berg
Mon – Fri 06:00 – 20:00, Sat 12:00 – 19:00

If you have trouble remembering classical films, if you are already bored of the cinemas in the big commercial centres, or if you are just looking for an alternative way to spend an evening, do stop by the silent film evenings accompanied by live piano, which take place every first Wednesday of the month, in Morus str. 14.

Expect a charming electro piano, with an original piano soundtrack performed by Francois Regis, films by directors such as Lubitsch and Charlie Chaplin, a small bar with affordable prices, authentic and cosy quarter atmosphere and elderly public. The films are organized within a bigger social project and they are donations based.

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Morusstreet 14 | Cinemas, Music, Snacks
Morusstr 14 | Neukölln
Every 1st Wednesday of the month from 19:30

Pizza Dach is located right in the heart of Simon-Dach-Strasse (See the Simon-Dach-Strasse article). It is by far not a high class restaurant but rather a snack bar. They offer normal sized pizzas for as cheap as € 2.50. And you get good taste and quality! That makes Pizza Dach one of the cheapest pizza places in that area.

Beer garden benches outside are the only seats you can take as the shop itself is too narrow inside. I can also recommend their variety of quality pastas which are cheap as well (from € 2.90).

The Pizza Dach has got a brother snack bar on Wuehlischstrasse 32 (only a few meters away). There you can sit inside and feel a slightly more comfy bar-restaurant-atmosphere, though prices are not the same but still relatively cheap.

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Pizza Dach | Snacks | 26 cm pizza € 2.50
Simon-Dach-Strasse 12 | Friedrichshain | +493020078786
24 hours daily

If there is any place in Berlin that exemplifies the love and dedication of a group of fans for a band, it is in this the small museum dedicated solely to Queens finest – The Ramones. After a short closure and hiatus period, The Ramones Museum (which is the first and only museum of it’s kind in the world) has reopened after upping sticks from their original Kreuzberg location to Mitte.

This ‘Klein aber fein’ homage to the punk’s godfathers, offers fans the chance to see original and rare band memorabilia. Everything from Johnny Ramones iconic white/black Mosrite guitar, to his ripped jeans or rare childhood photos and school reports. You can also watch footage from their earlier gigs in the 70’s, read the original scribbled texts to songs like ‘I wanna be your boyfriend’ or “Judy is a Punk’. Even Marky Ramones signed drumsticks and Chucks are lovingly displayed in a glass case.

What I like about this place is that most everything that is exhibited are donations from die hard fans, whether it be old set lists ripped of the stage after a gig, signed tickets by the band or an old water bottle Joey Ramone threw into the audience during a show.

Afterwards you can chill out have a coffee and a slice of cake whilst chatting to other fellow Ramones fans in the café or buy some branded merchandise like the iconic Ramones logo T-shirt, buttons and a host of other paraphernalia.

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Ramones Museum Berlin | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks | Entry € 3.50
Krausnickstr.23 | Mitte
Mon – Thu 08:00 – 18:00, Fri 08:00 – 22:00, Sat 10:00 – 22:00, Sun 12:00 – 18:00

Why should I eat Canadian Pizza in Berlin? This is what you might ask the first time you hear about Ron Telesky in Kreuzberg. The answer is easy: This place is different than common Italian pizza restaurants. Here you can get big, thin pizzas with every topping you can imagine: Fresh Pesto, candied walnut, mango, potato, feta sauce and many more. A special thing you should try is the hot maple syrup – but be aware, this is really hot!

The two German owners of Ron Telesky have learned their trade in Canada so they know how to get the Canadian feeling: inside a big moose head on the wall and a mural with a typical lake and mountains on it; outside you can sit either on trunks or in a Canadian canoe while having Dr Pepper Coke and Moosehead Beer. This is real Canadian lumberjack-luxury!

And if you live somewhere near this place you can also use the delivery-service which brings your pizza on a special bike.

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Ron Telesky | Snacks, Restaurants (Canadian pizza) | Piece of pizza € 2.00
Dieffenbachstraße 62 | Kreuzberg | +493061621111
12:00 – 22:00 daily

Simon-Dach-Strasse became very famous over the last couple of years. It is not at all a secret, hidden road but still more than worth to choose for going out.

Restaurants, cafes, bars, snack bars (such as the “Pizza Dach” (see the Pizza Dach article) or “Tigris” (see the Tigris article) and even barber shops, ice cream parlours, shops and bakeries – the whole road is lined with them. There is always a bar that offers Happy Hour for cocktails (then € 3.50 – € 4.50). Beers cost between € 2.70 – € 3.00 in most places.

Find all styles of bars: rock, retro, old school or modern ones. One bar, the “DK – Dachkammer” even has a very atmospheric lounge on the floor upstairs.
On Saturdays and Sundays people gather for “Brunch” when all cafes and restaurants offer quality buffet (all you can eat) for between € 5.00 and € 10.00.

When walking through Simon-Dach-Strasse pay attention to the recently renovated old buildings that are now probably more beautiful than they were in the times when they were built – an extraordinary example is on corner Simon-Dach-Str./Krossener Str. – check it out!

Important to know: Many more restaurants, cafes and bars are located at close by roads “Gabriel-Max-Strasse”, “Grünberger Strasse”, “Wühlischstrasse”, “Boxhagener Strasse” and “Gärtnerstrasse”. Although the most important road of all, “Simon-Dach-Strasse” can be used as a synonym for the whole area (in German called “Kiez”), including famous Boxhagener Platz (see the Boxhagener Platz article).

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Simon-Dach-Strasse | Bars, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants
Simon-Dach-Strasse | Friedrichshain
Daily

My secret tip : Sonntagstrasse.

