Berlin runs on coffee and honestly, so do most of its visitors. The German capital’s third-wave specialty coffee scene has exploded over the last decade, turning neighborhoods like Kreuzberg, Mitte, and Prenzlauer Berg into genuine destinations for coffee aficionados.
Whether you’re after a silky pour-over, a knockout breakfast, or simply a great flat white, these 10 best cafes in Berlin have you completely covered. If you love a good coffee crawl, our Eindhoven coffeeshop guide is worth a look too.
Father Carpenter
Best For: Specialty coffee and epic Berlin breakfast
One of the best cafes in Berlin city center, Father Carpenter sits just a short stroll from Alexanderplatz, tucked behind a beautiful courtyard that somehow manages to feel like a secret, even when it’s packed, and it is always packed on weekends.
They started roasting all their own beans in-house in 2023, which took what was already a brilliant specialty coffee spot and made it genuinely exceptional.
But here’s the thing, the coffee almost plays second fiddle to the food menu, and that’s saying something. The breakfast dishes are some of the best in the city, very similar to what I found at the Utrecht coffeeshop spots I visited.
Simple sourdough toast with poached eggs starts at €8.70, while the showstopper Eggs Royale with smoked salmon on sourdough will set you back €18.60 and is absolutely worth every cent.
The vegan banana bread (€7.10) is another must-try, and oat or soy milk comes at no extra cost, a genuinely rare and welcome policy in Berlin. No reservations, walk-in only. Go early or use the takeaway service if the queue looks daunting.
Atmosphere: Buzzy courtyard cafe with a hip, laid-back Mitte energy and weekend queues.
Menu Highlights:
- Filter coffee €3.80 / Latte €5
- Sourdough toast with poached eggs €8.70
- Eggs Royale with smoked salmon €18.60
- Vegan banana bread €7.10
- Oat and soy milk at no extra cost
The Barn
Best For: Berlin’s finest specialty roastery experience
If anyone can claim to have put Berlin’s specialty coffee scene on the map, it’s The Barn. Starting from a single venue in 2010, they’ve grown to 11 locations across the city, plus outposts in London, Dubai, Mallorca, and Seoul.
Every location carries that same signature minimalistic design: clean lines, warm wood, a serious brew bar, and shelves stacked with freshly roasted retail beans.
The pour-over menu is always impressive, and the seasonal specials are worth paying attention to. Their Winter Flat White, an espresso infused with rooibos tea, is the kind of thing you’ll still be thinking about on the flight home.
My personal favourite spots for a proper sit-down are the Ku’damm branch (spacious, less frantic, and one of the rare Barn locations with a bathroom!) and Hackescher Markt.
Just keep in mind, card only, and laptops are best kept away during peak hours.
Atmosphere: Minimalist, calm and serious about coffee. Ku’damm branch is the most relaxed.
Menu Highlights:
- Hand brew from €7 / Latte €5
- Oatly milk €0.30 extra
- Decaf option available €0.50 extra
- Seasonal specials e.g. Winter Flat White (rooibos espresso)
- Freshly roasted retail beans available in-store
Distrikt Coffee
Best For: Healthy brunch bowls and great Mitte vibes
Distrikt Coffee was one of those happy Instagram discoveries that actually lives up to the hype, which in my experience is rarer than it should be. Tucked into the heart of Mitte, this bright, stylish little spot draws a loyal crowd for its exceptional specialty coffee and a tight brunch menu that gets every single dish right.
The healthy bowl, blended banana, berries, and soy milk topped with granola, chia seeds, cacao nibs, goji, and coconut at €8 is a brilliant way to start a Berlin morning.
If you lean more towards savory, the French toast (€15.50) and the homemade granola (€10) are equally good. Vegan smoothies at €7.90 are a lovely bonus.
It’s laptop-friendly during quieter hours, the interior creates a genuinely calm atmosphere, and unlike many popular Berlin spots, there are usually seats available even on weekend mornings.
Atmosphere: Bright, stylish and calm. A laid-back Mitte spot with a health-conscious crowd.
