Berlin’s Best Beans –
Cafe & Specialty Coffee Guide
Berlin is blessed with more than 50 specialty coffee shops and cafes bringing to the German capital some of the best coffee beans on the market, carefully crafted by knowledgeable coffee people and professionals from all over the world and served in unique and purposefully designed spaces. It is pretty exciting to experience the rapid growth of the third wave movement in Berlin first hand as it spreads from district to district. To discover cafes serving specialty coffee in your favorite neighborhood, simply click through this guide. Last updated in August 2024.
A guide to Specialty Coffee Shops and Cafes in Berlin
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Berlin Kreuzberg
Recommendations for accommodation in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Hotel the YARD – Boutique hotel located on the iconic Bergmannstrasse surrounded by restaurants, cafés and alternative book stores. —> Booking.com
Orania.Berlin – This elegant hotel dates all the way back to 1913 and is a great starting point to experience the rich history of the city. —> Booking.com
numa Arc – numa have a number of design hotels around Berlin. This Kreuzberg location has state-of-the-art facilities and feels like a home with hotel standards. —> Booking.com
Chapter One is a neighbourhood coffee shop in the Bergmannkiez of Berlin Kreuzberg. It is run by Nora and her business partner Björn since 2011. Multiple roasters are featured at Chapter One, including JB Kaffee, Flying Roasters, Johan and Nyström, Röststätte, Hoppenworth & Ploch, Ernst Kaffeerösterei and Episode #1, which is a coffee Nora produces together with Andraschko Kaffeerösterei. As the emphasis is on filter, various brew methods are available. You’ll find the Syphon, V60, Aeropress, French Press and Chemex.
Where once a doorman was providing courtesy and security, nowadays Concierge are handing out espresso and flat whites. In 2013 Benjamin Pates and Namy Nosratifard gave the tiny space in a Kreuzberg backyard a new purpose by transforming it into a boutique espresso bar. In the adjacent Zola, a bigger place serving authentic Napoletan pizza, Concierge have stationed a stunning San Francisco Roaster on which they are working their magic. In terms of location, it doesn’t get much better than this! The proximity to the canal is a great draw for promenaders or those you seek a fresh breeze.
Westberlin is a coffee and media shop in the heart of Berlin located on the end of Friedrichstraße that is still part of Kreuzberg. The owner Kai Bröer, who is also an architect, launched Westberlin in 2011, when the area was still considered to be less desirable for investment. The interior is well thought-out and is influenced by Japanese and Scandinavian approaches to design. I love to come here to work as the ample space is very welcoming to people on laptops. The Scandinavian influence is reflected in the choice of beans as well, with Drop Coffee being a regular here for espresso brewed on a La Marzocco Strada. For filter and cold brew Westberlin is sticking to the local roastery Five Elephant.
The 19grams café on Schlesische Straße is still a bit of an insider tip, even among Berliners, and even after being around for many years. The move from a smaller place next door to its current location in 2020 has been quite the upgrade. High, bright walls in classic Berlin architecture create a pleasant ambiance in the winding, minimalist spaces. The architects have been particularly careful here, making only minor changes to appropriately blend the zeitgeist of yesteryear with today’s aesthetic. The coffee is still bloody good, as you’d expect from any 19 grams location in Berlin.
Berlin Friedrichshain
Recommendations for accommodation in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Hotel Indigo Berlin – Top notch design hotel a stone’s throw away from the East Side Gallery. Best city views from the rooftop terrace! —> Booking.com
Michelberger Hotel – Quirky hotel straight out of a Kinfolk magazine with an in-house organic restaurant, coffee shop and bar. —> Booking.com
numa Sketch – numa have a number of design hotels around Berlin. This Friedrichshain location has state-of-the-art facilities and feels like a home with hotel standards. —> Booking.com
The cousins James Maguire and Morgan Love brought a piece of Australian breakie and coffee culture to Friedrichshain when they opened Silo in 2013. These days the coffee comes exclusively from Fjord, a roasting project that Silo is running in cooperation with Father Carpenter Coffee Brewers. A great address for brunch with a timeless rustic interior.
19 grams, former Tres Cabezas, is the first ever location of the specialty coffee roastery. When Sascha Spittel and Robert Stock started with this espresso bar in 2002 they had no idea it would develop into a successful coffee roastery with several coffee shops in Berlin and a respectable retail business. Robert once told me he still believes it was a bad idea to start out at Ostkreuz, which wasn’t a very desirable neighbourhood back then. But times have changed and looking at what they’ve achieved it could have gone worse.
