Mikkeller | Postcards From Here and There

Eating and Drinking in Mitte Berlin

Mitte is the district which makes up most of central Berlin. It is a large area and includes many of Berlin’s top sights and museums. Bearing its size in mind this post does not attempt to give a comprehensive view of the dining and drinking options available, it is simply an overview of the places I have enjoyed on recent visits to the city.

The Barn. Auguststaße 58.

The Barn not only brews the most delicious coffee it roasts its own beans and you can buy a bag to take home. This is a great place for breakfast with a good selection of pastries and sandwiches. It’s only small but turnover is reasonably fast.

Einstein. Unter den Linden 42.

Just a short walk from The Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate this is a café/restaurant in the more traditional style and an excellent place for breakfast after getting up early to see the sights before it gets too busy.

Rutz Weinbar. Chausseestraße 8.

Restaurant Rutz is one of Berlin’s seven two star Michelin restaurants with chef Marco Müller at the helm. Downstairs from the restaurant is a wine bar which itself holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The wine bar menu offers creative interpretations of traditional, regional dishes and as you would expect the cooking is first class. The wine list is excellent and naturally German wines feature heavily, there is a good choice of wines by the glass and the staff are very knowledgeable and helpful.

Beereau. Claire Waldorf Straße 4.

A small but cosy bar located just off Friedrichstraße. It may only be small but it is wonderful place to stop off for an early evening beer. There are a small number of beers on tap and a good selection in the fridges. The place is quite relaxed with a good selection of beer related books.

Muret La Barba. Rosenthaler Straße 61.

This very popular Italian is part café, part wine bar and part restaurant and it works so well on all levels. The cooking here is authentic and very good and the wine choices are excellent and reasonably good value for money. It can get very busy in the evenings so prebooking is a good idea.

The Circus Hotel. Rosenthaler Straße 1.

The Circus Hotel is an excellent place to stay on a visit to the city and it has an excellent café/bar on the ground floor. I can never quite make out if it is part of the hotel or a separate enterprise but as with the hotel the reception is welcoming, the decor is superb and the food excellent. It is such a relaxing place you have to make a big effort to get back out and carry on with your day.

Katz Orange. Bergstraße 22.

Located in a former brewery and in a courtyard, the setting is fantastic. In warm weather there are tables arranged outside, covered by large parasols, which, if the weather permits, should be your choice of seating. The interior of the restaurant is arranged over two floors and is warm and inviting. So dining either inside or outside it’s a win win! The cooking here is fantastic and the wine list excellent.

BrewDog. Ackerstraße 29.

With somewhere in the region of 30 beers on tap including guest beers this is an ideal stopping place for beer lovers. They also do a good range of pizzas and salads.

Mikkeller. Torstraße 102

The Danish brewery Mikkeller is regarded as one of the best in the world and has bars in several major cities around the world. The bar in Mitte is small with seating arranged into three areas plus tables outside for when the weather permits. The decor has a very Scandinavian feel and creates a relaxed and calming environment, ideal for drinking a beer or two!

Three Places for Craft Beer in Berlin

Berlin is a big city. With a population of over 3.5 million there are plenty of bars serving a wide range of beers from all over the world. In that sense this post is only the tip of the iceberg, these are three places I have been and particularly enjoyed and would heartily recommend to anyone who has an interest in great beer.

Muted Horn.

This is a great little bar in the district of Neukölln which is well worth searching out. Serving 22 beers on tap, both local and international, and an even larger selection of bottles there is something for everyone here and its easy to see why it is so popular with craft beer enthusiasts.

There is plenty of seating and even a small area outside. There’s a nice relaxed atmosphere here and you can easily while away an hour or so without much effort. Although they don’t serve food they don’t mind if you bring your own and you can even send out for a delivery.

Muted Horn, Flughafen straße 49.

U8 Boddinstraße is the nearest U-Bahn station a mere couple of minutes walk away.

