Best Cafes in Kreuzberg

Best Cafes in Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany (D)

The ethnically Turkish and Arab communities that have typically inhabited Kreuzberg have been joined by a massive influx of foreigners from western Europe, across the Pacific and down under, many looking for a cheaper and alternative lifestyle. Correspondingly, there is an evolving cafe culture with many places to kick back, relax or work.
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Sights Featured in This Article

Guide Name: Best Cafes in Kreuzberg
Guide Location: Germany » Berlin
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Article (D))
# of Attractions: 15
Author: Theo Barry Born
Author Bio: Theo is a masters graduate of Middle East Politics from SOAS, London. He is now living in Berlin, learning German and looking for work regarding the intersection of politics and urban issues. In his spare time he likes to play chess, football and music, to bike and explore and to solve cryptic crosswords.
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:
  • Schönes Cafe
  • Cafe Matilda
  • Cafe Kotti
  • Kaffeebar Jenseits des Kanals
  • Bierhimmel
  • Prinzessinnengarten Gartencafé
  • Five Elephant
  • Aufbau Haus Cafe
  • Bateau Ivre
  • Milch und Zucker
  • Nest
  • Barcomi's
  • Regenbogen Cafe
  • Café Morgenland
  • Café Avril
1
Schönes Cafe

1) Schönes Cafe

This is a cute little cafe run by husband and wife. Especially recommended are the pancakes, which differ from American pancakes and are more fluffy and lighter. These can come with a range of toppings, from maple syrup to camembert and cranberry and are perfect with one of the cafe's excellent coffees or hot chocolates. A real treat for breakfast or brunch! The cakes are also very tasty and Dieffenbachstrasse is a nice quiet place to sit outside and take in your surroundings.
2
Cafe Matilda

2) Cafe Matilda

Cafe Matilda is a relaxed, low key place with chilled out good music, stylish old furniture and friendly staff. There is seating outside as well as two inside rooms. People gather in and get cosy on sunday night for the weekly viewing of Tatort, a famous German-Swiss-Austrian crime TV show that has run since the 1970s. The Kleines Frühstück (German brunch) is fresh and very good value for money. Can also be a nice place for a beer.
3
Cafe Kotti

3) Cafe Kotti

Cafe Kotti is a hidden gem next to Kottbusser Tor. Originally opened by a political refugee from Turkey as a place for people of all ethnic and social backgrounds to meet and chat, in essence a living room for the many, it has since become also a place for the trendy youth of Kreuzberg and Berlin to hang out and join the fray. Up a flight of outdoor stairs, it has outdoor seating great for the summer, but it's inside that you want to check out. Cafe Kotti has a unique feel, where people smoke inside and many of the drinks purchased are alcoholic rather than caffeinated. The furniture is cramped and homely, the lighting is dim and candles are lit in the evening. Looking around you can see political statements inscribed here and there, colourful children's drawings on the ceiling and pictures of a refugee camp located just a few minutes walk away on Oranienplatz. A great place to come by yourself or with friends if you like an altogether busier, more chaotic atmosphere, where you can meet and talk with people from all walks of life.
4
Kaffeebar Jenseits des Kanals

4) Kaffeebar Jenseits des Kanals

This is as relaxed an environment as you could wish for while having a chat with a friend or bringing your laptop to do some work. There is some space to sit outside, while inside there are two rooms. The decor is very calming and the coffee and cakes are good. The back room is particularly cosy, with lots of cushions and space to even put your feet up. This room also has raised platforms for some of the seating giving it a unique feel. The waitresses are on the whole pleasant, although you may be encouraged to buy another coffee (or at least some shortbread) if you want another hour of wifi.
5
Bierhimmel

5) Bierhimmel

During the day Bierhimmel offers a great selection of cakes, from absolutely delicious chocolate bonanzas to altogether more fruity numbers. These cost around the €2.50 mark. The coffee is also good and the staff are very nice. Then during the evening there is a transformation into a friendly, chilled out gay bar.
6
Prinzessinnengarten Gartencafé