Berlin Mitte
In May 2020 Bonanza Coffee Roasters opened a takeaway cafe at Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin Mitte. Housed in a historical building this stunning coffee shop adapted to the upscale neighbourhood by creating an elegant space that exudes sophistication. Walk towards the custom made bar on green marble floors imported from Italy and order one of the finest coffees in the capital. There is limited seating available in the lobby, or take your coffee to go and take a seat at one of the many benches nearby the concert hall at Gendarmenmarkt to enjoy a coffee break.
From the beginnings in 2010 until the end of 2016 Sophie and Kris Schackman were running their renowned specialty coffee roastery and café solely from Kreuzberg. Over are the times we had to travel South for their delicious brews and cheesecake since Five Elephant opened up a second coffee shop right in the heart of Mitte. It is more of a take-away place with limited seating and a sleek design that minimizes the distance between barista and customer. The gorgeous custom made counter displaying sweet treats shows once more how serious the Schackman’s are about coffee AND cake! Both convince more than ever.
Tucked away near the bustling Alexanderplatz, 19grams Alex Roastery is a testament to Berlin’s evolving coffee scene. What started as a humble espresso bar at Ostkreuz in 2002, founded by Sascha Spittel and Robert Stock, has blossomed into a renowned coffee enterprise with unique locations dotted across Berlin and a thriving retail business. This space at Alex is their most spacious endeavor and the location of their roasting machine.
From the exposed brick walls coupled with wooden and metal design, to the high quality coffee and pancakes, there are so many good reasons to fall for this place! It is my number one go to spot for brunch in Berlin, even though I have to wait in line every time I come here. Distrikt opened in December 2014 and is a project by Sophie Hardy and Hannes Haake. Their choice of coffee is Fjord, a local roastery run by Silo and Father Carpenter.
Father Carpenter have been around since 2014 and are nestled in a beautiful courtyard with a spacious terrace. Kresten Thogersen and his business partner where at the right place at the right time when they scored this prime location close to Hackescher Markt. Since its opening a lot has changed though. In 2016 Kresten started working together with Morgan und James from Silo to take the quality of their roasts into their own hands and to gain independence from other roasteries. The result of that cooperation is Fjord Roasters, which is what hits the grinders at Father Carpenter since. Another development was the enlargement of the café in spring 2017. Due to it’s size and the high volume only batch brew is available apart from espresso based drinks and a mouth watering menu.
In 2015 Tansel and Bora Özbek opened Refinery in the heart of Berlin. While the coffee shop has since changed owner, the mission remains the same. The contemporary space wants to combine a pure Scandinavian approach to interior design and industrial elements characteristic for Berlin. It features local coffee roasters, such as Bonanza, The Barn and Fjord.
Röststätte is a specialty coffee shop, roastery and retail store in the heart of Berlin. Yvonne und Ivo Welle opened up the coffee shop in 2006 and started roasting in the spirit of the third wave movement a few years later in 2011. Their coffee empire expanded further when a show room and barista academy followed in 2015. Röststätte is a distributor and service partner for espresso machines and mills of the brands Victoria Arduino and Nuova Simonelli.
In March 2018 Röststätte opened their second location in the historic Hackesche Höfe in close proximity to Alexanderplatz. It is a place where more than a century old tradition mingles with the contemporary coffee culture. The interior was designed keeping the Art Décor style of the building in mind, while the coffee equipment is anything but old fashioned. A Victoria Arduino Black Eagle is guarding the hand crafted counter with its green marble topping. While the coffee available is the same as in the roastery at Ackerstraße, fans of coffee and spirits will appreciate the custom made menu which carries drinks prepared with the house liqueur Cold Brew X. Espresso Martini, Negroni and Coffee Daiquiri are just a few of the innovations available here.
Another specialty coffee shop tucked away in the backyards of Hackesche Höfe is Ben Rahim. The owner, who gave the shop its name, is a Tunisian national who wanted to introduce Berlin to Arabian hospitality coupled with a specialty approach to traditional coffee. “Coffee is an important part of life in Tunisia”, he tells me, while pointing on the Ibirik coffee pot standing on the shelf behind him. During the Berlin Coffee Festival in September 2018 Ben Rahim celebrated the traditional Arab/Turkish way of brewing coffee together with his partner April Coffee from Copenhagen .
While this is a great place to discover a different coffee culture the specialty way, espresso based drinks or filter brewed on a V60 are available too. The house blend is the “Red Brick” by Square Mile, who have supported Ben Rahim with quality beans right from the start.
