New Bars in Berlin: 5 Tips for your Drinking Enjoyment 

© 100 Gramm Bar Lounge

Up on high or tucked away, with a view of the Spree, loungy or for aperitif aficionados:
presenting 5 new Berlin bar locations. 

1. Bar Nonno

Adorning the wall behind the bar here is the word “Romantica” – a vestige from Bar Nonno’s past. For over 40 years, “Café Romantica” was a real Schöneberg institution, serving German cuisine and after-work beers on the terrace. So leaving the old name up on the wall very much fits in with the new concept – because “Bar Nonno” is now a great place to indulge in aperitivo culture. Running numerous bars – like “Stück” in Kreuzberg, “Bademeister” in Weißensee, “Lamm” in Prenzlauer Berg and “Torte” in Neukölln, to name just a few of his bar projects – Dustin Franke has teamed up here with Luca Simon (former bar manager at the “Lamm”). Their drinks menu extends from spritz variations and long drinks to house creations like the “Nonno Spritz” made with Aperol, Campari, Pignoletto and bitter lemon or the strikingly bitter “Molto Sbagliato” with Campari, rosé vermouth, Lambrusco and mint. Talking of Lambrusco: that wine from Emilia Romagna, often misunderstood in Germany (due to its generally inferior production methods), is available here in two varieties. And if you’re feeling peckish, there’s the gnocco fritto, a fried pastry pillow that’s also popular in the northern Italian region, as well as a choice of antipasti. And if an old regular popping back here would prefer a beer – that’s still on offer too, either Italian or their house brand on tap. And, as always at any Dustin Frank bar, prices are reasonable offering “neighbourhood-friendly” value for money.

Akazienstraße 7a, 10823 Berlin
www.instagram.com/bar.nonno.berlin/

© Jan-Peter Wulf 

2. Bar Clara

You can’t really call the cocktail prices at Bar Clara moderate: €18 (as of May 2024) for a drink in an old-fashioned glass is right at the top end of the Berlin price range. But here we’re also at the very top in terms of location, as this is a rooftop bar – so you also pay for the indisputably beautiful view over Oranienburger Straße and the synagogue all the way to Alexanderplatz and the TV tower. And after all, it’s the same in every rooftop bar the world over. You’ll find the bar at the top of the new photography and art museum “Fotografiska”, also home to bar-restaurant “Verōnika” (which we have already featured here). Which means there are now two bars in the building –  actually three, as there’s also one in the restaurant itself. So bags of choice! And if you opt to go upstairs, you’ll not only enjoy the great view from the near wraparound terrace and chic, minimalist design care of the renowned “Studio Aisslinger”, but also great drinks: The “Clara Chromatic” milk punch made with Mezcal, Oloroso, red berries and grapefruit juice is currently served in those old-fashioned glasses, along with an ice-cube that shimmers in the colours of the spectrum. The idea behind the menu is to reflect the art and photography aspects of the venue itself, such as the current theme of light and colour. The drinks come care of US bar entrepreneur Eric Alperin and “Clara” bar manager Aurora Almenar, previous mixologists at “Paradiso” in Barcelona. Nice touch: if you order a drink, you get complimentary olives, popcorn and nuts.

Oranienburger Straße 54, 10117 Berlin

https://berlin.fotografiska.com/de/restaurants/bar-clara

© Steffen Sinzinger

3. 100 Gramm Bar Lounge

Located on Weinbergsweg is the “100 Gramm Bar”, and right next door Claudius-Roman Schmidt has now opened the “100 Gramm Bar Lounge”. When you stand outside these two places for the first time, you can hardly tell them apart at first glance, so to jog your memory a bit: the new lounge is the one on the left. In the past these two locations were also linked, as “Datscha” and “Gorki Park Café” (a real centre institution since 1995) both shared a kitchen in the basement. And now the plan is to open another bar down there. The locations have separate menus. In the new lounge, consisting of the bar area and three rooms, things are a little more experimental – for instance with drinks like the “Avalon’s Jasmine Mist” (Calvados infused with jasmine tea, jasmine cordial and dry cider) or the “Mayan Mistral” made with Tequila with coconut infusion, lime cordial and mint oil. But like next door, here they also serve classics – from the Paper Plane to the Naked & Famous and Martini variations with and without espresso. And on one Sunday a month this place hosts a “Secret Dinner” showcasing a Berlin restaurant and their team. Indeed, eateries like “HeimlichTreu” and the “Bricole” have already popped up here serving guests a five-course tasting menu, accompanied by cocktails, of course. Plus a burlesque show! And guess what? There’s also the “Secret Menu” with drinks only accessible via a special QR code.

Weinbergsweg 25, 10119 Berlin
www.100grammbar.com/lounge

© 100 Gramm Bar Lounge

4. Himitsu

How about this – a speakeasy bar in a food court? Now Berlin has just that – at “Manifesto Market” on Potsdamer Platz. “Manifesto” is a modern, hip-designed food hall with various restaurants ranging from Chinese to South American. The idea hails from Prague which is already home to a number of such locations. In Berlin, the entrepreneurial couple behind Manifesto, Martin Barry and Hollie Lin, opened the first indoor space in early 2023 – in the former Potsdamer Platz Arkaden shopping centre. You wouldn’t expect to find a Japanese bar here, but with a bit of luck that’s exactly what you will find. “Himitsu” is hidden behind a door that only subtly hints at the bar inside – with historical manga magazines and a red lamp. Ring the bell to the right of the door and hopefully you’ll be let in. Book in advance to avoid disappointment, as this place only seats 25. Here bar manager Diego Aspra (before at “Franzotti” and “Frederick’s”) presents Japanese bar culture with Highballs, Mizuwaris (one part spirit, two parts water), freshly mixed, as well as batched and matured cocktails – like a twist on the Negroni made with three types of vermouth, awamori, gin and wormwood. The cocktails are stored in traditional kame jars from Okinawa, the Japanese tropics. Campari is served up with a decorative dusting on the glass. And then there’s a nice little secret ... awaiting you on your highly recommended visit! 

Alte Potsdamer Straße 7, 10785 Berlin
www.instagram.com/himitsu.speakeasy

© Jan-Peter Wulf 

5. Mina Bar 

Let’s end our tour of the city’s new bars on a relaxed note with a beautiful view of the Spree – something you sadly don’t get from many restaurants in Berlin. At the new “Mina”, an offshoot of a small chain with locations in St Petersburg, Moscow and Yerevan, the view of the Spree is wonderful. This is because the bar-restaurant – located in the same building as “Anima” the listening bar and hotel “Locke” (see our tip) – is completely glazed on the water side. This means you get to watch the passing pleasure boats and party barges and enjoy the setting sun in good weather – and not only in the restaurant area (serving excellent Italian and Levantine cuisine, do try the crispy thin pizzas, lamb kofta and artichokes!) but also at the bar in the foyer of this tube-shaped location. Here there’s comfortable separate seating and access to the terrace with further seating. To complement the food, Kevin Hemingway and his team serve their customers a choice of spritz variations (including Aperol and Amaretto), Italo classics like Bellini or Negroni and international evergreens – either in the bar area or directly at the table with their food. Not forgetting “Mina’s” professional decks where DJs regularly spin their tunes of an evening. So who’s up for a cocktail party on the Spree?

Mühlenstraße 61-64, 10243 Berlin

www.minaberlin.de/de