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WINTER

15 cool East Berlin spots to stay warm this winter

Brrrrrrr! Now that it’s cold, windy and wet we’re all looking for some great indoor hangouts to meet friends and keep us entertained too. We asked our friends at Oooh, Berlin to pick out 15 places from their free Berlin district guides we hope you’ll love.

Published: 11 January 2016 15:20 CET
15 cool East Berlin spots to stay warm this winter
Snow? Yellow tram heading for Nordbahnhof? Must be East Berlin! Photo: DPA

Babylon Kino – Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz 30, Mitte

Stuck with nothing to do late on a Saturday night? Fear not: at Babylon Kino in Mitte you can watch an original silent movie for FREE every Saturday at midnight. And if that wasn’t good enough already, the films are also accompanied by a real live organ, which makes for an incredible atmosphere. Sorted!

Ballhaus Berlin, Chausseestr. 102, Mitte

Ballhaus Berlin boasts table phones you can use to call other guests. Image: ooohberlin

Fancy a bit of live jazz in an old-school environment? Every Monday evening at 9pm the fantastic Omniversal Earkestra plays in Ballhaus Berlin for only €5. Lose yourself in their amazing jazzy tunes – and while you’re there, don’t forget to enjoy using table phones to chat or flirt with some of the other listeners – it’s super fun!

BRYK – Rykestr. 18, Prenzlauer Berg

What on Earth could be lurking in this cocktail glass? Photo: Bryk Bar

You won’t find a Mojito or Sex on the Beach anywhere on BRYK’s cocktail menu, but you can try unique & intriguing cocktails with even more interesting names like “Batman tries to iron his cape while being on heroin” or “Who is next in line to get a shot of liquid cheese?”, which pair beautifully with their meatballs, popcorn & wonderfully charming service.

Café Kraft – Schivelbeiner Str. 23, Prenzlauer Berg

Cafe Kraft looks good as well as offering great coffee. Photo: ooohberlin

This little coffee haven is not only perfect to sip heavenly espressos & beautiful flat whites, but also has some of the nicest baristas around. Every Sunday the lovely guys open a new espresso to try, ensuring you keep returning to debate with them which one you prefer. And if you prefer a sneaky takeaway coffee, check out the hilarious stamps on the cups!

Exit – Klosterstr. 62, Mitte

Want to meet up with your friends but not sure what to do in the cold? How about you play the ultimate live-escape game together? As a team you can immerse yourself into one of their four exciting real-life “escape experiences” and work together to figure out all the clues before the timer runs out (Online booking required).

FRENC – Niederbarnimstr. 16, Friedrichshain

Photos: Frenc/ooohberlin

The craft beer scene is starting to boom in Berlin. In addition to their upcoming self-brewed IPA beer, the two friendly, upbeat owners of FRENC invite you to enjoy some of the best craft beers alongside their tasty galettes in their cosy & intimate bar.

Goldhahn & Sampson – Dunckerstr. 9, Prenzlauer Berg

Why not learn to cook something new this winter? The wonderful Goldhahn & Sampson food boutique offer a huge variety of themed cooking classes from Knödel Masterclasses, French Bistro Classics, Whisky Workshops, and Bento Japanese Lunch Boxes to Vietnamese Street Food. Just browse their website or visit them in store to find out what your next cooking style could be!

Happy Baristas – Neue Bahnhofstr. 32, Friedrichshain

Photos: ooohberlin

This beautiful, modern coffee shop with stunning wall art (and even an open shower for the warmer months!) is a great hangout when it's cold. Enjoy unbelievably divine cakes, fantastic coffee and tea, plus a superb weekend brunch too. And yes, their baristas are actually super happy people.

HOME – Neue Bahnhofstr. 23, Friedrichshain

Photo: Home World Beer Bar

Every other Wednesday this Friedrichshain hangout complete with its homely British pub atmosphere invites you take part in a seriously cool pub quiz (done in English and German), with fun rounds such as guessing ingredients in a drink they provide you with, or recognizing popular songs when played backwards. Booking recommended.

Kaschk – Linienstr. 40, Mitte

Playing shuffleboard in Kaschk bar. Photo: Kaschk

Looking for a fun, but relaxed night out? At Kaschk you can not only sample boards of Scandinavian and local craft beers, but also challenge your friends to a game of Shuffleboard – a game in which you push pucks down a very long wooden table, trying to score higher than your friends. If you arrive a bit earlier in the day, the team here also make great coffees.

La Buvette – Rhinower Str. 10, Prenzlauer Berg

Live the French life in Berlin. After just a mere few minutes in La Buvette you’ll have forgotten you’re in Berlin and believe you’re in a cosy winebar in deepest France. The selection of wines is superb, the service charmingly French and the small food menu a wonderful delight – perfect for escaping any snow, wind or rain outside.

Nalu Diner – Dunckerstr. 80a , Prenzlauer Berg

Photo: Nalu Diner

Nalu Diner is a proper American diner (none of those tourist-gimmicks or over-the-top clichés here) where the menu is full to bursting with feel-good comfort food. There are gorgeous sloppy joes, pancakes, burgers, milkshakes and anything else you might expect from a diner… although you'll probably be surprised at the quality. Quit your winter diet – as you’ll definitely be coming back to work your way through the whole menu.

Shakespeare & Sons – Warschauerstr. 74, Friedrichshain

You should definitely spend an afternoon browsing books and eating the best bagels of your life in Shakespeare & Sons. The owners curate a wonderful selection of books to buy (with the majority in English too) and boil their bagels the traditional way – which really makes all the difference.