For going out, most Berliners know and use trendy areas like around Simon-Dach-Strasse (see the Simon-Dach-Strasse article) or Kastanienalle (see the Kastanienalle article). But if you go to Sonntagstrasse (regularly or not) you are either a real local or have read this article. Even those tourists who stay in nearby hostels are rarely seen here.

Get yourself a cheap pizza, kebab or beer in one of the cheaper stores and have it on a bench in adjacent Lenbachplatz (a little green area including meadows, a playground, table tennis tables, swings and soccer/basketball courts).

Or go for cocktails, coffee, beer, breakfast or foosball (here better known as “Kicker”) in one of the hip bars and cafes, such as the “Geronimo”, “Uebereck”, “Coffe Karma”, “Sunday”, “Tonart”, “Sieben” or “Lykia”. Or enjoy fine dining in the Asian restaurant “Transit”.

Sonntagstrasse even satisfies lovers of culture, e.g. in the theater “Zebrano” (simultaneously a bar & cafe). Also, unique clothing stores invite for shopping.

Located in the very east of trendy district Friedrichshain, Sonntagstrasse is extremely easy to reach by public transport. It starts exactly at one of two exits of S-Bahn station “Ostkreuz” (the northern exit!). Also, bus no. 240 and tram no. 21 pass by (get off at “Neue Bahnhofstrasse”). The famous Simon-Dach-Strasse (see the Simon-Dach-Strasse article) is within a walking distance of about 10 minutes.

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Sonntagstrasse | Bars, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants (Several)
Sonntagstrasse | Friedrichshain
Daily

The beach at the lake Weiße See in the district Weißensee seems to be one of the last oases in the concrete jungle of Berlin and is situated only 20 minutes by tram from Alexanderplatz.

It looks like a park from the outside, and as soon as you enter the green forest you will find a circular lake, which seems totally isolated from the outside world.

In winter the entrance is free.

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Strandbad am Weißen See | Relaxing, Snacks | Free
Seeweg | Outer – North&East | +49309253241
Summer 09:00 – open end daily | Autumn – Spring 11:00 – open end daily

When being out, you soon might start to feel hungry. A cheap eat is what you want!

My recommendation: The Iraqi-style “Tigris” which is located on Simon-Dach-Strasse (see the Simon-Dach-Strasse article).

Falafel, Schawarma, Haloumi – are the probably best known words of Arabian food you can get here. Get it as kebabs for € 2.50 or on plates for around € 4.00 really delicious, especially their hummus and sauces that come with it!

Have it as a take away (for me the better alternative to Turkish Doner Kebabs) or have it there – with a tea the team of “Tigris” offers.

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Tigris | Snacks | take away kebab € 2.50
Simon-Dach-Strasse 11 | Friedrichshain | +493029351212
Sun – Thu 11:30 – 02:00, Fri – Sat 11:30 – 06:00

Fra Rosa is one of 3 branches of the Weinerei restaurant/café collective all located 100m apart from each other on Zionskirchplatz.  It has that typically cosy and inviting Berlin DIY style, as if you had just walked into someone’s living room.  Its’ eclectic mismatched furniture and random decorative accessories are all set against the backdrop of paint chipped walls with red toned fresco style murals depicting lascivious half dressed femme fatales – a knowing nod to Toulouse-Lautrec style illustrations.

I have to be honest when I was first introduced to the Weinerei I was a bit sceptical, especially the whole concept they present of renting your wine glass for the evening for 2 euros and drinking to your hearts content.  This made me ask the natural question ‘what’s the catch’?  Well after many visits I can safely say there isn’t any; you rent your glass and at the end of the evening it’s up to you to bestow upon the establishment and staff a fitting contribution at your own discretion. Needless to say failure to do so is a mortal sin and social faux pas!

It is not only wine that is on offer, there is a fixed lunch and an evening three-course menu available everyday, and I have to say it’s pretty decent.  Brazilian Head chef Hugo de Carvalho describes his style of food as ‘con-fusion’ cooking

Sit down, rent a glass and keep the vino flowing…Prost!

“Come, thou monarch of the vine, Plumpy Bacchus with pink eye.”  William Shakespeare

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Weinerei | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Fusion) | Glass rental € 2.00
Zionskirchstr. 40 | Prenzlauer Berg | +4917628209047
12:00 – 16:00 & 20:00 – till late daily

The alternative look of the Zosch’s façade seems not to belong in the tidy area of Oranienburger Straße. You could imagine it in Friedrichshain or Kreuzberg but Mitte has turned more or less into the home of fancy chic in the last years. The Zosch is one of the survivors of the first pubs that established itself after the political turnaround in 1989. And it still remains true to itself. The staff and the people are down-to-earth and the interior is rustic. But the attention belongs to the music.

Downstairs in the cozy cellar which reminds you of an old larder in a medieval castle, mostly every night jazz bands or songwriters play. The atmosphere is familiar even if the pub is full of people. The big wooden tables and benches almost fill out the whole room and the place is quickly crowded.

Especially on Wednesday evening when the Goethe Institute of Berlin holds its student’s regulars’ table in the pub. But normally Zosch is a place where you find a lot of native people. It’s not overcrowded by tourists and most of the bands playing here are from Berlin. The Zosch is always trying to satisfy different tastes of music. Not only jazz but also songwriters, blues or gypsy bands enter the small stage.

Every Wednesday the band La Foot Creole which is committed to New Orleans Jazz plays in the Zosch’s catacomb.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Zosch | Bars, Music, Snacks | Beer € 2.00
Tucholskystraße 30 | Mitte | +49302807664
16:00 – open end daily