Visiting Berlin Buzzwords - where to go for drinks and food #
There are literally hundreds of bars and restaurants in easy walking distance to the conference venue. And if that is
now enough for you, hop on U-Bahn and head east to either Kreuzberg or Friedrichshain to find more. For inspiration
check out Tip Berlin - they have a decent, reliable restaurant
list.
For quick orientation: Berlin is no one city center but many districts that all have their own look and
feel to them. Those most interesting for eating and drinking:
- Schöneberg is a bit more calm, well suited for eating out until late evening. The two
areas that are most interesting are around Akazien-/Golzstr (head north from Hauptstraße up until Nollendorfplatz),
Crellestraße, as well as the area around Bayrischer Platz.
- Friedrichshain
is the area to go for drinks in the evening and to see the young, urban Berlin. Get lost in the famous “Simon-Dach”
quarter (“Simon-Dach-Kiez” as we say in Berlin) with its cobble stone streets, wide sidewalks, bars, restaurants and
cool little shops. If the weather is as nice as it has been on the weekend, it might be worth walking or cycling a
little farther to Holzmarktstraße. Between the streets “An der Schillingbrücke” and “Michaeliskirchstr.” (see
http://bit.ly/cNqLZq) there are a few really nice outdoor beach bars right on the banks of the River Spree.
- Kreuzberg comes in at least two flavours: For coffee and food head over to
Bergmannstraße, for drinks at night go see Oranienstraße, for young and vibrant head over to Wrangelstrasse (do not
miss Heinz Minki, Freischwimmer and Club der
Visionäre), for a relaxed “down by the river” evening head over to Maybachufer (do not miss Van Loon, also check out Bethanien close by).
- Prenzlauer Berg - young, family friendly, slowly being turned into a German Kleins
tadt ;)
- Mitte - a bit more fancy, gentrified, great if you love
culture, museums, ballet, concerts. Remember to explore the city by boat. If you are hungry head over to Linienstrasse
and explore the little streets around. There is tasty cheese fondue available at Nolas am
Weinberg. Go dance at Clärchens Ballhaus, get a coffee and code while
drinking at web2.0 cafe Sankt Oberholz.
Two special recommendations for breakfast:
On the weekend before the conference days are best started with a long and tasty brunch. My personal recommendation if you love tea is to head down to TTT - apart from serving best tea in town you can also get really tasty food there. And best of all, buy tea, tea cups and pots. I tend to take keynote speakers to that place - so far none has complained ;)
Another option is to start your day on top of Bundestag - enjoy the view of the city, take an audio, tour, eat breakfast in the Käfer Restaurant and maybe add a brief lecture on German legislation afterwards. Make sure to book about a month in advance!
For burgers there is no better place than Burgermeister in Kreuzberg. Best Falafel is on sale at Habibi. Judging on where to get the best ice cream actually is a bit harder: Aldemir is the location in Kreuzberg, Pinguin Club is the location in Schöneberg (Inka Eis beats that only if you are more for unusual types of ice cream), if you are in Mitte close to Brandenburger Tor consider visiting Der Eisladen - lots of different types and really tasty.
When it comes to cocktails there are various locations - large and small that people tend to frequent. Some places to start and feel welcome: Salut, Green Door and Stagger Lee.