6) Prinzessinnengarten Gartencafé

On one of the corner's of Moritzplatz there is the entrance to the Prinzessinnengarten, an area of land reclaimed by a group called Nomadisch Grün (Nomadic Green) in 2009. The piece of land in which the garden project has taken root was a wasteland for over half a century and has since been turned into a community garden and urban agriculture project. It now stands as a bastion against gentrification in this part of Berlin, with struggles ensuing over ownership of the land and large parts of the local population volunteering and petitioning to help retain the land for the garden project. This alternative community project unites ecological concerns about cities, specifically Berlin, with localised social and political objectives. Besides the allotments and other agricultural specimens of interest, there is a great cafe and restaurant where you can get a coffee or some food and soak in your surroundings under a canopy of trees.
7
Five Elephant

7) Five Elephant

If you are really into your coffee, Five Elephant is one of Berlin's best cafes. This cafe takes great pride in the sourcing and roasting of its beans, with a carefully thought out philosophy towards each process. The beans are sourced with tremendous effort in socially and environmentally conscious ways. Meanwhile, the roasting is light and there is a fine attention to detail when it comes to subtle differences in flavour. This is one for the connoisseur and the staff will be happy to talk coffee with you.
8
Aufbau Haus Cafe

8) Aufbau Haus Cafe

On one corner of Moritzplatz, the Aufbau Haus is a well-known creative industry building opened in 2011, home to a publishing house (Aufbau Verlag), a theatre, a gallery and a kindergarten, as well as a vast design, arts and crafts shop (Planet Modulor) where you can do all your artsy shopping. There is also a comfortable, stylish cafe near the entrance which does good coffee and cakes and can be a good place to stop after exploring the building.
9
Bateau Ivre

9) Bateau Ivre

This place on the edge of Mariannenplatz looks rustic from the outside and is colourfully decorated on the inside. Named after a poem by Arthur Rimbaud, the nineteenth century French poet, Bateau Ivre (The Drunken Boat) is both a bar and a cafe. Service is good and comes to the table, even during the late hours when it is more bar than cafe. The coffee is done well and the range of breakfast or brunch offers are also good.
10
Milch und Zucker

10) Milch und Zucker

For anyone in love with hot chocolate in its various persuasions and bagels this is a great place to stop by. People often come here to work during the mornings and afternoons with free WiFi on offer, while the place becomes busier at lunch and the Macbooks are put to one side. The lunch menu changes from day to day, while muesli can be bought for breakfast and a range of cakes and brownies is on offer for your afternoon tea snack.
11
Nest

11) Nest

This cafe is located next to Görlitzer Park. It offers particularly good brunch buffet, with a great range of German-Mediterranean food on offer, including meats, cheeses, salads and more. For the afternoon and evening, there are also beers offered on tap. There are workspaces that can be rented out if you need a place to have a meeting with some friends or a workgroup. The service is mixed, with most people reporting a better experience from the male waiters compared to the female waitresses.
12
Barcomi's

12) Barcomi's

Barcomi's offers really great cakes and New York style deli. The carrot cake and bagels come particularly recommended. The service is generally good, the coffee is sourced from all over the world and the place is comfortable. A good place for US citizens from the East Coast feeling sentimental about home, with other specialities including cream cheese brownies, pecan pie and lemon meringue pie.
13
Regenbogen Cafe

13) Regenbogen Cafe

The Regenbogen Cafe (Rainbow Cafe) is part of a social and cultural community collective project in the heart of Kreuzberg, Regenbogen Fabrik. There are regular events held in the cafe and around Regenbogen Fabrik including exhibitions and discussions taking place in the cafe, often with a political and community social dimension. The cakes are excellent and sourced from local bakers. Meanwhile, a 'neighbourhood beer' is on offer: the Quartiermeisterbier. Regenbogen Fabrik is also the home of an alternative cinema and a bike workshop where you can use tools for a donation of your choice, amongst other things.
14
Café Morgenland

14) Café Morgenland

A great place for brunch with a huge range of cereals, meat, cheese, breads, pancakes and so on. The ingredients are great and the food is tasty. However, be warned that this is a very popular place in a busy area, so if you like a quieter place to relax, read or chat, then look elsewhere. It's also a good idea to book advance in light of the popularity, particularly if you are brunching on a sunday morning.
15
Café Avril

15) Café Avril

This is a nice cafe, good for brunch on a sunday and an affordable and nourishing lunch or dinner any day of the week. The service is very friendly and relaxed. There is lots of space both inside and outside, depending on which you prefer. Wifi is available should you wish to work, and there are also some chess and backgammon sets if that floats your boat. Half restaurant, half cafe, it caters to many passers-by and locals in the Graefekiez (the Graefestrasse neighbourhood).

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