Entertainment in Berlin
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Moviemento
Berlin’s oldest cinema, this three-screen independent place (with a maximum capacity of just over 100) shows a good range of nonblockbuster mainstream foreign and German movies.
reviewed
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Cinema Café
Dark, cramped and unpretentious, this movie-themed pub is the last alternative refuge in the slick Hackescher Markt area. Candlelight and intense talk give it an almost existentialist vibe reminiscent of Paris in the ’50s, but there’s outdoor seating in the courtyard if things get too packed at night (and they usually do).
reviewed
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KitKatClub
This kitty is naughty, sexy and decadent, listens to techno and house, and fancies leather and lace, vinyl and whips. Berlin’s most (in)famous erotic nightclub hides out at Sage Club with its multiple dance floors, themed 'play rooms' and action-packed balcony. On weekends, the party continues through midmorning Monday.
reviewed
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Yorckschlösschen
Cosy and knick-knack-laden, Olaf Dähmlows's institution has been open since 1885 and plied an all-ages, all-comers crowd of jazz and blues lovers with tunes and booze for over 30 years. Toe-tapping bands invade several times weekly, but there's also a pool table, a garden for chilling, cold beer on tap and German comfort food served till 1am.
reviewed
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Tresor
The techno pioneer is back in the dark industrial maze of a former power station.
reviewed
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Floating Lounge
The best time for a cold one at this retro lounge on the Eastern Comfort Hostelboat is at sunset when the sun paints the Oberbaumbrücke (bridge) a fiery red. Very romantic, very Berlin. On Wednesday nights, the Floating Lounge hosts the Boat Party, which brings together an easy-going, all-ages, international crowd keen on practicing their English skills with a merry band of English-speaking expats and visitors. It’s a fun way to meet locals and visitors over a beer and bratwurst. The party attracts lots of regulars, but don’t be shy – people are eager to welcome newcomers. Admission is €1, which is added to your first drink. Also check MC Charles’ website,…
reviewed
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Kuschlowski
When fierce winter winds blow in from the east, it's the perfect time to hole up by the crackling fireplace in this ex-bordello amid retro furniture and home-made lamps. The polyethnic crowd is united by a penchant for stiff drinks, especially the many Russian vodka varieties.
reviewed
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Insomnia
reviewed
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Berghain/Panoramabar
It’s the best club in the world, according to Britain’s well-regarded DJ Mag, and we have no problem seconding the hype. Only vinyl masters such as André Galluzzi and Ricardo Villalobos heat up this hedonistic bass junkie hellhole inside a labyrinthine ex-power plant. The upper floor (Panoramabar, aka ‘Pannebar’) is all about house; the gay-leaning big factory hall below (Berghain) pounds with minimal techno beats. Strict door and no cameras. In summer there’s a beer garden for daytime chilling.
reviewed
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Bar 25
With the 'Mediaspree' river development likely to become reality, some of Berlin’s most beloved riverside party spots are threatened. Summers just wouldn’t be the same without this surreal playground where you can arrive on Thursday and stumble home on Sunday without the party letting up. The setting is straight out of Twin Peaks : rustic log-cabin-style bar, candle-lit restaurant, a rope swing, an outdoor cinema, a spa with sauna and a trancey, thumpy club with disco ball.
reviewed
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Rechenzentrum
This club had its start in April 2008, so fingers are crossed it’ll survive. Far, far off the beaten track, in a GDR-era data processing centre (some of the chunky old computers are still there), you can feel the electro beat on Saturday night, then chill by the UFO in the riverside Funkpark on Sunday (summer only). Opening times vary, but it’s usually open Saturday and Sunday. A free bus shuttles between the club and Ostkreuz (corner Neue Bahnhofstrasse and Sonntagstrasse) between 11pm and 5am.
reviewed
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Badeschiff
In summer, a hedonistic Ibiza-vibe reigns at the artist-designed Badeschiff, with bods bronzing in the sand or cooling off in the water and a bar to fuel the fun. On scorching days, come before noon or risk a long wait. After-dark action includes parties, bands, movies and simply chilling. In winter, an ethereally glowing plastic membrane covers up the pool and a deliciously toasty chill zone with saunas and bar.
reviewed
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Künstliche Beatmung
You won’t need artificial respiration (the name of this bar), but the deliriously retro look may well take your breath away. The psychedelic wallpaper could cause ’60s flashbacks while the white-ribbed tunnel will make you feel like Jonah inside the whale. Thursday nights, when hobby DJs hit the decks, can be hit or miss but come Friday and Saturday seasoned pros heat up the crowd with minimal, electro and funk.
