The best bars and cafés Berlin

Timetable

Unless they're also restaurants, Berlin's cafés close fairly early, around 6pm, and are usually open on Sundays. Bars tend to open around 7pm. Biergärten ( singular:Biergarten ), or beer gardens, are only open on sunny days.

Budget & Tips

A coffee costs an average of €2.50. A slice of cake costs around €4. Bear in mind that in cafés, as in restaurants, people often pay in cash and thank the service by tipping around 10% of the price. For a pint of beer, expect to pay around €4.

Age restrictions

There are no age restrictions in Berlin's cafés. Some cafés even have high chairs for toddlers. In bars, on the other hand, you won't come across any children.

What's very local

The German tradition is quite similar to the British "tea-time". It's called "Kaffee und Kuchen", literally "coffee and cake". It's the mid-afternoon gourmet break. Admittedly, "Kaffee und Kuchen" is more reminiscent of the bourgeoisie of the 1950s than the hip, international youth of the 2020s, but the practice is still very much alive. The more nostalgic will enjoy a cup of coffee with a black forest while reading the newspaper. Younger guests are more inclined towards cheesecake, carrotcake or the ever-popular bananabread. In traditional cafés, you'll always find a window displaying the cakes of the day.

As far as bars are concerned, beer is still very much in vogue, and that's not about to change. Some beers are inherited from the days when Berlin had its own breweries right in the middle of the city: Berliner Pilsner, Schultheiss, Kindl and so on. Cocktails are also very popular in Berlin. Top of the list are gin and tonic and moscow mule.

Smokers

While smoking is banned in restaurants, it's a different story in bars: they're very often smoking areas. Sometimes, there are two distinct areas: smoking and non-smoking.