Berlin's Best: Coffee Guide 2016
The very first version of this guide on Berlin's best coffee, published four years ago, featured nine places, the updated version from two years ago had fifteen. And this one? Twentynine! When everyone thought the Berlin coffee scene had reached its climax and was saturated, coffee enthusiasts actually took another leap and made the scene here bigger, better and especially more beautiful. And while it seems like the whole city is covered in speciality coffee places, a look on the map (choose coffee from the drop-down menu on the left) makes it very clear how much spaces are still left untouched by syphons, speciality roasts and the never-ending discussion whether one should or shouldn't use sugar.In this guide, I collected all coffee places I enjoy in Berlin, from the chic caffeine chapels to the homey neighborhood joints, from the ones who've been here before you even thought about moving to Berlin, to those who literally just opened. Just to make sure you’ll get a good coffee wherever you are.And since we're just at it, Berlin Coffee Festival is coming up! Check the massive program here. 
THE BARN
Ralf Rüller and his crew have installed themselves as the reference point for Third Wave Coffee in Berlin, despite only being open since end of 2010. But their distinct interior style and serious devotion to the art of coffee making (and maybe one or two exaggerated "scandals" about their policy regarding sugar, soy milk, strollers, dogs and/or laptops) has made them to internationally known ambassadors of Berlin coffee enthusiasts. Read our reviews here: The Barn and The Barn Roastery.[place id="6"][place id="3751"]
BEN RAHIM
Seriously tucked away in the main hub for Mitte-tourists, Hackesche Höfe, where you'd least expect to get some delicious coffee is this small bar serving your usual speciality coffee drinks plus a great mocca, and offers all the necessary tools to make one at home.[place id="19958"]
BONANZA COFFEE
Located just off Mauerpark, queues are common at the original location of this stalwart of coffee culture. Founded back in 2007, this roastery has managed to rule Berlin's caffeine scene from their first and very small venue for years, providing delicious beans to many of Berlin's cafés and for you to take home. This year, they moved their roasting business to a backyard in Kreuzberg and added a stunning café. Read more in our interview with Yumi Choi. And a review of their Kreuzberg place here.[place id="7776"][place id="19658"]
CAFÈ 9
The coffee business of Markthalle Neun is not only bringing good coffee to the area around Lausitzer Platz, but also the driving force behind the Berlin Coffee Festival. To add even more, the place is currently in reconstruction, reopening on August 22nd in a way bigger space and an added roastery.[place id="19960"]
CAMON
Adding a pretty spot to the otherwise rather rough Sonnenallee, Camon serves their coffee with a choice of baked treats and sandwiches and the girls running the machines are super nice and attentive.[place id="19961"]
CHAPTER ONE
Under Czech and German ownership, this cafe's specialty is slow coffee, offering a Siphon Brew Bar with a huge beans menu for you to choose from. But don't fret, the staff is always available to guide you through the coffee specialities to find the brew of your liking.[place id="7785"]
COFFEE PROFILERS
Nora Šmahelová of Chapter One opened a new place last year with the TAF coffee team from Greece. Their chic and minimal joint delivers the best caffeine experience on Karl Marx Allee.[place id="19964"]
COMPANION COFFEE
Shawn and Chris, the barristas behind Companion Coffee, came to Berlin to do coffee – starting out at The Barn in 2010, they went on to start their own bar a year ago. Located inside of Kreuzberg's fashionable concept store Voo on Oranienstraße they are serving the best coffee in Kreuzberg 36 – see more in our review.[place id="9474"]
CONCIERGE COFFEE
The agency-people working in this classic Kreuzberg industrial-turned-office-loft complex must have jumped for joy when this tiny coffee place opened its doors just by the street-entrance. Taking their name from the former inhabitant of this 15sqm hut, their flavorful coffee is a big hit by the canal. And they're supplying the West with speciality coffee in their coffee bar at the Vitra and Artek Store at Bikini Berlin.[place id="14664"][place id="20041"]
DISTRIKT COFFEE
Serving strong, double shot coffee in a beautiful industrial yet pleasant interior on Bergstrasse, Distrikt Coffee is an important part of Mitte's speciality coffee scene. They mark their territory with much more than delicious brews of beans roasted by The Barn Berlin, Belleville Paris or Ozone London, and serve delicate tea by Companion Coffee, stunning breakfast plates and the very rare treat called bread pudding![place id="16945"]
DOUBLE EYE
Double Eye is (arguably) the oldest cafe in Berlin serving high-grade coffee. Having opened in 2001, they're excused from not having a proper website or Facebook page. There is also no "proper" seating, but that's how espresso was meant to be drank anyway. The place to drink coffee when in Schöneberg.[place id="7780"]
FATHER CARPENTER COFFEE BREWERS
This enticing coffee haven keeps giving us reasons to visit Münzstraße. Tucked away in the courtyard, they're serving delicious coffee brews in bright blue cups using Five Elephant's and more roasts. Read the full review here.[place id="17594"]
FENSTER COFFEE (closed)
(Closed) A beautiful place to have your coffee on the otherwise rather crowded and not really aesthetically pleasing part of Falckensteinstraße just off the busy bar-strip of Schlesische Straße. They're working with multiple roasters and also have great brunches and food from time to time, keep up with their facebook page for more info.[place id="19965"]