Menu Highlights:
- Filter coffee €4 / Latte €4.50
- Healthy bowl (banana, berries, granola, chia, goji, coconut) €8
- French toast €15.50
- Homemade granola €10
- Vegan smoothies €7.90
- Oat milk €0.30 extra
WestBerlin
Best For: Remote workers needing fast WiFi
WestBerlin relocated to a bigger, better space in Kreuzberg in 2024, and it’s now one of the most genuinely comfortable places in the city to settle in with a laptop.
The upstairs room is the real draw. A long wooden table lines the entire perimeter of the wall, there are power sockets, and the WiFi clocks in at a very respectable 121 Mbps. It still smells faintly of new wood, which is oddly charming.
The coffee leans slightly tangy and acidic, not everyone’s cup of tea, but perfectly good specialty-level stuff. The americanos are on the smaller side, so order accordingly.
They also do cakes and there’s a self-serve water jug, which is a thoughtful touch. A peaceful, stylishly designed spot that takes working-from-cafe seriously.
Atmosphere: Stylish, peaceful and work-friendly. Popular with remote workers and freelancers.
Menu Highlights:
- Specialty coffee, americanos and espresso-based drinks
- Cakes available
- Self-serve water jug complimentary
- WiFi 121 Mbps with wall sockets throughout
- Oat milk available
19 Grams
Best For: Roastery coffee near Alexanderplatz
Originally launched as Tres Cabezas back in 2002, 19 Grams rebranded and now runs four Berlin locations, with the Alex Roastery and Lab being the standout.
The roastery sits at the back of a large, airy space, and on any given visit there’s a generous selection of freshly roasted retail beans to browse, including naturally processed, sun-dried single origins with genuinely complex flavour profiles like dark chocolate and strawberry.
The Wild at Heart espresso, a sweet Costa Rican and Colombian blend, works beautifully with milk, and the Oatly is free, which is always appreciated.
If you can’t get a seat at Father Carpenter, which is just 3 minutes away, this is an excellent alternative with very little compromise on quality.
Atmosphere: Large, airy roastery feel. Buzzy but comfortable, especially at the Lab location.
Menu Highlights:
- Batch brew €3.20 / Latte €4.70
- Wild at Heart espresso (Costa Rican and Colombian blend)
- Oatly milk free of charge
- Toast, granola, porridge, croissants and cakes
- Freshly roasted retail beans available
Cafe Tasso
Best For: Literary atmosphere and neighbourhood charm
Cafe Tasso is the kind of place you don’t stumble across as a tourist, and that’s exactly what makes it so special. Located on Frankfurter Allee in Friedrichshain, this neighbourhood gem doubles as a bookshop, a reading room, and an occasional live music venue all in one wonderfully relaxed space.
You can borrow or buy a book. There are two shelves dedicated to English titles. Settle in with a chai latte and genuinely lose track of time.
I visited on a quiet afternoon and only discovered on my way out that they host intimate concerts some evenings. Check their schedule before you go. It’s non-touristy, unhurried, and utterly charming.
Atmosphere: Quiet, literary and deeply local. A true neighbourhood hideaway in Friedrichshain.
Menu Highlights:
- Chai latte and coffee drinks
- Food and desserts served throughout the day
- Used books available to borrow or buy
- Two shelves of English-language titles
- Occasional live evening concerts
Haferkater
Best For: Berlin’s most unique porridge breakfast concept
The concept alone earns Haferkater a place on this list, a cafe dedicated entirely to porridge and coffee. It sounds niche, but it absolutely works.
The oatmeal porridge here is genuinely one of the most comforting breakfasts in Berlin: perfectly textured, not too sweet, and loaded with toppings like berries, banana, maple syrup, coconut, granola, and chocolate.
It’s tucked away on Boxhagener Straße in Friedrichshain, which means it draws mostly locals rather than tourists, always a good sign.
If you’re a porridge person, this is your spot. If you’re not, Haferkater might just convert you.
Atmosphere: Cosy, quirky and local. Feels like a proper Friedrichshain neighbourhood find.
