Cipio has all the ingredients I need after knocking off work, in exactly this order: excellent and surprising wine, friendly staff, something to nibble on, a cozy yet stylish interior and, last but not least, a good beat.
The wine menu consists of open bottles and changes regularly. You’ll find Swiss and mainly European wines, crowd-pleasers, as well as some more unusual wines (like an orange wine or my recommendation: a biodynamic sparkling rosé from Bairrada, Portugal). I appreciate that you get plenty of water and crispy grissini with your drink order, which is not the standard in Helvetic bar culture. Of course you can order tasty accompaniments to your wine, all from shops within city boundaries.
If you have the opportunity, you should attend one of Cipio’s events. They are very (very!) reasonably priced, without skimping on generous portions of high-quality food and obviously wine. This is rounded off by the attentive service. I loved the sparkling wine and oyster event and can’t wait to attend their cheese and wine evening. While this sounds terribly yuppie, don’t worry. The atmosphere in Cipio is very relaxed and laid back, like pretty much everywhere in Bern.