reviewed
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Wintergarten Varieté
Berlin’s most sumptuous cabaret venue boasts a starry-sky ceiling that’s as dazzling as the international line-up of magicians, acrobats, artistes and clowns. The crowd’s tourist- and conventioneer-heavy but most shows are actually fun and mesmerising. From September to April, highlights of the evening show are presented in 75-minute afternoon sessions for €22 on Wednesday (4pm) and Sunday (3pm).
reviewed
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Maxxim
The moneyed and beautiful (or surgically enhanced) with A-list aspirations cavort at this snazzy party pen that’s a veritable jet-set oasis in ghetto-glam Berlin. Once you’ve made it past the velvet rope, you too can be shaking that booty to ‘international club sounds’, sipping champagne cocktails at the sleek bar and – who knows? – maybe even meeting your very own Carrie or Mr Big.
reviewed
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Newton Bar
At this glamour vixen on Gendarmenmarkt you can swirl your whisky with the posh set with an entire wall of Helmut Newton’s high-heeled nudes stimulating the imagination. On your way to the upstairs humidor and smoking lounge (in winter only), you’ll even pass a signed photograph of the master himself. In fine weather, sit outside and see if you and your stogey can stop that cutie on the footpath.
reviewed
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White Trash Fast Food
Edgy and borderline insane, this ex-Irish pub with Chinese flourishes attracts a rock-and-roll crowd and often teems with US expats scarfing tasty burgers to stave off homesickness (and, possibly, hang-overs). DJs or live bands playing punk, rock or new wave in the bar-restaurant area can make conversation challenging. On some nights, raucous indie acts also take over the cavernous Diamond Lounge downstairs.
reviewed
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Eschschloraque
This trashy-chic bar is a rare bulwark against Mitte’s creeping yuppification. Find it past the trash cans at the end of the courtyard of Haus Schwarzenberg, one of the few unrenovated houses left around here. We love the surreal monster decor by the Dead Chickens art collective, the comfy sofas, the strong cocktails and the eccentric live music – if only the staff laid off the snootiness.
reviewed
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Reingold
This 1930s-style glamour lounge draws talkative sophisticates, grateful for the mellow lighting and low sound levels. Video projections, photography exhibits and a wall-sized portrait of Klaus and Erika Mann – a mosaic of pages from Klaus’ novel Mephisto – add an artsy touch, while tapas options provide sustenance. There are DJ nights at weekends and a terrace in summer.
reviewed
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Golgatha
This classic beer garden right in Viktoriapark gets a changing cast of characters depending on where the hand of the clock points. Families invade in the daytime, lured by the adjacent adventure playground. Laid-back locals catch the day’s final rays on the rooftop terrace, and wrinkle-free party folk arrive after 10pm when a DJ hits the decks.
reviewed
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Grüner Salon
Sultry sophistication rules in the Volksbühne’s intimate ‘Green Salon’, an elegant 1920s glamour vixen that lures natty, chatty sophisticates with mellow lighting and eardrum-friendly indie, jazz, chanson and tango concerts and club nights. On Tuesdays it’s the place in town to kick up your salsa heels. Come early for lessons. The entrance is on the right side of the theatre building.
reviewed
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Café Moskau
Still flaunting 1960s flair, this snazzy commie-era restaurant now hosts special club and concert nights as well as Sunday's GMF (www.gmf-berlin.de in German) gay parties with buff and bronzed boyz enjoying high-energy pop and house. Rumour has it that GMF may move in 2007, so check the website or the Zitty (www.zitty.de), Tip (www.tip-berlin.de) listings magazines.
reviewed
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Icon
This labyrinthine cellar of a former brewery is Berlin’s holy grail of drum and bass – Recycle on Saturday is an eardrum-rinsing local institution. Friday is generally given over to special events, with some very strong nu-skool breakbeat and downtempo nights. International DJ royalty such as Grooverider and Nightmares on Wax occasionally head the line-up here.
reviewed
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Victoriabar
Original art decorates this discreet cocktail lounge favoured by a grown-up crowd that’s like a two-inch heel – chic but sensible. Try the Ramos Gin Fizz, bar owner Stefan Weber’s favourite libation. Budget boozers invade for happy hour before 9.30pm. It's about 750m south of the Kulturforum via Potsdamer Strasse.
reviewed
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Yaam
With the "Mediaspree' river development likely to become reality, some of Berlin’s most beloved riverside party spots are threatened. The granddaddy of all summer parties is the home of reggae, samba, soca, rap and the birthplace of the band Seeed. The Beach Classic on Sunday has been dishing up food, drink, music, beach volleyball and other sports for years.
reviewed