5 Best Bars in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

This sprawling, 600-seat Biergarten is where Berliners go when the urge for a hefeweizen and pretzel strikes. Grab a beer and a snack (a bratwurst is the classic choice), squeeze in at one of the long community tables, and get ready for some marathon drinking—at least as a bystander, if not a participant. If the outdoor boisterousness is too much, opt for an indoor table at the slightly more upscale restaurant, which serves an expanded menu of German classics like Wiener schnitzel. The beer garden is open from April to September, while the restaurant normally operates year-round (with some summer closures, so check before you go).

Modeled after a Tokyo jazz bar, this cozy hangout features classic cocktails, natural wines, and a small selection of snacks; rare for Berlin, they don’t allow smoking inside. Rhinoçéros also holds regular “listening parties” where jazz records are played for a silent audience, followed by drinks and chats.

The only indication anything exists behind this bar's curtained facade is a glowing photograph of the head of Samuel Beckett in the window. Press the buzzer and if there’s space, you’ll be ushered into the dimly lit, gentlemen’s club-like surroundings. Settle into a leather armchair and choose from sophisticated cocktails like the Blood and Sand or the Improved Quince, all crafted with artisanal spirits. Or, try a classic martini—one of the best in town. Reservations are recommended.

A sweet little French-owned bar with a slightly naughty name, this spot has been a local favorite for several years now—simple and comfortable yet tres chic. Come here when you’re tired of Berlin’s beer-dominated bar culture, and order a kir royal or a glass of excellent French wine, paired with a meat-and-cheese platter. In good weather, nab a rickety sidewalk table; the bar’s corner location is great for people-watching.

It sounds like a recipe for disaster: pay 2 euro for an empty glass, fill it with your choice of wine from a number of bottles, and when you're ready to leave, pay whatever you think you owe. But this pay-as-you-wish bar has survived for more than 15 years; in fact, Weinerei is one of three such "Communist wine bars," all on the border between Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg. Although the wines aren't extraordinary, the charming concept has attracted cash-strapped Berliners steadily over the years. Note that the pay-what-you-want option is only available after 8 p.m.