Beers in Berlin

Wandering around Charlottenburg in West Berlin, my sweetie and I were thirsty. It was our first night in Berlin and we weren’t sure where to go, but wanted a cold ‘brewskie’, pronto! There’s a lot going on in Charlottenburg, the neighborhood we were staying in. The area is hip, at times posh, and stuffed to the gills with restaurants, cafes and bars, all tempting.

We stopped in Leibnizklause, drawn to it by its seemingly impossible to pronounce name. Honestly, we were drawn in by its outdoor tables, which are tall and ample, with a few stools around them. We ordered a couple Pilseners and marveled at how warm it was for Berlin in October. After a few sips we were joined by a few locals, who bellied up to our table.

It wasn’t really ‘our’ table, we learned. It seems that in Berlin it’s fine to share tables if there’s room. I wouldn’t say this is common in Spain, where we live. We were happy to have their company though, and had a nice chat with them about their city, Berlin, and Spanish destinations they wished to visit. We spoke in English and some rough ‘Castellano’.

We didn’t eat at Leibnizklause but other people were. It looked delicious and very German. The bar and restaurant were quite separate, so it’s not at all weird to go to Leibnizklause just to have beers or a glass of wine. A couple beers set us back $6.50, aprox.

Leibnizklause

Leibnizstr. 46 10629 Berlin

TEL: 323-70-68

Post and Photos by Regina Winkle-Bryan. See more of her travel tips at:http://www.thespainscoop.com/

Berlin

We got mixed messages about Kreuzberg in East Berlin. Some German friends said it was a ‘must’ when visiting the diverse German city, and others, like one eccentric hotel receptionist, urged us to stay clear of the quarter. That’s what it is, a quarter, a neighborhood, a zone in Berlin. It’s also where all the art, music, and innovative stuff is supposed to be happening in Berlin. Usually artists and the like don’t have much cash, which means they head to cheap rent districts. Kreuzberg is one of these, and honestly it’s a bit run down in areas, reminding me a lot of Barcelona’s Raval barrio.

Rote Harfe

We wandered around Kreuzberg for an entire afternoon, looking at the street art, the tea shops, the Turkish cafes, the hipster pubs, the up-and-coming boutiques. I’m not sure I’d want to live there, but it was pretty interesting looking round. The area, like all of Berlin, is spread out and massive. After walking for a couple hours we were beat, and needed sustenance. We saw Rote Harfe and headed in.

Kreuzberg

Had I been hungry I would have ordered an enormous slice of their carrot cake topped with a good inch of cream cheese frosting. Instead we ordered a few rounds of German beer and watched the world go by, which is what most of the patrons at Rote Harfe were up to. The bar/restaurant looks out onto a very busy intersection which can (and did) provide hours of entertainment. There goes a man in a leather jumpsuit, here comes a group of rug-rats playing a keyboard for coins, there go a group of punky tweens. A table by Rote Harfe’s large picture windows, which are left open on warm days, are where you want to sit. You could also sit outside on the street, but then you have to deal with the scent coming from the sewer and the constant passersby asking for change.

Rote Harfe

Two Pilseners will set you back about 5.60 euros. If you ask for water make sure you say tap water (if that’s what you want, and in Berlin it’s fine to drink it) otherwise they will bring you a glass of water and charge you 2.60 euros!

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Oranienstrasse 13

10999 Berlin

Germany

Post and Photos by Regina Winkle-Bryan. See more of her lodging tips at The Spain Scoop.

German Beer - Bottoms Up!

I immediately liked Dicke Wirtin for its sign, a fat woman, the former owner, with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and a beer in front of her. It looked like the people who run the place had a sense of humor. Also, most of Dicke Wirtin’s tables were booked and only a few outside tables were available. This was a good sign in that it meant Dicke Wirtin is a popular place.

Berlin's Dicke Wirtin

Most people come to Dicke Wirtin to eat but you could also come and just have beers, wine, mixed drinks, coffee, whatever. The menu is in German and English and offers up lots of German dishes at reasonable prices (try the dumplings). When we were at Dicke, a group of musicians rode up on bicycles and unloaded a stand-up wooden bass, an accordion, a guitar and a tambourine. They played about ten songs which were pretty good and got the whole Dicke Wirtin crowd into it.

Dicke Wirtin is right off Savignplatz in a trendy, posh area. Dicke Wirtin seems to have somehow remained grounded, inexpensive, and classically cool while the restaurants and bars around it are pricy and perhaps a bit more elegant. Start your evening off here, with a round or two of Pilseners.

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http://www.dicke-wirtin.de/

Photo and Post by Regina Winkle-Bryan. See more on where to drink beer at The Spain Scoop

Margaritas when you're over beer

When in Berlin, Germany, drink beer. That’s what they do well, and in copious portions. I especially enjoyed the Berliner beer, although I also had Carlsberg and Pilsener on occasion while in Berlin.
But what if you’re not a ‘beer person’? Honestly, I’m not a ‘beer person’ but a ‘wine person’ if I have to choose. There is wine in Germany, but it’s more expensive than in say, Spain.…So beer it was for me.

Those who want something besides hoppy ale can get a mixed drink at Que Pasa, which serves a potent margarita. Berlin has many restaurants and bars that are anything but German, and Que Pasa Restaurant and Cocktail bar is a good example of this. It’s a Mexican joint near Museum island and C/O with seating for hundreds.

Usually these sorts of places scare me, because I know what good Mexican food is coming from the Western United States, and know a good margarita thanks to my days working in a tequila bar in Guatemala. But I was hungry and nothing else looked any good so in I went for a quesadilla and a margarita.
It was good. Really good. Not good in a typical Mexican way, but in a whole other sense. The Berliner take on Mexican. I ate every bite and then regretted it because the portions are huge at Que Pasa.

Beers at Que Pasa

Another aspect of the bar/restaurant I liked was the outdoor seating. In front there are many tables looking out onto traffic – skip these. Head instead into the back patio area, which is the inner patio for a cluster of buildings. Here Que Pasa and several other cafes and bars have outdoor seating with twinkle lights and a cool vibe. Come here for your first few margaritas as Que Pasa closes its patio for neighbors after 10pm.

All in all, a choice and surprising spot to get an appetizer and a couple rounds of drinks.(Beware, they don’t take credit cards)

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There are two locations, one in Mitte and one in Kreuzberg: http://quepasa.at/

Post and Photos by Regina Winkle-Bryan. See more of her lodging tips at The Spain Scoop.