Mitte – Local tips (music venues)

Throughout its life  (opened in 1873) the Admiralspalast theatre has had an idiosyncratic history. During the 1920’s and 30’s it was a pleasure palace of sorts, hosting in it’s parameters a bath house, restaurant, a speak easy, the worlds first indoor ice skating revue show, as well as the grandiose Art Deco theatre which houses up to 1700 people at a time.

At one point it even housed a DDR “Press Café” at the front of the building where  subversive bohemians would meet.  After years of closure the Admiralspalast was recently revamped and reopened in August 2006.

There are various types of productions staged here, from My Fair Lady to Brechts 3-Penny Opera, to live performances from De La Soul.

My favourite event is their regular quarterly swing dance/music party,  hosted in the main theatre and themed differently each time yet always dedicated solely to swing music, high fashion and old school sophistication. Recently headling the part was an exclusive Berlin performance by sibling trio ‘Kitty, Daisy and Lewis’.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Admiralspalast | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Theaters | Ticket +/- € 22.00
Friedrichstrasse 101 | Mitte | +493032533144
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 19:00, Sun 12:00 – 17:00

Aufsturz means more than 100 sorts of beer and a big choice of food. The place is always full of people trying to test every beer once. But the choice is difficult: Banana beer or smoked beer (Rauchbier)? German beer or Mexican beer? Don’t worry: The waiters are patient and helpful.

The interior of the Restaurant/Pub is simple but comfortable. Since 1994 the Aufsturz has exhibitions of sculptures, paintings, photography, installations and collages. There is also a club area where they present concerts (Pop, Rock, Jazz), performances, workshops and other events weekly.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Aufsturz | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Restaurants (International) | Beer € 2.00
Oranienburger Straße 67 | Mitte | +493028047409
12:00 – 02:00 daily

If took a wrong turn and made it to Berlin instead of Nashville and your heart yearns to hear a bit of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynne then make your way to Bassy Cowboy Club in Mitte,This is by no means fancy dress up club, where you are expected to waltz in with a Stetson and cowboy boots, though some do. However a certain level of effort and style is expected and will ensure easier entry. Turn up with trainers, sweatshirt and fanny pack and you are guaranteed a date with the sidewalk.Once you get past the style police at the door, you can listen to live country and blues bands from Berlin and abroad, as well DJ’s guiding you into the early hours. Fear not, Bassy’s musical catalogue is not just limited to Country music but a host of other genres are also played here from 50’s surf tunes, garage, rockabilly and Rock n’ Roll. They sometimes host performances from a range of local and national Burlesque acts like Tallulah Freeway and The Teaserettes. Bassy is in a prime location just off on the Schönhauserallee (Torstrasse side) underneath the Pfefferberg cultural complex, so you can also enjoy the delights of their beer garden in the summer months and then venture down to Bassy for a for a drink and dance.

It’s free entry if you come before 23:00, and if you don’t feel like dancing there is always the kicker table to play with till the wee hours of the morning.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Bassy Cowboy Club | Bars, Music | Entry from € 5.00
Schönhauser allee 176a | Mitte
22:00 – late daily

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.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
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.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
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

Over its 90-year history, this dance venue come restaurant, is pure vintage heaven oozing Weimar Republic chic. The restaurant circles the large dance floor where couples tango and swing dance the night away.  If you don’t fancy joining in you can always watch, whilst digging into traditional German fare like Bulette or Schnitzel.

Clärchens, as its fondly referred to, attracts a wonderfully eclectic crowd of vintage lovers, Rockabilly’s, artists, musicians and regular local elderly couples who come for the inviting atmosphere and varied music on offer.

This is one of my favourite weekday hangouts, especially on Wednesday evening.  Novices like my friends and myself, enjoy making spectacles of ourselves at the beginners swing dance class, as we clumsily sashay across the dance floor, imagining we are extras on the set of ‘Mambo Kings’ as more experienced dancers glide by us effortlessly.

