Entertainment in Germany
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A
Sixtina
At some point in the last few years the word 'absinthe' has ceased to mean 'bad idea', and the result is places like Sixtina, wholly dedicated to the deadly green fairy. Smoky, but if you're drinking this stuff, you probably don't care.
reviewed
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B
Standard
Soulful jazz spins beneath a corrugated-iron ceiling and stainless-steel fans, while bands and DJs play a couple of times or more a week in a second, dimly lit downstairs bar.
reviewed
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C
Kulturbrauerei
The fanciful red and yellow brick buildings of this 19th-century brewery are now a cultural powerhouse with a small village worth of venues, from concert and theatre halls to restaurants, nightclubs, galleries and a multiscreen cinema.
reviewed
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D
Jodlerwirt
One of Munich's earthiest pubs has an accordion-playing host and stand-up comic who spread good cheer in yodelling sessions at the upstairs bar. By the end of the evening you'll find yourself swaying arm-in-arm with complete strangers.
reviewed
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E
FSK
Just off Oranienplatz, this high-calibre, two-screen art-house theatre shows plenty of European cinema. Unusually, the auditoriums have small fountains at the front, perhaps to encourage you to go to the toilet before the trailers end.
reviewed
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F
Harry Klein
Since its move out of the Optimolwerke to the city centre, Harry Klein has come to be regarded as one of the best elektroclubs in the world. Nights here are an amazing alchemy of electro sound and visuals, with live video art projected onto the walls Kraftwerk-style blending to awe-inspiring effect with the music.
reviewed
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G
Salon des Amateurs
Tucked into the Kunsthalle, this tunnel-shaped cafe-lounge pulls off an artsy vibe without a single canvas. Museum-goers arrive in the afternoon for tea and chat, while hipsters keep the bar and little dance floor hopping after dark.
reviewed
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H
Universum Lounge
The curvaceous teak bar and white leather banquettes of this spacey, retro-glam libation station fill up quickly after the curtain falls at the Schaubühne theatre, a 1920s gem by the esteemed Erich Mendelsohn in the same building. The bar is about 300m west of U-Bahn station Adenauerplatz.
reviewed
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Master's Home
This is a wonderfully quirky cellar just east of the Viktualienmarkt. The off-centre décor time warps you back to the colonial era - antique furnishings, plenty of knick-knacks and oddities such as a room built around a bathtub.
reviewed
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J
Club der Visionäre
This summertime chill and party playground in an old canalside boat shed is great for a drink or two at any time of day or night. On weekends, they practically never close, making it one of the best Sunday after-party spots in town.
reviewed
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K
Admiralspalast
This beautifully restored 1920s 'palace' stages crowd-pleasing plays, concerts and musicals in its elegant, historic hall. More intimate shows – including comedy, readings, dance, concerts and theatre – are presented on two smaller stages. Programming is international and usually of high calibre.
reviewed
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Schmidt Tivoli
This plush former ballroom now stages a cornucopia of saucy musical reviews, comedies, soap operas and variety shows. Midnight shows follow the main performance, and there’s a smaller cabaret-comic venue.
reviewed
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M
Pretty Vacant
It may be named for a Sex Pistols song, but this Altstadt haunt ain’t no punk club. It’s a shape-shifter really, whose cellar walls vibrate to different sounds nightly. Live bands, too.
reviewed
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N
Pawlow
Generations of bon vivants have followed the Pavlovian bell to this northern Altstadt institution. A cafe in the daytime, it morphs into a DJ bar at night with electro, punk and '60s sounds heating up a chatty, boozy crowd.
reviewed
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Wagenhallen
Swim away from the mainstream at this post-industrial space, where club nights, gigs and workshops skip from Balkan beat parties to poetry slams. There’s a relaxed beer garden for summertime quaffing.
reviewed
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O
Babalu
The program is always turbo-charged at this indie club with orange '70s decor. Wednesdays are a climax of funky, unfettered jazz for the dance-mad. Concerts begin at 9pm and then, around midnight, DJs take over with soulful grooves.
reviewed
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Central Park
A beach bar without water? 'No problem', said its enterprising owners, who built this summer garden smack bang in the grungy Schanzenviertel. Music, snacks, massages and a kid's playground are often joined by sculpture exhibitions.
reviewed
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Q
Palast der Republik
Bar staff didn’t graduate from charm school but this public toilet reborn as a kiosk bar is still a pleasingly laid-back spot for a beer.
reviewed
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R
Papa Joe’s Klimperkasten
A piano player tickles the ivories nightly in this museum-like place where the smoky brown walls are strewn with yesteryear’s photographs. By day the tables on the Markt are among the better.
reviewed
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FZW
Generations of Dortmunders have partied at this legendary club that recently moved to new digs near the Dortmunder U. Catch tomorrow's headliners live in the big hall or get down to a 'Happy Feet' inducing dance mix in the club.
reviewed
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S
Anzeiger Hochhaus
This spacious art-house cinema is on the top floor of a magnificent expressionist building designed by Fritz Höger, the architect of Hamburg’s Chilehaus. Check listing times, as the box office only opens just before screenings.
reviewed
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T
Strandperle
The mother of Hamburg's beach bars should not be missed. From a kiosk window you've got a wide choice of beers on tap and you can snack away on the local hamburger, as it were, the frikadelle. But what really should put Strandperle at the top of your itinerary is the people watching. All ages and classes gather and mingle, especially at dusk as the sun sets west along the Elbe while huge freighters glide past and you wiggle your toes in the sand (while you stay warm under a blanket during many months of the year). From Altona station, get bus 112 west to Neumühlen/Övelgönne.
reviewed
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U
Augustiner-Grossgaststätte
This sprawling place has a less raucous atmosphere and superior food to the usual offerings. Altogether it’s a much more authentic example of an old-style Munich beer hall, complete with secluded courtyards and hunting trophies.
reviewed
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Malteserkeller
Elvin Jones and Bill Ramsey used to be regulars at what was once a venerable jazz venue. Changing tastes and financial realities have translated into an expanded musical menu that includes electro-funk, house, Nu Skool and punk.
reviewed
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V
San Remo Upflamör
Gather your posse at this laid-back hangout before heading a few doors down to the area's celebrated clubs and concert venues. If chilled clientele, nice waiters, DJ sessions and cold beers won’t get you in the party mood, what will? The odd name, by the way, ironically combines the two ‘glamour towns’ of San Remo, Italy, and tiny Upflamör in southern Germany. Coffee and cake in the daytime.
reviewed