Mitte – Local tips (restaurants)

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.

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Aufsturz | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Restaurants (International) | Beer € 2.00
Oranienburger Straße 67 | Mitte | +493028047409
12:00 – 02:00 daily

“For me Berliner backyards are like surprises. You never know what’s waiting for you behind the gate.”

On one hand the way apartment buildings were built during the so called “Gründerzeit” (time around 1870-1914) produced the typical apartment blocks in Berlin, now known as “Altbauten” (old buildings) or “Mietskasernen” (tenements). On the other hand it gave Berlin those backyards everywhere.

In a particular area called “Scheunenviertel” (Barn Quarter) you can find a couple of very interesting “Hinterhöfe” where life seems to be hidden. Enjoy theatres, cinemas, galleries, museums, shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and other surprises there!

Except for “Hackesche Höfe“, now a tourist magnet and the most prominent complex of backyards, tourists and even Berliners don’t visit them. That is very unfortunate. And you will understand that if you go out to discover the following backyards:
– Backyard of Haus Schwarzenberg (see the Haus Schwarzenberg article)
- Heckmannhöfe (see the Heckmanhoefe article)
- Hackesche Höfe: a complex of 8 backyards
Rosenthaler Straße 40/41 & Sophienstraße 6
- Kunsthof, contains very nice hospitality and quality galleries
Oranienburger Strasse 27
- Sophie-Gips-Höfe, contains the Hoffmann Collection (see the Hoffmann collection article) Sophienstraße 21
- Rosenhöfe, Rosenthaler Strasse 36
- Panasia/Gallerie Cicero, Rosenthaler Strasse 38

Also, I’d like to encourage you to keep your eyes open for many other backyards in this area and not to be shy to enter them. With a bit of luck you can find real jewels of cultural & night life in them!

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Berliner backyards | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Theaters, Restaurants
Different locations | Mitte
Various opening times

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

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.

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Clärchens Ballhaus | Art & culture, Music, Restaurants (German) | Free
Auguststr. 24 | Mitte | +49302829295
12:00 – open end daily

“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

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)

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.

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Sage Club | Bars, Music, Restaurants | after 22:00 € 6.00
Köpenicker Straße 76 | Mitte | +49302789830
Thu 19:00 – open end

Looking for a night out with the accompanying two fingers up at the establishment attitude? This is your bar. Local and International rock/electro/punk/country bands perform here making White Trash a multi-faceted package deal.

It’s safe to say this place is a regular haunt of mine and it’s not uncommon that my friends have more than once found me asleep in the restrooms after a drink or two.

White Trash also hosts the weekly Smoking Cinema, an evening featuring underground films and old time classics, where despite the recent smoking ban, you can light up a cigarette or two whilst watching cult classics. Sprinkle on top tarot readers, burlesque dancers, extroverts galore and waiters with attitude, the result is a pretty eventful night out.

Be warned! It’s crazy packed on Saturdays, which may have something to do with the pole dancers in the street windows they have now employed to entice you in for their White Noise evening. On Sunday you can enjoy live Jazz and experimenta  music on ‘Last Exit Sunday’. Here you can find manager and Proustian disciple Wolfgang Sinhart (great last name right?) in his beautifully tailored suits as he hosts the evening while you chomp away on your Elvis burger.

My top tip is Friday evenings in the Diamond Lounge, where you can catch DJ Anita Drink make you shake your moneymakers to best of punk, rock and pop. Oh and she happens to be a rather frightening drag act as well.

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White Trash | Cinemas, Restaurants (Fast Food) | Entry from € 2.00
Schönhauseralle 6-7 | Mitte | +493050348668
18:00 – till late daily