No need for embarrassment, it is a thoroughly democratic affair at Clärchens – whether you are a beginner or the proverbial Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers; maybe you’re in the mood to throw on a posh frock/suit or keep it casual in jeans and trainers, emphasis is on having a good time…no judgement passed here.

During more temperate months, you can dine outside on the romantic garden terrace surrounded by winding vines, illuminated by fairy lights and tea candles come dark.

Between April – June take advantage of the ‘Spargel Menu’ with a variety of dishes tailored around the famed Beelitzer Asparagus, on offer in most restaurants/café’s in and across Germany.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Clärchens Ballhaus | Art & culture, Music, Restaurants (German) | Free
Auguststr. 24 | Mitte | +49302829295
12:00 – open end daily

Erdbeer means strawberry and the name is not a coincidental one. Situated at the corner of a graffiti decorated house the bar is befogged in red light. Many young people rather lie on the chairs than sit. Red walls and candlelight make you feel like being inside of a strawberry. The atmosphere is relaxed and the DJ puts some spherical music on. The Erdbeer Bar is comfortable and not overcrowded, at least on weekdays.

The most popular and common ingredient of Cocktails is (surprise!) the strawberry. The list of beverages offers not only many Cocktails and Long drinks but also different kinds of non-alcohol smoothies – mostly made with strawberries.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Erdbeer Bar | Bars, Music | Cocktails from € 4.00
Max-Beer-Straße 56 | Mitte
18:00 – open end daily

My favorite backyard (see the Backyards article): Haus Schwarzenberg.

One could say there are two cafes/bars, two shops, a gallery, a cinema, a museum…But that wouldn’t be enough to describe the importance of Haus Schwarzenberg. For getting a proper feeling of the cultural Berlin you have to go there.

Here is where Otto Weidt saved lives of deaf and blind Jewish workers from Holocaust in his broom and brush workshop. Find out more about this historical place in the “Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt“.

The memorial “Stille Helden” honors and commemorates those people who, like Otto Weidt, risked their own lives to rescue prosecuted Jewish people from assured death.

Go further through to the second backyard. Here’s the lovely cinema “Central” (see this article). Also, you have the café “Kaschemme” which is “turned” into a bar and renamed “Eschschloraque” at 20:00 (see this article), a place with an alien-like decoration and really friendly staff.

Above the “Eschschloraque” is the “Neurotitan” – an extremely unique shop and gallery that sells, supports and exhibits all kinds of works of local artists, be it paintings/drawings, CDs/records or t-shirts/tops, books or other stuff.

Other places in Haus Schwarzenberg that are also worth going to are the “Anne-Frank-Zentrum” – an exhibition about the life of the Jewish girl whose diary became so famous and the lovely “Café Cinema”.

Finally, take some time to look at the walls. Most of Berlin’s famous street artists, such as Alias, El Bocho, Karl Toon or Vectorian, are present here.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Haus Schwarzenberg | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Music, Shopping
Rosenthaler Strasse 39 | Mitte
Daily

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 near Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz 8 years ago.

It didn’t take a long time until 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.

Thanks to Kaffee Burger, which used to be frequented by actors, authors and singers in the 70’s, the atmosphere is 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.

But anyway, nostalgia fits the Russian mentality, so the Kaffee and the Russendisko go perfectly together. The place’s popularity proves it: 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.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Kaffee Burger | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music | Entry fee € 5.00
Torstraße 60 | Mitte | +493028046495
Fri – Sat 22:00 – open end, Sun – Thu open during events

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.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
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

Calling all urban cowboys, Rock n Rollers and 50’s enthusiasts, Roadrunners Paradise is the place to be. This gig venue is where it’s at, if you’re looking for quality live classic Rock n’ Roll, Bluegrass, Country or Rockabilly music. You need not dress like or be a vintage enthusiast to feel at home (though it does help), as there is something very welcoming about roadrunners. Perhaps due its location, hidden away from passing traffic, it creates the feeling of an exclusive and friendly members club, feels like a bit of an insiders secret tip.

Located just off Saarbrücker Strasse in Mitte, tucked away at the back of commercial courtyard right next to an Alpha Romeo car workshop. You realise you’re there once you see the impressive variety of classic American cars parked outside, from Chevrolets to Cadillac’s.

