My Guide to Berlin

I recently visited Berlin for a quick weekend away as England were playing Germany in the football over there (if you haven’t already you can check out my outfits from the trip: 1, 2!).

It was my first time in the German capital so I was eager to eat, drink and see as much as possible. Often with football trips you end up being sucked into the football and not see that much of the city (I went to Rio for the World Cup and never even saw the Christ statue or Sugarloaf mountain, talk about being a bad tourist!). This time though I came armed with a list of places I wanted to check out – admittedly more cool sounding bars than actual sights, but better than nothing!

I thought I’d share a few of the things I did whilst over there, plus I’d love to know if you have any hidden gems from the city worth checking out!

SLEEP

…At Hotel Mani, a boutique hotel in the hip northern district of Mitte, close to plenty of great eating and drinking options. As soon as I walked in and saw the cute sleeping pup decoration on the carpet, I knew this place was a winner. The rooms are pretty compact, but clean and well-equipped, and there’s a chic bar and restaurant area on the ground floor which I unfortunately did not adequately utilise.

Hotel Mani

Torstrasse 136
Mitte
10119

EAT

…just a few doors down from Hotel Mani at Royals and Rice, a Vietnamese restaurant with a short but sweet food menu and some seriously good cocktails. I’m not a coffee drinker but they also claim to do very good coffee.

I had a burger which had lots of exciting things I can’t remember inside and came with delicious sweet potato fries. This was actually our first meal, grumpy from lack of lunch thanks to plane times and the rain that greeted us in Berlin, but it completely hit the spot. It’s super chill, probably gets quite buzzy at night, and is pretty hipster, but then, that’s Berlin!

Royals and Rice
Torstrasse 164
10115

Möbel-Olfe in Kreuzburg – don’t try to take pictures, the bartender will not appreciate it!

DRINK

…Pretty much everywhere. It’s customary on football trips to frequent a bar or two, but being the keen bean that I am I’d researched a ton of bars in advance so we decided the only way to get to them all was to bar crawl. Berlin is known for it’s nightlife (Berghain anyone?), so I knew I wanted to make the most of it.

There are several great drinking spots in Mitte, such as jam-packed Neue Odessa on Torstrasse. We checked this place out on a Sunday night to find it full and buzzing with lots of cool-looking hipster types. FYI the bathrooms are very disorienting as it’s one unisex room with mirrored doors which could have either a toilet or urinal behind them, and it’s almost impossible to tell which are occupied. Best not too chance them after a few drinks, you could end up seriously confused!

Not far from Neue Odessa is Mein Haus am See, which plays great (read: cheesy) music and has a lively atmosphere. If that doesn’t convince you, it’s worth checking out for the furniture alone, with tiered seating made up of sofas which is a great spot for people watching in the space below.

Neue Odessa and Mein Haus am See
Torstraße 89 and 125 respectively
10119

People watching from the sofas at Mein Haus am See

A customary rum and coke in Neue Odessa, Torstrasse

Kreuzburg in the south is another great destination for bars and nightlife. Stop for a drink at John Muir on Skalitzer strasse, a cosy smoke-free bar with a great Fall cocktail menu. Not far from John Muir is Möbel-Olfe, a so-called ‘dive’ bar with a club feel that wouldn’t be out of place in Shoreditch. Actually most of Kreuzburg would fit well in Shoreditch, come to think of it. If you’re in the neighbourhood you can also check out old-school Würgeengel, which has a sort of bedraggled charm though was a bit smokey for my taste (as smoking is still legal indoors in Germany this can be a bit of a problem for non-smokers, but you soon get used to the constant fumes!). While you’re in Kreuzburg you’ve also got to grab a burger at Burgermeister, a fast food joint under the railway lines which is pretty much universally known as the best burger place in town!

My favourite of the bars though was probably Le Croco Bleu, back up on Torstrasse near Alexanderplatz. A warning, this bar is so carefully hidden behind what seems to be a construction site that we nearly gave up on it. Luckily we didn’t, because it’s seriously quirky and very cool. Maybe a bit trying to be cool, but there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you succeed!

There were giant stuffed fake (I hope!) decorative animals around the place – I was being guarded by a people size grizzly bear while I drank my cocktail! It’s a bit pricey so probably a place to just get one drink and mull over it enjoying the decor rather than going on a binge, but it’s definitely worth stopping by. I haven’t got any decent pictures thanks to all the dim mood lighting, but do a quick google search to see what I mean!

Le Croco Bleu
Prenzlauer Allee 242
10405

DRINK

….Your hangover away with a strong cuppa Joe at Roststatte just off Torstrasse, a bright (aka Instagram-friendly!) airy cafe with simple but elegant decor and a selection of croissants and cakes available for breakfast. I only had a glass of orange juice so I can’t comment on the food, but it seemed a nice spot to while away the morning with a drink and a good book.

Roststatte
Ackerstraße 173
10115

EAT

… at Die Stulle in the west of the city, a cute cafe/restaurant which is ideal for breakfast or lunch. The decor is very quirky with different tables having their own aesthetic, from wooden seats to kitschy armchairs. The food was delicious and seemed reasonably healthy too, so perfect if you’ve been over-indulging in bratwurst and shawarma kebabs (weirdly kebabs are a traditional Berlin delicacy..)!

Die Stulle
Carmerstraße 10
10623

SHOP

… outdoors at the Flea Market in Mauerpark, a huge lively Sunday market with rows and rows of stalls featuring everything from unknown independent brands to the contents of your grandma’s attic. I’d recommend skipping the touristy stalls with ‘gap year in Goa’ tie dye and unfunny slogan t-shirts and heading to the vintage and antiques, where you’re much more likely to find a hidden gem. There’s also lots of huge food areas with stalls from almost every region, so make sure you visit with an empty stomach!

Mauerpark Flea Market
Bernauer Str. 63-64
13355

I definitely want to head back to Berlin again soon as it’s such a huge city that I feel like I barely scraped the surface. If you’ve been, what would you recommend? I’d love to know if you have any other tips for things to do, see and eat in Berlin!

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