Spielzeugmuseum – Choriner Str. 35, Prenzlauer Berg

Photo: ooohberlin

Pssst! Here’s a secret! In the basement of this very traditional toy shop you can visit a hidden museum with thousands of old toys from the GDR. In order to see this bizarre wonderland for just €1, simply ask one of the charming owners of Onkel Phillip very nicely if it’s possible to take a peek, and they may hand you a remote control before sliding open the tiny cupboard door, leading down to an surreal basement of forgotten toys.

St. Mauli – Gryphiusstr. 10, Friedrichshain

Photo: bullahuth.de

Not sure what to have for dinner in this cold? How about you enjoy eating Maultaschen while listening to DJ’s at St. Mauli. The Swabian dough pockets served in this cool new eatery are not just cooked by the owner’s mother (giving the saying “wie bei Mutti” a real meaning) and therefore extremely delicious, but on weekends your food is also accompanied by some great tunes from live DJs too!.

Want to read more Oooh, Berlin! tips?

Check out their free Bezirkspläne on their website at Ooohberlin.com

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BERLIN

EXPLAINED: Berlin’s latest Covid rules

In response to rapidly rising Covid-19 infection rates, the Berlin Senate has introduced stricter rules, which came into force on Saturday, November 27th. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 27 November 2021 16:16 CET
Updated: 29 November 2021 14:17 CET
A sign in front of a waxing studio in Berlin indicates the rule of the 2G system
A sign in front of a waxing studio indicates the rule of the 2G system with access only for fully vaccinated people and those who can show proof of recovery from Covid-19 as restrictions tighten in Berlin. STEFANIE LOOS / AFP

The Senate agreed on the tougher restrictions on Tuesday, November 23rd with the goal of reducing contacts and mobility, according to State Secretary of Health Martin Matz (SPD).

He explained after the meeting that these measures should slow the increase in Covid-19 infection rates, which was important as “the situation had, unfortunately, deteriorated over the past weeks”, according to media reports.

READ ALSO: Tougher Covid measures needed to stop 100,000 more deaths, warns top German virologist

Essentially, the new rules exclude from much of public life anyone who cannot show proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid-19. You’ll find more details of how different sectors are affected below.

Shops
If you haven’t been vaccinated or recovered (2G – geimpft (vaccinated) or genesen (recovered)) from Covid-19, then you can only go into shops for essential supplies, i.e. food shopping in supermarkets or to drugstores and pharmacies.

Many – but not all – of the rules for shopping are the same as those passed in the neighbouring state of Brandenburg in order to avoid promoting ‘shopping tourism’ with different restrictions in different states.

Leisure
2G applies here, too, as well as the requirement to wear a mask with most places now no longer accepting a negative test for entry. Only minors are exempt from this requirement.

Sport, culture, clubs
Indoor sports halls will off-limits to anyone who hasn’t  been vaccinated or can’t show proof of recovery from Covid-19. 2G is also in force for cultural events, such as plays and concerts, where there’s also a requirement to wear a mask. 

In places where mask-wearing isn’t possible, such as dance clubs, then a negative test and social distancing are required (capacity is capped at 50 percent of the maximum).

Restaurants, bars, pubs (indoors)
You have to wear a mask in all of these places when you come in, leave or move around. You can only take your mask off while you’re sat down. 2G rules also apply here.

Hotels and other types of accommodation 
Restrictions are tougher here, too, with 2G now in force. This means that unvaccinated people can no longer get a room, even if they have a negative test.

Hairdressers
For close-contact services, such as hairdressers and beauticians, it’s up to the service providers themselves to decide whether they require customers to wear masks or a negative test.

Football matches and other large-scale events
Rules have changed here, too. From December 1st, capacity will be limited to 5,000 people plus 50 percent of the total potential stadium or arena capacity. And only those who’ve been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 will be allowed in. Masks are also compulsory.

For the Olympic Stadium, this means capacity will be capped at 42,000 spectators and 16,000 for the Alte Försterei stadium. 

Transport
3G rules – ie vaccinated, recovered or a negative test – still apply on the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses in Berlin. It was not possible to tighten restrictions, Matz said, as the regulations were issued at national level.

According to the German Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, people have to wear a surgical mask or an FFP2 mask  on public transport.

Christmas markets
The Senate currently has no plans to cancel the capital’s Christmas markets, some of which have been open since Monday. 

According to Matz, 2G rules apply and wearing a mask is compulsory.

Schools and day-care
Pupils will still have to take Covid tests three times a week and, in classes where there are at least two children who test positive in the rapid antigen tests, then tests should be carried out daily for a week.  

Unlike in Brandenburg, there are currently no plans to move away from face-to-face teaching. The child-friendly ‘lollipop’ Covid tests will be made compulsory in day-care centres and parents will be required to confirm that the tests have been carried out. Day-care staff have to document the results.

What about vaccination centres?
Berlin wants to expand these and set up new ones, according to Matz. A new vaccination centre should open in the Ring centre at the end of the week and 50 soldiers from the German army have been helping at the vaccination centre at the Exhibition Centre each day since last week.

The capacity in the new vaccination centre in the Lindencenter in Lichtenberg is expected to be doubled. There are also additional vaccination appointments so that people can get their jabs more quickly. Currently, all appointments are fully booked well into the new year.

 

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