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SAND’s Favorite Cafés (and Non-Cafés) in Berlin
Our Editor in Chief likes to start our monthly meetings with “icebreakers,” even though by now the ice is well and truly broken. One time we went around the circle revealing our favorite cafés. These were the results.
Friedrichshain
Herman Schulz Café
Finowstraße 33, 10247 Berlin
This place doubles as a living room and is a perfect place for coffee, cake and writing. It functions on the honor system, where you can take beer from the fridge and just tell the person behind the counter what you had when you leave. If you come here often enough, the dogs start to recognize you.
Neukölln
K-Fetisch
Wildenbruchstraße 86, 12045 Berlin
Pronounced ‘k a f e: t ɪ ʃ’, meaning coffee table. A favorite hangout for a lot of team members, especially for its €4 Aperol-spritz, which was a lifesaver through the Great Heatwave of 2018.
Katie’s Blue Cat
Friedelstraße 31, 12047 Berlin
You’ll find no Wifi here, so there are no Macbook-lingerers, just delicious Third Wave coffee and pastires from friendly kiwis.wo words: Lemon. Squares.
Nathanja & Heinrich
Weichselstraße 44, 12045 Berlin
Great in sunny weather with large open windows, and always good for a glass of wine.
Laidak
Boddinstraße 42/43, 12053 Berlin
Not technically a café but a Schankwirtschaft (pub), this place is quiet, with lots of well-worn furniture and little back rooms hosting a arrange of events from art films and talks to a Finnegan’s Wake reading group. Extra points for putting a chocolate biscuit on each saucer.
Prachtwerk
Ganghoferstraße 2, 12043 Berlin
Has a slightly London feel to it, but plenty of space for working with laptops, and the occasional opera practice happening in the background. We highly recommend their Iced Espresso Tonic.
Kreuzberg
Five Elephant
Reichenberger Str. 101, 10999 Berlin
Goldmarie
Grimmstraße 29, 10967 Berlin
Mitte
Kaschk
Linienstraße 40, 10178 Berlin
Good coffee and a great selection of microbrews.
Prenzlauer Berg
Le Midi
Greifenhagener Str. 17, 10437 Berlin
Gilgamesch
Greifswalder Str. 194, 10405 Berlin
Not a bar but an amazing falafel place!
Café Liebling
Raumerstraße 36A, 10437 Berlin
Three words: amazing banana bread.
NOTHAFT SEIDEL CAFÉ
Schönhauser Allee 43A, 10435 Berlin
Old school desks, banana bread, matcha muffins, flat whites and a choice of milks for the lactose intolerant. There’s a cosy room with armchairs in the back where you can have a bowl of breakfast or sit in the evenings. In the summer there are cucumber drink blends and seats outside. A big gentrification cliché? Maybe, but admit it, you love your aronia bowls and oat-milk lattes.
Wedding
Badstraße 38, 13357 Berlin
Small hole in the wall but extremely cozy.
Pankow
Our Fiction Editor Florian’s apartment
Florian has an extensive tea collection and a boiling-water tap for instant tea gratification. His stylish furniture made by his brother-in-law is also a unique feature. However, if you’re a coffee drinker, you might be out of luck. The café down the street (‘Wo der Bär den Honig holt’) sells excellent brews to go. Plan ahead and buy it on your way to the editorial meeting.
Anywhere
Kerb Outside of a Späti
Or a fountain outside of a Späti. Or even a square outside of a supermarket. Take your pick. The point is: sometimes you’re broke, the sun is shining, and the people-watching outside your favorite Spätkauf is the best possible inspiration for the characters in your next short story.