Must-see nightlife in Berlin

If you like VIP booths, bottle service and women in vertiginous heels, Pearl is your oyster for partying in western Berlin. Office jockeys loosen ties and…

The sassy glamour of the Golden Twenties gets a classy reboot at Prinzipal, an apothecary-style burlesque bar right on funky-punky Oranienstrasse. The…

With its clientele of grizzled and aspiring artists, actors and writers, this cosy pub has been Charlottenburg at its boho best since the patchouli…

This Hilton-based party boîte holds up the hip-hop and house tradition in techno-centric Berlin. A cosmopolitan vibe lures cashed-up, dressed-up weekend…

No sign, no light, no bell; just an anonymous steel door tucked under a railway bridge leads to one of Berlin’s chicest clandestine bars. The tunnel…

Gather your posse at this laid-back hangout before heading a few doors down to the area’s celebrated clubs and concert venues. The odd name, by the way,…

This electro club in a handsome red-brick, 19th-century customs house is warmly decked out in vintage furnishings, patterned wallpaper and a coffered…

In the RAW compound, behind the requisite street-art-festooned facade, awaits this bar-club combo with vintage sofas, lofty ceilings and chandeliers…

Rock-and-roll temple for rebels without a cause. From rockabilly parties to concerts by the famous and the not-yet-famous, there's often some kick-ass…

Erotic artist Tom of Finland inspired the name of this been-here-forever bar, although you don’t have to look as buff as his subjects to feel comfortable…

Fetishists of all sexual persuasions are welcome to get in on the action at this playground for advanced sexual experimentation. Themes and fetishes vary…

This veteran electro club has a high-flying location on the 15th floor of a socialist-era office building and often has big-name local and international…

Retro is right now at this been-here-forever self-service retreat where you can check out passing eye candy through the big window or lug your beverage to…

Tier was the first serious cocktail bar on the Weserstrasse strip and still draws global hipsters with its vintage design and good drinks from a pedigreed…

This sophisticated bar right on Karl-Marx-Allee has been carved out of the eponymous Czech national airline offices. All hard edges and clear lines, it…

Standing the test of time, Südblock has long encapsulated the true spirit of Berlin. In addition to coffee, brunch, and drinks served in the heaving beer…

This rare den of urban cool in gritty Wedding serves coffee by local gourmet roastery Bonanza Coffee Heroes and lovely cakes, although loyal locals keep…

Cosmic Kaspar is the basement ‘baby’ of the popular cafe-bar Mein Haus am See with an eclectic line-up of bands, DJs and one-off events amid surreal,…

German for tinsel, Rauschgold’s name is the game at this shimmering gay girl-boy lair with outlandish theme parties, karaoke contests, potent cocktails,…

Although founder and trash-drag deity Nina Queer has moved on to other pastures, this living-room-size, deliciously kitsch and wacky party den in a former…