berlin Reviews
Roses
If you’re in Kreuzberg, it’d be a crime not to pop your head into this 20+-year-old queer bar with furry pink walls, leopard print stools, and glittering Madonnas.
Oona Bar
Since Berlin-born community radio station Refuge Worldwide began in 2021, its on-site bar has become a Weserstraße staple.
Villa Neukölln
Although the cocktail and wine selection at Villa Neukölln is nothing to write home about, this cheap, cozy, late-night drinking spot is one of the most reliable bars in the area.
Café Am Neuen See
This temporary self-service kiosk sits on a small lake, and dishes out steins of helles and simple German food to large groups bathing in vitamin D.
Fitcher's Vogel
Fitcher’s Vogel in Friedrichshain is the archetypal Berlin bar, with its peeling wallpaper, glowing vintage lampshades, excessive amount of candles, and dusty upholstered furniture.
Fahimi Bar
Fahimi Bar in Kreuzberg looks like an AI-generated vision of a Berlin bar: bare concrete walls, metal backless stools lining a blue-lit square bar, and thick clouds of cigarette smoke.
Sway
There’s no better place to kick off the weekend than Sway, a relaxed natural wine bar on Pannierstraße.
Kwia
While this listening bar isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, if you’re craving a change from Berlin’s dark smoky spaces, head to Kwia.
Wohnzimmer Bar
Wohnzimmer Bar looks like a bar you might have in your living room, but it serves an exceptional espresso martini that keeps the young crowd going until its 2:30am closing time.
Chausseestrasse 131
Although technically more of a club, 131 Bar is worth popping into for a drink and dance if you’re in the area on the weekend.
Sorsi E Morsi
This Italian bar in Prenzlauer Berg responsibly serves small bites (morsi) to accompany your drinks (sorsi), contradicting its not-so-responsible 6am closing time on Friday and Saturday.
Betty F
Between the mirrored walls, glittering ceiling, and red leather seats, Betty F in Mitte is an experience that will linger in your head longer than the next day’s gin-fueled hangover.
Le Bar Tabac
Le Bar Tabac is popular all year round, but has a real buzz in the summer, when locals pour out onto the pavement with a Gauloise in one hand and Le Vodka Soda in the other.
Nathanja & Heinrich
Nathanja & Heinrich is a big corner café and bar hidden away on a Neukölln backstreet, and it’s arguably the best bar in a neighborhood known for them.
La Maison
Although it’s technically a café and boulangerie, this canalside daytime spot is one of our favorite places to drink in Kreuzberg.
Würgeengel
With its mirrored bar, beaded chandeliers, velvet seating, and suited barmen shaking classic cocktails to the soundtrack of light jazz, Würgeengel in Kottbusser Tor feels like you’ve time-traveled back to 1920s Berlin.
8mm
From indie rock to post-punk, this legendary dive bar has been loyally serving the city’s underground music scene since 2002.
Velvet
Velvet is a luxe cocktail bar, especially for Neukölln, so bring someone you’re trying to impress.
Lode & Stijn
If the staff at Lode & Stijn in Kreuzberg asks you mid-meal to try their special scallop dish, say yes.