Café Hopping

Meeting up with friends and hanging out in a genial café is what Berlin is all about. Here are four suggestions for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and supper – all of them unique in their own way. Using the swift service of the Berlin S-Bahn, I covered all four places in one day; it was the perfect antidote for a rainy winter Monday.

First stop was breakfast at Die Stulle, a well-established café just off Savigny Platz in Charlottenburg. Its name is the Berlin word for a simple sandwich and this place has a natural, friendly ambience, with eclectic wooden furniture and sofas. The brunch menu is inventive and includes lots of healthy options. Most dishes are served with eggs – cooked to perfection any way you choose. I opted for an omelette with pumpkin and tried hard to resist the amazing selection of breads. The coffee was spot on and the waitress couldn’t have been more helpful. Be sure to make a booking if you go for breakfast or lunch at the weekend.

From Die Stulle, I whizzed off to Mitte by S-Bahn from Savigny Platz to Hackescher Markt. It’s about a ten-minute walk to Joachimstrasse, where the impeccably minimalist Chipperfield Kantine is hidden from the street in the courtyard of the Berlin office building of famous British architect, David Chipperfield. This canteen – a complete misnomer since the food is anything but institutional – provides a small daily menu with three interesting main dishes. You can’t book in advance so it’s best to arrive quite early as Chipperfield employees and other local office workers love this place. It’s a real insider tip. No alcohol served here, but the atmosphere was buzzing.

After for a spot of shopping at the Kaufhof department store on nearby Alexanderplatz, I took the S-Bahn back to Charlottenburg. The next assignment was for coffee and cake at Frau Behrens Torten on Adenauerplatz – a far cry from my ultra-modern lunch venue. This café is strictly for traditionalists, complete with chandeliers, marble tables, velvet-covered chairs and nostalgic pictures. The pianist at the grand piano was playing a selection of music from the 1920s and 1930s and with candles lit on all the tables, we were transported back in time.

My final appointment was at Seaside on beautiful Gendarmenmarkt, just off Unter den Linden in the heart of Berlin. The nearest S-Bahn station is Friedrichstraβe. This fashionable restaurant, with its maritime design and dark blue walls can rightly claim to have “Nordic charm and Californian cool”, despite being so far from the coast. For a lover of fish and seafood, it was a great end to a gourmet day. Guests can select their own fresh fish from the counter and decide how they would like it served or choose from the à la carte menu. There are interesting side dishes and sauces, and the chips and desserts are irresistible. If you are also tempted by the extensive wine list, an evening at the Seaside becomes a genuinely exclusive experience.