One word to describe Macondo? Bustling! It's not the place if you need a quiet space to work, but it's nice if you want to have it all: work, play, wine, and coffee.

Heisser Hobel stands out through their use of quality ingredients. Their dairy ingredients are collected from an organic family-run dairy farm, and their noodles are made in their stall throughout the day.

I suggest stopping by the Berlin Art Market by the Zeughaus to pick up a locally created art piece. Since the market is located in the center of Museum Island it's easy to reach.

Wurstpate is a hidden gem serving tasty wurst at reasonable prices. Here you can find authentically made Currywurst using an 'old Berliner' recipe that hasn't changed in decades.

Baked goods are made with ingredients made in-house or purchased from local suppliers. All food waste and single-use items (ie recycled compostable napkins) are turned into soil with their Gersi composting machine.

"Idealpassage" in Berlin takes you on a historic walk - this passage reveals a complex from a century ago that served as a model for 'social housing'...

"Oxfam Schöneberg" in Berlin deals in second-hand books! It offers a surprisingly interesting variety of international books...

"Buchhandlung Moritzplatz" in Berlin is hosted by Aufbau Verlag, once the biggest belles-lettres publisher in Easy Germany and still one of my favorites!

"Unterwegs" is a magnificent antiquarian bookstore specialised in architecture, photography, Berlin-Brandenburg and travel. Very aesthetically pleasing!

"Troika" is a nice little bookshop among the Prenzlauer Berg bars and restaurants. It's a little nostalgic treasure - you're lucky if you find it open!

"a Livraria" in Berlin gives the street it's one a nice Latin American vibe. An essential shop for Portuguese and Italian language readers in the city...

"Prior & Mumpitz" in Berlin is a tiny bookstore next to a ping pong table area specialized in children books - they even have a children's book club!