Oslo Kaffeebar
10115 Berlin
19grams Chaussee
Berlin Neukölln
Isla Coffee
Isla is a project run by Phillip Reichel from the Kaffee 9 team and Peter Duran that puts environmental sustainability as high on the agenda as quality coffee and food. From cups produced of coffee grounds to a zero food waste policy or the use of recycled materials for the interior, it sets new standards that every coffee shop should follow! Needless to say that the weekend brunches are delicious and made from produce that is carefully chosen and local. A regular you’ll see on the coffee menu is Kaffee 9 while guest roasters rotate. Just ask the barista what beans are available for filter on the day you visit and they’ll skillfully swing their gooseneck kettle for you.
Companion Coffee & Tea
Nestled in Berlin’s Weserkiez, Companion Coffee’s Neukölln location is a testament to Chris Onton and Shawn Barber’s dedication to exceptional brews. Since the early days, when they took over Voo Store’s corner café in 2013, these coffee aficionados have been on a mission to elevate both coffee and tea experiences in the city. This space is a plant-lover’s paradise, with greenery complementing the sleek La Marzocco that takes center stage. But it’s not just about the aesthetics – Companion Coffee is serious about sourcing. They apply the same meticulous approach to both coffee and tea, working directly with small producers to bring you the cream of the crop.
Berlin Prenzlauer Berg
Cafelix’s journey from Tel Aviv to Berlin is a prime example of slow, organic growth in the specialty coffee industriy. Philipp and Yael Schaefer planted the seeds of this roastery back in 2013, when they were among the pioneers bringing third-wave coffee culture to Israel. Fast forward to June 2019, and Cafelix has put down roots in Berlin, bringing their expertise and passion to the German capital. Upon entering, the first thing you’ll notice is the deep blue colour at the counter, which reflects the intense berry-like notes you’ll find in their filter coffee. The clean lines of the minimalist design reflects the purity and precision that pours into every cup. At the heart of Cafelix’s operation sits a La Marzocco Leva, which extracts the kind of espresso that beckons one to pause a moment and enjoy each sip.
A 10 minute walk from S-Bahn Schönhauser Allee Cafe Kraft is your go-to place for good coffee and breakfast in Prenzlauer Berg. Marco and Jarves opened up this corner coffee shop in 2014 and have worked together with the roastery JB Kaffee since. If espresso is what you’re after a balanced blend of Brazil and Ethiopia is what you’ll get. Single origins are available only on batch brew, but there is an Aeropress on the shelf somewhere, if you insist. 😉
What’s really unique about Cafe Kraft is the running crew that has been build around it. Kraft Runners meet here every Tuesday at 18:45 for a free training session – open to anyone bringing good vibes!
Bonanza Coffee Heroes
10435 Berlin
Nothaft Cafe
10435 Berlin
WIM Kaffee
Berlin Wedding
In 2010 the specialty coffee roastery Coffee Circle was founded by Martin Elwert, Robert Bach and Moritz Waldstein-Wartenberg. Their goal was and still is today to create a transparent value chain that benefits all stakeholders – from farming, to roasting to your cup of coffee and back to the origin. In Berlin, they are supplying more than 25 cafés, numerous companies and private customers with some of the best coffee in the world. Coffee Circle’s office is located in Berlin Wedding and invites to cupping sessions and other events at special occassions. They have since also opened a cafe in the same building.
Berlin Moabit
Garcia Kaffeebar in Moabit is a lovely family affair run by Marila and Konrad. Since the opening in January 2015 they’ve been collaborating with Flying Roasters based in Berlin Wedding to set up the roast profile for their house espresso. Not knowing how the locals in Moabit would respond to a coffee tasting very different from what they are used to, they stuck to darker roasts at the beginning and then slowly moved towards lighter roasts. When I visited, Konrad served a washed single origin from Guatemala that worked really well with milk and left a pleasant taste in my mouth. Just recently they’ve expanded with a second grinder to start collaborating with other German roasteries too, currently The Barn and JB. As much as I was fond of their specialty coffee, the interior was pretty special too. The washed out yellow walls combined with red chairs create an incredibly cosy atmosphere.
Design meets jewelry meets board games meets great coffee! Spontan has everything you need for a relaxed afternoon in the neighbourhood of Moabit. Marie and George opened Spontan in February 2016 and therewith combined their passions and skills to create a truly extraordinary. concept. George loves board games! You can find his corner on the left hand side of the counter where numerous classics can be rented or played with in the store. Marie on the other hand is a goldsmith and her marvelously minimalist and geometric collection is visible in a glass cabinet by the window. Both share a fable for design and have build the interior by hand, which is defined by unique furniture, shades of blue and rustic elements. The multi roaster café is currently featuring a blend by Fjord for espresso. Filter is available on a V60. Other local roasters you’ll find here include The Barn and Bonanza.