Monday-Thursday 17.00-0200. Friday 17.00-03.00. Saturday 15.00-03.00. Sunday 15.00-02.00

Beereau.

A small but cosy bar located just off Friedrichstraße in Mitte. It may only be small but it is wonderful place to stop off for an early evening beer. There are a small number of beers on tap and a good selection in the fridges. The place is quite relaxed with a good selection of beer related books.

Beereau, Claire Waldorf Straße 4.

U6 Oranienburger Tor is the nearest U-Bahn station.

Tuesday-Thursday 14.00-22.00, Friday 14.00-00.00, Saturday 14.00-19.00

Mikkelller

There are twenty four beers available on tap. Most are Mikkeller’s own brews but there are also a number of guest beers. Staff are approachable, helpful and knowledgable so navigating the menu if you are unsure is not a problem. Servings are available in two sizes, 40cl and 80cl.

Mikkeller,Torstraße 102.

U8 Rosenthaler Platz is the nearest U-Bahn station.

Sunday-Thursday 15.00-00.00, Friday-Saturday 15.00=02.00

Shoreditch Street Art

Shoreditch and neighbouring Hoxton in the east of London are parts of the city I very much like. Home to a thriving community of independent retailers, cafés, restaurants and bars it is a welcome break from the mass appeal commercial enterprises that blight many high streets. Every visit is an opportunity for exploration, to see what’s new and worth checking out. This visit it was Mikkeller (2-4 Hackney Road), a great addition too the London craft beer scene which actually opened late last year. It’s too easy and a bit of a cliche to say that Shoreditch is the home of the hipster, to me it’s the home of people that like something just a little bit different, whatever that may be, and long may it continue.

There is a massive art scene in Shoreditch and this is no better illustrated than by the street art that abounds in the area. I took the Northern Line to Old Street to begin my exploration but you could just as easily use Liverpool Street or Shoreditch High Street as your jumping off point. Leave Old Street station onto the very busy Old Street and head in the direction of Shoreditch. There is an opportunity to pick up a craft beer or doughnut if you are in need of refreshment. When the road forks take the right branch onto Great Eastern Street and your street art experience begins.

Underneath is this piece by misterthoms.

Mind the Gap! Between Kings and Toys – El Rughi

The artist Eine is well known for large, circus style typography and there is a good example along Rivington Street.

At the end of Rivington Street turn right onto Curtain Road. New Inn Yard is the third road on the left just before you reach Great Eastern Street.

Some of the art here becomes more impressive because of its sheer scale. In 2018 a project began to create a set of murals on the Graffoto Building themed around the idea of connectivity. Each mural was created by a pair of artists and it is simply stunning in its sheer scale and complexity. This thematic piece has elevated street art to a new level in Shoreditch simply by its size. It begins on New Inn Yard with is piece by Lovepusher and Mr Cenz.

Next to this a mural by Nomad Clad from Manchester depicting the pigeon post and letters as a form of communication.

North Seal and Best Ever have created a mural depicting had shakes set within a lattice framework.

At the corner with King John Court Busk and Mr Oliver Switch have created this piece with has now sadly been tagged.

Ed Hicks and Zadik show how a fungal mycelium has many connections in the biological world.

Captain Chris and Tizer illustrate connectivity between the real and imaginary worlds.

Finally, or firstly if you approved from the opposite direction, we have this piece by Hunto and Mr Thoms.

On Holywell Lane there are some interesting pieces on the hoardings including this by JimVision entitled The Umbrella Academy.

From the end of Holywell Lane turn right and then left into Bethnal Green Road. Ebor Street is then the first on the left. Here you will find Ben Eines mural Peace is Possible.

On nearby Whitby Street is another mural by Jim Vision.

At the end of the street there are two superb murals by James Cochran, also known as Jimmy C.

There is much more to see in the area including some fine works on nearby Sclater Street but the Sunday marked prevented me from taking any photographs on this visit.