Berlin has a polished new edge. T+L takes a closer look.
“Poor but sexy” is how mayor Klaus Wowereit described Berlin five years ago. Today he might add “grown-up”; the once achingly hip Mitte is now borderline bourgeois, full of modern hotels and gastronome temples, while the city’s artistic hub has migrated to a formerly rough-around-the-edges stretch of Potsdamer Strasse. Kreuzberg—with its pint-size cafés, one-off boutiques, and designer-stroller brigade—has taken over from Prenzlauer Berg as the elite’s stomping ground of choice. And just a little farther south, Neukölln is newly on the map thanks to the quirky, albeit stylish, Hüttenpalast B&B.
Five new (and über-stylish) boutiques that are worth a visit.
Voo Store makes a sehr Berliner first impression with a near-invisible entrance off a gritty Kreuzberg courtyard. But inside is 3,000 square feet of emerging labels—along with vintage vinyl and a lovely tearoom. 24 Oranienstrasse; 49-30/6165-1119.
The one-room Süper Store, on the Landwehr Canal, stocks Genovese soaps, handblown glass vases, and more—all arranged on Midcentury tables. 92E Planufer; no phone.
A three-level fantasy of every art, architecture, and design tool imaginable, Modulor sells exquisite papers and textiles, paint palettes and pen sets. It also has an extensive library of art magazines and books. 85 Prinzenstrasse; 49-30/690-360.
Dries van Noten capelets. Hammered-metal espresso makers. Pink shearling toddler’s gloves. Berlin style maven Andreas Murkudis recently upgraded his namesake boutique—and his flawless eye for the well-made product is now present across 12,000 square feet. 81E Potsdamer Strasse; 49-30/680-798-306.
Berlin’s fashion-forward set heads to Happy Shop for Christopher Kane stilettos, teeny cocktail blazers from Maison Kitsuné, and gold sunglasses by local stylist Mykita. 67 Torstrasse; 49-1577/847-3620.
Listen: Berlin Stories American expat novelist Anna Winger’s clever ongoing radio series for NPR gives travelers an insider’s look into Berlin life.
Watch: The Lives of Others A brilliant Cold War–era story of an East Berlin Stasi agent’s emotional attachment to a couple he spies on.
Great Value Cognac leather settees, polished macassar, black glass, and green marble accent the stylish and centrally located Hotel Mani. There are laptops and iPads for rent—and, of course, bikes (this is Berlin).
Best For: Jet-setters and Berlin regulars who love high-design hotels. 136 Torstrasse; 49-30/5302-8080; doubles from $149.
Housed on 25 floors of the gleaming Zoofenster Building, the soon-to-open Waldorf will have a Pierre Gagnaire restaurant and Germany’s only Guerlain spa.
Best For: Travelers who are happy to explore “emerging” neighborhoods—as long as they can repair to unadulterated luxury later. 28 Hardenbergstrasse; 800/925-3673; doubles from $390.
Great Value Choose from a refurbished “caravan,” a cozy-chic cabin, or a regular room (with eiderdown-swathed beds) at this tongue-in-cheek homage to trailer parks.
Best For: Value-conscious globe-trotters with limited reserves and an eye for stylish bargains. 66 Hobrechtstrasse; 49-30/3730-5806; doubles from $85.
Berlin’s hot new restaurants cater to any craving.
For Over-the-Top Indulgence: Restaurant Tim Raue serves an Asian-influenced tasting menu—caviar with wild herbs and wasabi; jamón with parsley and choy sum; Peking duck three ways—echoing flavors from his first venture, Ma, at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski. Dinner for two $232.
For “Yeah, We Ate There” Cachet: Ring the buzzer of an unmarked door under an S-Bahn bridge to find the Japanese-Iberian Tausend Backroom Cantina. Chefs Duc The Ngo and Masao Watari serve miso cod and skewered anticuchos inside the industrial, steel-gray space. Dinner for two $65.
For Melt-in-Your-Mouth Tapas: A graffiti-embellished façade on Görlitzer Park gives way to the unpretentious dining room and casual-style seats of Bar Raval. The small plates, such as Ibérico ham and patatas bravas, and all-Iberian wine list are surprisingly refined. 1 Lübbener Strasse; 49-30/5316-7954; dinner for two $33.
For Some Alpine Gemütlichkeit: Alpenstueck, in Mitte, is awash in charm, from the rustic beech walls to the sublime Alpine/Bavarian fare—spaetzle and rabbit, pumpkin-and-beet ravioli, and potato-and-cucumber salad are the next best thing to a mountain getaway. 9 Gartenstrasse; 49-30/2175-1646; dinner for two $92.
New York–raised Avery and partner Jeffrey Sfire opened Little Otik (71 Graefestrasse; 49-30/5036-2301; dinner for two $79) last year in the Kreuzberg neighborhood, hoping to reinterpret American food for a new audience. Now it’s one of the most sought-after tables in town.
My typical Customer Is... nonexistent, really. On any given night you could have college kids, businessmen, a young family, or older people who have lived here their whole lives. That’s why we love Kreuzberg.
Where I Shop to Jazz Up My...
Apartment: Urbanstrasse, near the restaurant; the road is lined with little antique-and vintage-furniture shops. Try Antik Galerie (No. 126) and Adler Antik (No. 124).
...Closet: Our favorite clothing shop in Kreuzberg is Akeef (18 Wienerstrasse; 49-30/6290-1475). It carries great menswear labels, including Folk from London and Baracuta.
...Kitchen: Kochlust (85D Prinzenstrasse; 49-30/2219-6095), a modern kitchen store with a lovely café (and a cookbook).
Where I Go to Escape: The Botanic Garden (Freie Universität Berlin, 6-8 Königin-Luise-Strasse; 49-30/8385-0100), in Dahlem, which has more than 20,000 kinds of plants. Or the Muggelsee—the biggest lake in Berlin. It’s only a half-hour train ride east from the city center, but you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere.