FIVE ELEPHANT
Besides making the best cheese cake in Berlin, Five Elephant is famous for excellent roasting and supplies many of Berlin's prettiest cafés (see Aunt Benny or Westberlin) with coffee. Their beans are direct trade, meaning they deal on a one-to-one basis with the growers. And their cheese cake… There'll be some big news coming up for this one as well.[place id="7778"]
GODSHOT
Godshot in Prenzlauer Berg is about more than coffee. Owned by Kai-Uwe, a self-trained barrista, it's aiming to form an urban coffee klub, connecting people through beans and brews.[place id="7783"]
HAPPY BARISTAS
Far away in Friedrichshain lies this special place for all kinds of coffee drinks: from the classics to more adventorous varieties like milkshakes or espresso mixed with cola syrup, cherry juice and poured over ice, or horchata, they go to considerable length to make you happy.[place id="20025"]
HOME
An alumni of The Barn, Sarah opened her own space called Home in a quiet street of Hermansstraße, serving grand coffee from different roasters from Berlin and abroad, weekend brunches together with Little Joy, and workshops on butter and kimchi making, tastings of tapas and natural wine and more.[place id="20023"]
ISLA COFFEE
Still a work in progress, this place was opened by two former Café 9 employees with a still unique and definitely challenging idea in mind – Isla is striving for a no-waste-concept. Their coffee is delicious, and the grounds are used to form the cups by Kaffeeform, they're working with a baker who uses the left-overs of juice making to bake cakes and even more. Enjoy and support their journey.[place id="19966"]
NANO COFFEE
With a chic interior and choice of baked treats that are reduced to the max, Nano is all about the coffee and its many brewing techniques and serve as a relaxing haven just off the some times grim Kottbusser Tor.[place id="19967"]
NO FIRE, NO GLORY
No Fire No Glory is located in Prenzlauer Berg's Kaffeeviertel. They offer very good coffee drinks in a laid-back atmosphere.[place id="7786"]
OSLO KAFFEEBAR
This one felt quite ab vom Schuss as we Berliners like to say for a long time, but since the northern parts of Mitte have become quite busy, it moved into the centre of attention. Its pairing of a super-relaxed atmosphere with a reduced yet refined coffee menu make it a top-choice when roaming the streets of Mitte-Nord.[place id="15293"]
PASSENGER COFFEE
Located in Treptow, this roastery and café is all for those of you who like their roasts dark and intense.[place id="19968"]
POPULUS COFFEE
Just by the canal in Neukölln is this fairly new spot run by Finnish coffee addicts. They've already attracted quite the crowd thanks to their delicious brews and probably their mint colored cups[place id="19969"]
RÖSTSTÄTTE
This place is not only a roastery and a café, but also a shop selling every barista tool needed to brew coffee professionally or for your private enjoyment.[place id="20027"]
SILO
Until the arrival of Australian owned Silo and its signature red coffee cups in Friedrichshain was sans third wave. Supplied with beans from their own roastery called Fjord, this lovely place is also a staple in the art of elaborate breakfast making and a prime first thing in the morning spot attracting tired folks from all over the city.[place id="13364"]
TRES CABEZAS
A little break for a personal anecdote needed here, this was the place in Berlin, I had my first speciality coffee at. It must've been 2003, and I just arrived in the city, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Tres Cabezas has been holding the caffeine torch high ever since with their café and roastery, and has recently launched a new concept in Mitte.[place id="19970"]
WESTBERLIN
This coffee shop on the weird end of Friedrichstraße is all clad in contemporary designer furniture, and sells cool international magazines and publications besides brewing up the best coffee in this part of town.[place id="13583"]
19GRAMS + 19gramsChausseestraße
Another really tiny, easy to miss coffee place in Kreuzberg, which are all about mastering the art of espresso together with Tres Cabezas, or "bloody good coffee", as they call it. Read our review here. Just now, they opened a new joint in Mitte's Chausseestraße, working even closer with their roaster and inviting Little Joy to cook their delicious brunches for hungry Mitte folks.[place id="13685"][place id="19971"]
AND MORE…
There's more than coffee shops going on in Berlin's coffee scene. All the way east in Friedrichsfelde, the guys of Silo and Father Carpenter opened their roastery called FJORD, whose roasts you can enjoy at their own and various other coffee shops in the city. I especially enjoyed their espresso roast served at Isla.Cory Andreen of Café CK teamed up with Travis Wilson to bring us nitro coffee on tap under the name of BREWBOX, currently to be enjoyed at various street food parties, with such lovely excursions like fresh ayran, horchata and mexican hot chocolate on tap!GOOD SPIRITS are the makers of Black Moon cold brew coffee, distributed in those cute little brown glass bottles you can see at many, many coffee places in the city.Already mentioned in the guide, but definitely worth an extra: KAFFEEFORM manufactures coffee cups out of recycled, used coffee grounds, closing a gap in the production circle. The dark brown cups are dish washer safe and have a delicious smell of freshly ground coffee. Can't wait for them to produce to-go-cups.Another gap in the production cycle is closed by SELOSODA, who use the dried peel of the coffee fruit to create a refreshing lemonade with that extra caffeine kick. This makes the demanding coffee plant more profitable and helps small coffee farms sustain their business.