Archives for “terrace” tag

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.  

Hidden behind the walls of trendy Mitte, you can find a peaceful mustard-toned oasis – a welcome contrast to the busy streets outside. Sit next to the pond for a bit and enjoy the quiet or go inside where the counters are filled with jars of loose tea, Asian tea pots and a fantastic array of Vietnamese delicacies. 

The tea here is not only tasty, it’s sexy. Served according to Vietnamese tradition, it comes in soup-like bowls and consists of fresh, loose ingredients: sliced ginger, jasmine flowers, shiso leaves, lemon grass, blue butterfly plant petals, and of course, none of that tea bag nonsense. Some of the teas are lovingly simmered for hours in order to ensure full flavor.

It’s lovely and quiet, and it’s a fantastic place to go when you want to warm up in winter or enjoy the sun in the summer. It has a big open terrace in the back and huge glass windows to enjoy the peaceful surrounding from the inside.

They also have really nice food like Dim Sum, rice rolls, tasty snacks and larger portions of North Vietnamese specialties for those with a bigger appetite. Nice, exotic breakfasts are available on Saturdays and Sundays starting at 12:00. And for a proper teatime, go for ‘tea party’ time every day from 15:00 – 18:00 and have a taste of three different yummy delicacies accompanied by a pot of organic green Sencha tea.