16 of the best bars in Berlin
Berlin’s bar scene is defined in part by its famous “living-room bars.” Think candlelight, mismatched furniture from your great aunt’s attic, and raw exposed walls. Plenty of the best bars in Berlin are places you wouldn't look twice at during the day, but past sunset, they come alive with boisterous banter and young revellers spilling out onto the sidewalks. Yet a different side of the city’s bar scene is full of glamour, hearkening back to the Weimar-era glory days; another face prizes German beer traditions in natural settings, with historic biergartens and cafes in lush park settings. Whatever setting you fancy to get your evening started – or to while away an afternoon – the city has it. These are the best Berlin bars right now.
Café am Neuen See
Cafe am Neuen See is one of the city's most romantic biergartens, thanks to its lakeside location and dreamy surroundings in the middle of Tiergarten Park – Berlin's answer to New York's Central Park. While it shines brightest in summer, an indoor restaurant also makes for a cosy spot in the winter, with panoramic windows, roaring fireplaces, and plenty of candles. Come here to spend a lazy afternoon with friends.
Address: Café am Neuen See, Lichtensteinallee 2, 10787 Berlin, Germany
Website: cafeamneuensee.de
Das Hotel
Past the dramatic curtains and under the vintage sign, candles abound in this tiny, eclectic bar located in a cool section of Kreuzberg. Everything is clustered together, even the tables (seating can be a bit of a gamble). The interior is raw and industrial, like many so-called “living room bars” in this section of Berlin, but it’s quirked up by vases and pots of flowers that hang from the ceiling like a rain shower of blossoms. Drinks are wonderful – especially the perfectly mixed Old Fashioneds and Basil Smashes – and if you're at all undecided, the bar staff is happy to help you customize your own drink.
Address: Das Hotel Bar, Oberland Straße 26 -35, 12099 Berlin, Germany
Website: instagram.com
Monkey Bar
Located on the 10th floor of the Monkey Hotel in Charlottenburg, the Zoologischer-Garten adjacent Monkey Bar serves up excellent G&Ts as well as panoramic views of the Monkey House in the zoo below. Decor inside takes a cue from the zoo, too: There’s art involving gorillas and giraffes, and stepped seating layered in brightly woven cushions that invites guests to relax and enjoy the view. Warm golden light bulbs illuminate the space and planters give it a taste of the jungle. Come during the day for the best views – and to avoid long lines at the bar.
Address: Monkey Bar, Budapester Str. 40, 10787 Berlin, Germany
Website: monkeybarberlin.de
Madame Claude
Although Madame Claude occupies a space that was once a brothel, everything is decorated as if you've wandered into someone's apartment – but upside down. Furniture is artfully arranged across the ceiling, and half the fun is spotting the details, like sets of keys and beer bottles hanging above your head; it’s like a cosy I Spy book. Start with Mme. Claude, the house cocktail, but don't shy away from standard drinks – they're done perfectly. And head to the basement if you'd like to catch some live music.
Address: Madame Claude, Lübbener Str. 19, 10997 Berlin, Germany
Website: madameclaude.de
Geist im Glas
Dark and intimate, this is one of the city's best places for cocktails. The space is raw and industrial, but it’s warmed up by the radiant glow of candles flickering away on tables and in candelabras. Most people cluster in couples and small groups of friends, talking quietly as they savour cocktails. It's a hotspot among the barhopping locals of Neukölln and neighbouring Kreuzberg, though the bar is starting to catch the attention of tourists, too.
Address: Geist im Glas, Lenaustraße 27, 12047 Berlin, Germany
Website: geistimglas.de
Tier
Weserstraße, Neukölln's nightlife street, is known for its high concentration of unpretentious "living room bars," and Tier is emblematic of them: think low-slung, mismatched vintage tables, chairs clustered together, and plenty of candles. As for the drinks, expect incredible, inventive cocktails at New York speakeasy standards – the menu features options for timid drinkers as well as the more adventurous. “Tier” means “animal,” by the way – after a few of these concoctions, don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Address: Tier, Weserstr. 42, 12045 Berlin, Germany
Website: tier.bar
Muted Horn
Muted Horn's quiet location next to a discount grocery belies the complexity – and quantity – of its offerings. After passing under a pink neon sign, you'll enter a space dominated by a massive bar with 22 wall-mounted taps that pour local and guest brews, as well as fridges holding more than 100 kinds of bottles. Minimalist high-top tables and chairs squeeze in across the bar, with sofas and lower-slung tables available for cosying up. If you don't know much about craft beer, feel free to chat up the bartender or, better yet, a fellow patron – it's a friendly crowd.
Address: Muted Horn, Flughafenstraße 49, 12053 Berlin, Germany
Website: themutedhorn.com
Mr. Susan
After heading down a short and steep flight of stairs, you'll enter a softly lit, peacock-blue drinking den made welcoming with wood floors and a star-patterned ceiling. Choose between booths, high tops, or velvet sofas – there's an option for everyone, whether you're on an intimate date or getting together with friends. Despite being stylish, it remains cosy and low-key: It ticks the boxes between friendly service, great cocktails, and a setting that's just steps away from Museuminsel, the Jewish Quarter, boutique shopping, and other Mitte district tourist must-dos. Cocktails are punchy and vibrant, with the signature drinks often incorporating nods to the owner's Korean heritage through the use of ingredients like gochujang syrup, soju, and kimchi juice. While you can definitely get a standard Old Fashioned here – and it will be a delicious one – Mr Susan rewards those who want to explore playful taste profiles that go beyond the usual. Plus, these might be some of the friendliest bartenders in Berlin.
