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Brunch in Neukölln: Isla
Now that Sweethearts' final weekend is here, I want to give you an alternative in the same area, that is equally delicious and creative: Isla – a pretty speciality coffee shop on the gritty corner of Hermannstraße and Columbiadamm. With an eye for sustainability, they're striving to reach a harmonious business by reducing waste and creating holistic production cycles. Which makes their brunch only better, that is – the bread pudding is made with left-over kouign amann and left-over steamed milk is turned into ricotta. And did I mention they're doing it in a really pretty way?
Breakfast in Mitte: Father Carpenter Coffee Brewer
As previously mentioned, I do like to take more time for my breakfast, even during the weekday. Even going all the way to Mitte from my beloved Kreuzberg home before 9am to get myself some poached eggs is worth it if they're as delicious as at Father Carpenter Coffee Brewer.
Coffee & Cake in Mitte: Five Elephant
As announced in the "The New Food Spots We Have To Try" article, Five Elephant has ventured from Kreuzberg and into the heart of Mitte, opening a small but very pretty new shop on Alte Schönhauser Straße, just next to high scale fashion and beauty stores. They're offering their well known and trusted coffee drinks, as well as cakes in newer, probably more Mitte-appropriate sizes. A great addition to the thriving Berlin coffee scene.
Coffee in Berlin: Qua Phe
It's getting dark really, really early, doesn't it? It's the same decline every year and I won't ever get used to it. The one thing I wanna do is go to bed at 18:00, which doesn't go very well with my schedule. Also, it's going to get worse! The only thing that might help? A strong and delicious coffee. Let me recommend you this Vietnamese variety: ca phe is freshly brewed using a stainless steel filter and a darker roast – Qua Phe in Mitte serves a particularly delicious one that will give you some of the much needed energy to get through the many dark winter days to come.
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.
Coffee in Kreuzberg: Bonanza Coffee
You know the tiny coffee shop at Oderberger Straße, that was one of the shops starting third-wave-coffee in Berlin, right? Even if you don't, you probably know the name Bonanza Coffee, because it stands for finest roasts that are used world-wide and in many cafés and restaurants throughout the city, like Borchardt and Cecconi? And maybe you've ordered some yourself through their online shop? Because sometimes, that little shop is just a bit too crammed. And also quite far off, if you don't live in the northern districts. Here's a solution: their gorgeous new café in a backyard off Adalbertstraße in Kreuzberg.
Coming up: Berlin Coffee Festival
Berliners are crazy about coffee, that's obvious while the reasons might be manifold. It was clearly about time the many coffee nerds of the city get a festival to gather and share knowledge and intense coffee discussions, to celebrate the black brew in all its varieties: The Berlin Coffee festival is happening in all of Berlin with plenty of workshops, tastings, challenges, lectures, tours and much more. I met initiator Philipp Reichel of Café Neun at Markthalle Neun to talk about the exploding scene, the program, the challenges of uniting Berlins coffee makers and why you should get the sweet sauce at Big Stuff. Additionally, we're giving away tickets for the Berlin coffee tours on Friday and Saturday! Read on... (and check our guide to the best coffee in Berlin later.)
Coffee in Berlin: Father Carpenter Coffee Brewers
A couple years back, I used to spend many weekend afternoons at Münzstraße, waiting for well dressed people to pass by and taking their photo to put on this very blog. Walking along the street today I sometimes can't believe how much changed since then – it seems like new stores open every week, new brands take over what once was the epicenter of Berlin fashion with the result that the street looks entirely different than five years ago. With crowds of shoppers filling the streets and cafés, one can easily feel lost today – change has been quintessential to Berlin and it has brought the city many good things, and so not everything around Münzstraße feels lost – enter the courtyard of Münzstraße 21 and you'll find a coffee and sweets haven: Father Carpenter Coffee.
Café in Berlin: Hallesches Haus
Describing this one isn't easy, it's a café serving delicious coffee drinks made with roasts from Tom's Kaffeerösterei, a florist selling beautiful succulents and cacti, a general store stocking nifty items like Stanley pocket flasks and soap smelling like the forests in Big Sur, a furniture show room for Berlin based Nuts and Woods, and it will be a lunchroom and event space any time soon. Altogether it's a gorgeous space managed by dedicated people trying to revive this rather dull area behind Hallesches Tor.
