Barcomi's, Kreuzberg

Okay so I had always maintained that I wouldn't review chain cafes but there are only two Barcomi's and I really like the one on Bergmannstr. since the quality of coffee and treats are so good, the one in Mitte is a total touristy cafe and I would avoid and stick with the one in Kreuzberg as it feels more real. The owner of Barcomi's is American and she has injected some of that American style into her cafe and the choice of cakes is excellent, particularly the American cheesecake.. yummy! The choice of different coffees here is superb and it is also a Roastery so you can buy a large selection of coffee's to take away and enjoy at home. I just hope it stays this way since the owner has expanded into opening her other cafe and producing cook books. But don't let that put you off, this Barcomi's is a nice place to hang out and is a little bit of a different feel to other Berlin cafe's.

Address: Bergmannstr. 21 U-Bahn: Gneisenaustr.

Coffee: 9/10 Cake: 10/10

Zimt und Mehl, Neukoelln

At first glance this looks like an ordinary bakery with a few tables, but once you go inside the atmosphere is very warm and inviting with good relaxing music. It is actually a bakery shop and a self service cafe at the same time. Staff are extremely friendly and the menu has a wonderful selection of tasty breakfasts and snacks from savoury oriental or mediteranian platters to sweet pastry type snacks. The best thing is that all food orders include coffee or tea, which makes this place fantastic value for great quality (e.g. most breakfast are around 4-5 Euro). All bread rolls and cakes are baked freshly in store all day so there is always an alluring bakery smell around.

Address: Wildenbruchstr. 76  U-Bahn: Rathaus Neukoelln

Coffee: 10/10  Cake: 10/10

Ringo, Neukoelnn

Ringo Cafe/Bar is a really cool place to go in the Neukoelnn area, its policy is simple, great food, great music and friendly service. The soundtrack here is always well thought out and its an important factor that keeps you here. The decor is made up of retro 50's and 60's style fittings and you get the feeling of sitting in a nice cosy living room. The cakes in particular on offer are great. The minus factor if you don't smoke is that they allow smoking after 8pm and for such a small cafe can be very smoky indeed., but this seems to be a big problem in Berlin now for non smokers, great if you smoke though. However in the summer as they have some nice outdoor seating, its a great place to hang out and the crowd are very friendly and theres a good mix of locals and auslanders who live in Berlin. They also have some nice movie evenings here too.

Address: Sanderstr. 2  U-bahn: Schoenlienstr.

Coffee: 9/10  Cake: 10/10

Schwarzes Cafe, Ku'Damm

So I can't believe I have only discovered Schwarzes Cafe after so long. It is a landmark cafe in western Berlin and has been frequented by the likes of David Bowie, Iggy Pop etc in the past. When you walk through the door its seems a normal small cafe til you walk upstairs and it is much bigger than you think. It is open 24 hours a day and is famous in that you can order breakfast 24 hours a day too. They have a great food and drink menu, you may pay 50 cent more for the odd dish but well worth it for the great atmosphere here. Check out their cool bathrooms too. You definitely get the feeling you are spending time somewhere special when you spend some time here.

Address: Kantstr. 148  U-bahn: Uhlandstr.

Coffee: 9/10   Cake: 9/10