This place has great acoustics and hosts both national and international acts; I recently saw a great Bluegrass band from Memphis perform here, as well as a rockabilly quartet from Hanover and Miss. Mospy a local Berlin Burlesque performer.

It’s charm also lies in the stylishly quaint decorative touches, like a vintage Harley Davidson mounted on the wall, pictures of Elvis, Herb Ritts and Charles Bukowski in classic gilded frames.

As Roadrunners hasn’t got fixed opening times, it is worth checking the website to see the concert schedule, generally it is always open Saturdays and costs 10 euros entry for enjoyable night of 50’s era inspired bands and DJ’s.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Road Runners Paradise | Bars, Music | Entry € 10.00
Saarbrückerstr. 24 | Mitte
Check website for opening times

On weekends you can party everywhere else, but Thursday night belongs to Sage Club. For some people it’s their after-work relaxing zone, for others it’s better than Saturday because the club gets crowded early. Every Thursday Sage Club, located inside the U-Bahnhof Heinrich-Heine-Straße, turns into a music fest for finest Indie rock, Alternative and Metal.  But not only DJs reign this three floor venue.

The main floor is dedicated to live upcoming bands. After that Britpop, Indierock and All time favorites can be heard in the hall. The so-called Dragonfloor satisfies those addicted to a harder pace.  Here Metal, Hardrock and Hardcore are the DJ’s specialties. Downstairs you’ll find a smaller booth where Classics and Alternative music are played. But you better keep track of yourself and your friends: Sage Club is quite big and it’s not unusual for you or your friends to get lost in the crowd.

The interior of the Sage is reminiscent of a dominatrix studio. Every Friday and Saturday the club hosts KitKat, a techno-party that’s geared for anyone who dresses up in leather, latex, glitter, glamour and extravagant clothes (or no clothes at all). But of course this special interior fits well for Rock’n'Roll too.

The special attraction of the Sage Club is the swimming pool in the smoking/lounge area. Unfortunately a big sign forbids you to get in but the view into the deep blue water helps you come down after excessive dancing.

Make sure to get to the club before 22:00 for free entry (and don’t be put off by a possible long queue), after 22:00 you have to pay 6 € to get in.

If you need some great food on the next day keep in mind that Sage has also a restaurant. It doesn’t remind you at all on the dirty Rock Club. This place is rather chic, stylish and a little expensive – a hanseatic dream in white. But have a look at the wSage restaurant website and be sure to book before you come.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Sage Club | Bars, Music, Restaurants | after 22:00 € 6.00
Köpenicker Straße 76 | Mitte | +49302789830
Thu 19:00 – open end

Stattbad Wedding was a public swimming pool complex, but the story here is about what it is today. A place for site-specifc installations. A place for parties. A place for performances. A place for filming. A place for what you can imagine building there. Because the managers of the space are open for your suggestions.

Of this assured me Jochen Küpper, cultural manager at Stattbad Wedding. The first time I met him was for a short interview, or better say, he answered a curiosity call. We set down on a couch by the swimming pool. The light was warm and we were surrounded by fishing nets, which managed to provide intimacy to the conversation, despite the constant movement around us. The place was getting ready for a weekend event. Jochen works around the clock for the Stattbad, no wonder he has nights catching him sleeping there.

Stattbad Wedding is a contemporary cultural centre, so its definition remains open. There is however a focus on urban arts. One of the first exhibition openings I have attended there was a urban affairs show spread throghout the swimming pool and the lockers. Alive butterflies were flying everywhere. Incredibly cruel and beautiful. The second time I’ve been to the Stattbad was an underground experience – we were literally under the swimming pool. Imagine pipes everywhere, video installations, bars and music which lasted til the morning. The space does offer unfolding possibilities.

Go there to be surprised. Or to surprise.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Stattbad Wedding | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Relaxing, Festivals & events | Ticket +/- € 4
Gerichtstrasse 65 | Mitte
Please make sure to check the website

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