Address: Mr. Susan, Krausnickstraße 1, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Website: mrsusan.com
Klunkerkranich
Bartenders at Klunkerkranich, an improvised rooftop bar that looks like it was hastily assembled by a rogue artist collective, sling mostly beer and wine at frightfully good prices. If it's a chilly day, the Tempranillo will take the edge right off. Come here with a group of friends to take in the sunset – the views over Berlin, facing toward the tower, are nothing short of spectacular.
Address: Klunkerkranich, Karl-Marx-Straße 66, 12043 Berlin, Germany
Website: klunkerkranich.org
Prater Garten
Prater Garden, Berlin's oldest biergarten, comprises almost a full acre of communal tables and benches. Although Germany’s capital city doesn't have the biergarten culture of Bavaria, this gem has been around since 1837 – a testament to it being one of the best bars in Berlin. Like most biergartens, the atmosphere is relaxed and convivial: People focus on their company first and their drinks (think Pils and housemade dark beer) second. This is also Berlin's best spot for a bratwurst fix; nothing goes better with sun and bier than a grilled sausage, so choose from spicy or standard. Bavarian pretzels make for great beer-side snacks, too.
Address: Prater Beer Garden, Kastanienallee 7-9, 10435 Berlin, Germany
Website: prater-biergarten.de
Velvet
Velvet's interior looks like its name: low-lit, low-slung, and smooth. The bar is home to a half-dozen or so chairs, perfect for solo drinkers, while there are several booths ringing the periphery to curl into with friends or lovers. Dark walls and upholstery keep the mood intimate and focused on drinks and conversation, and the restrained amount of tables guarantee that while nights can get buzzing, the mood will never be overly raucous. Truly crafted and creative cocktails are the name of the game here, with a menu that changes weekly and that is based on seasonal plants around Berlin (previous menus have included foraged ingredients.) Velvet is a place to “sip the local season,” as the menu declares says, and all the seasonal syrups, liqueurs, distillates and extractions they use are housemade.
Address: Velvet, Ganghoferstraße 1, 12043 Berlin, Germany
Website: instagram.com
KASCHK by BRLO
Brlo is one of Berlin's premier beer establishments (no matter which location you hit) and each possesses a sort of industrial casualness that references Berlin's gritty past while giving it a coat of polish for the city's current crowd – especially in Mitte. Evenings and nights are buzzing here, with groups queuing up for shuffleboard or pool and groups of colleagues and friends laughing over beers. It's here that you'll find some of Berlin's best craft beers all on tap – meaning you can come in for a quick one or really make a night of it. The menu rotates with guest taps, so it's worth going back to see what's changed if you're in town for a while. It's self-service, so we suggest ordering in rounds when the pace picks up.
Address: KASCHK by BRLO, Linienstraße 40, 10119 Berlin, Germany
Website: brlo.de
Ora
One of Berlin’s most beautiful watering holes, ORA (built as a pharmacy in 1860) retains its antique glamour with restored wooden cabinetry and vintage medicine bottles that mingle alongside the booze and exquisite glassware lining the shelves. But don’t think it’s trying to be a theme bar: The old pharmacy is simply left to shine as much as possible, blending right in with ORA’s modern purpose: expertly crafted cocktails, from classics to seasonal creations.
Address: ORA Restaurant & Wine Bar, Oranienpl. 14, 10999 Berlin, Germany
Website: ora.berlin
Buck and Breck
The first challenge about Buck and Breck is actually finding it. The façade changes often, and once you locate it, you'll need to ring a doorbell. The bartender takes centre stage here, creating cocktails around a communal table from colour-coded bottles. If you can take your eyes off their skilful movements, you'll take in a streamlined, darkly minimalist atmosphere with eclectic details and art glinting in the corners.
Address: Buck and Breck, Brunnenstraße 177, 10119 Berlin, Germany
Website: buckandbreck.com
Prinzipal Kreuzberg
Prinzipal looks like just another closed apartment door on bustling Oranienstraße, but inside, the bar is a self-described "rabbit hole" of decadence. It's one of the few bars in Berlin with a truly luxe atmosphere (don't fear, the furniture on the upper level is still vintage and mismatched), where glamour abounds via soft lighting and draped curtains. It doubles as a burlesque venue, so expect chic, 1920s sophistication – plus some memorable cocktails.
Address: Prinzipal Kreuzberg, Oranienstraße 178, 10999 Berlin, Germany
Website: prinzipal-kreuzberg.com
Wax On
Neukolln's Weserstraße is home to some of Berlin's best cocktail bars, and this elevated but casual outpost, established in 2021, has already won 2024's award for Best Bar in Germany. You'll find handmade wooden furniture that welcomes relaxation, moody downlighting, and two-toned walls that give polish to the city's traditional plaster, plus touches of industrial cement. A cosy fireplace lends a little warming glow to grey, cold Neukolln evenings. Wax On is there if you know to look for it – and while plenty don't, those who do are a crowd who know their drinks. Regulars from around the kiez (immediate neighbourhood) are drawn here by the exotic ingredients – clarified banana juice has been known to feature. The menu has traditionally rotated between four imaginative drinks (concocted in the basement below) and four classic cocktails – or you can, of course, call your own drinks with an obliging staff that's happy to prepare them or put together something based on your tastes. If cocktails aren't your thing, there are also a few natural wines to order, plus a pils on tap and some carefully considered zero-proof options.
Address: Wax On, Weserstr. 208, 12047 Berlin, Germany
Website: instagram.com
A version of this article was first published on Condé Nast Traveler.