Café in Berlin: ORA
Something new to discover! The area around Oranienplatz just got a beautiful new café: ORA. Located inside an old pharmacy, with most of the original furnishing still there, it's a beautiful place to have your first meal of the day, spend a lazy afternoon or get the first or last drink of the night.It's only been open for a week, but is already a highlight in the area.
Coffee and Breakfast in Berlin: Distrikt Coffee
Admittedly, one could say something like… another speciality coffee in Mitte?! But then, let's be grateful for the many delicious coffee options we have! And thankful that the growing competition forces coffee enthusiasts to come up with distinct concepts, sophisticated food menus and pleasing interior designs. One result of the growing struggle to set yourself apart from all the other third wave coffee places in Mitte (check our guide on Berlin's best coffee spots here) is this haven: Distrikt Coffee at Bergstraße.
Berlin's Best: Coffee Guide
The discussion about where to have the best coffee in Berlin is a highly emotional one, supporters of the Third Wave Coffee movement demand elaborate technical brewing methods and lovers of the Italian style ask for the softest foam – we're left in between. Appreciating a cold brew on hot days, as well as a comforting espresso with smooth milk as a pick-me-up on slow work-day afternoons. Lucky for us, Berlin's coffee scene is thriving to say the least. While the ultra-hype might have cooled off over the past two years, having a delicious coffee is still a big concern for many of us. In this list, we're covering our favorite places (sorted from A-Z) for a caffeine kick, from new-comers like 19 grams, big hitters like The Barn, to the established institutions like Double Eye. Just to make sure you'll get a good coffee wherever you are. (At least almost, beyond the park is a whole other story.)
Cake in Berlin: Five Elephant
When I walked into Five Elephant the other day and ordered a piece of cheesecake with my morning cappuccino, I was assured that I hadn’t been the first customer that day who asked for it; it appears to be the talk of the town.Bite by bite, sip by sip, I realized why the 15-minute walk from the closest U-Bahn station was worth it; this quiet slice of Kreuzberg sweetness is something to be cherished.
Coffee in Berlin: Bonanza Coffee Heroes
A few years ago I stumbled on the quote “Coffee is the best thing to douse the sunrise with” on one of those dorky inspiration pages on the internet. As cheesy as it sounds, it has stuck with me, since, as a caffeine devotee, there really is no feeling that compares to that first sip of coffee to pass through my lips first thing in the morning. Without it, I simply cannot function. Thankfully, my fix is within arm’s reach as I pass Bonanza Coffee Heroes on my way to work every day.
Cake in Berlin: No Fire No Glory
Coffee in Berlin: 19grams
Tucked away on Schlesische Strasse, 19grams is a strong contender in Berlin’s growing coffee scene. Though it only opened its doors late last year, but this little cafe will only continue to grow in popularity when word of their ‘Bloody good coffee!’ gets out. Despite its passive hole-in-the-wall exterior, it's a welcome breath of fresh air on a largely unremarkable stretch of road home to numerous tacky late-night takeaway places. As a result, the shop front can be quite easy to miss, but their small chalkboard sign should point your way in.
Coffee in Berlin: Silo
We all have our coffee routines. While Kierkegaard preferred to have his morning coffee served on a sugar pyramid in his cup, Beethoven carefully counted every single bean. Berliners in search for their own infusion of morning inspiration can now choose from an ever-growing collection of coffee shops in the city, each more 'authentically' third-wave or homey than the next.
Cafés in Berlin: westberlin
This coffee shop is located in the weirdest of places in central Berlin, right in the eye of the tourist-hurricane, but then otherwise a rather deserted area around Checkpoint Charlie, in between Mitte and Kreuzberg. There's literally nothing else of food interest, which is maybe why this spot is crowded every time one passes by.
Coffee in Berlin: Godshot
Coffee in Berlin: Companion Coffee
Shawn and Chris, two of the most important barristas during the beginning of The Barn, decided to leave the epicenter of Berlin's Third Wave Coffee to start their own business within the space of Kreuzberg's Voo store. Their small café bar just opened recently under the name Companion Coffee and is now serving coffee to fashionable Voo clients and Kreuzberg coffee–aficionados alike.