Menu Highlights:
- Oatmeal porridge with customisable toppings
- Toppings include berries, banana, maple, coconut, granola and chocolate
- Specialty coffee alongside every bowl
- Healthy, wholesome morning menu
- Applesauce and honey topping options available
Five Elephant
Best For: Best cheesecake in Berlin, full stop
Five Elephant has four locations across Berlin and a reputation that precedes it, largely because of what might genuinely be the best cheesecake in the city. People aren’t exaggerating. The slice at €5.60 is dense, perfectly balanced, and dangerously easy to follow up with a second order.
The Mitte branch on Alte Schönhauser Straße is my personal favourite. A beautifully slim coffee bar with a long, elegant counter, colourful retail bean bags, and window stools perfect for people-watching over a macchiato.
The coffee itself is exceptional. The Brazilian espresso they were using on my visit was a dream.
Just know that laptop restrictions apply even on weekdays, so leave the MacBook at the hotel and simply enjoy being present for once.
Atmosphere: Elegant, slim and local. A relaxed people-watching spot with serious coffee credentials.
Menu Highlights:
- Filter coffee €4 / Cappuccino €4.20
- Famous cheesecake €5.60
- Brazilian espresso macchiato
- Pastries and seasonal baked goods
- Colourful retail coffee bean bags available to purchase
Bonanza Coffee
Best For: OG Berlin specialty roastery since 2006
Bonanza has been spreading coffee culture in Berlin since 2006, making them the genuine OG of the city’s specialty scene. Their self-description of serving “unnecessarily good coffee” is both cheeky and accurate.
The roastery on Adalbertstraße in Kreuzberg is the flagship: a gorgeous, light-filled space with high ceilings, abundant plants, and an interior that makes you want to stay for hours.
The baristas here are knowledgeable and enthusiastic without a trace of snobbery. They’ll happily guide you through the bean selection.
Do try one of their light roasts, and the flat white is consistently brilliant. The Prenzlauer Berg branch on Oderberger Straße is smaller and sunnier, perfect on a warm afternoon. Don’t miss the pain au chocolat.
Atmosphere: Light-filled, plant-lined and buzzy. The Kreuzberg roastery is a true Berlin coffee institution.
Menu Highlights:
- Filter coffee €4 / Latte €4.70
- Flat white (very popular)
- Light roast single origins
- Pain au chocolat and croissants
- Plant-based milk €0.30 extra
- Retail beans available across all locations
Silo Coffee
Best For: Australian-style brunch and consistent flat whites
Silo Coffee brings an unmistakably Australian energy to Friedrichshain, all exposed brick, communal tables, and a deeply relaxed approach to the day. It’s been a neighbourhood staple for years, and once you visit, you’ll understand why the locals guard it so protectively.
The flat whites here are some of the most consistent in Berlin, and the brunch menu, poached eggs, avocado toast, sourdough-based dishes, is the kind of thing you’d happily order on repeat.
Multiple milk alternatives are available, the baristas know what they’re doing, and the vibe feels genuinely welcoming rather than performatively cool.
A brilliant Friedrichshain morning, sorted.
Atmosphere: Relaxed, industrial and neighbourhood-loved. Australian cafe culture done right in Friedrichshain.
Menu Highlights:
- Specialty flat whites and espresso drinks
- Poached eggs and avocado toast
- Sourdough-based breakfast dishes
- Multiple milk alternatives available
- Single-origin coffee beans used throughout
Final Thoughts
Berlin’s cafe scene rewards the curious. From the breakfast powerhouse that is Father Carpenter in Mitte, to the porridge-obsessed charm of Haferkater in Friedrichshain, the city’s best cafes are spread across neighbourhoods worth exploring in their own right.
Whether you’re chasing the finest single-origin pour-over at The Barn, the legendary cheesecake at Five Elephant, or simply the kind of unhurried morning that Bonanza does so beautifully, Berlin has a cafe for every mood and moment.
The third-wave coffee culture here isn’t just thriving. It’s genuinely world-class.
Have a favourite Berlin cafe that didn’t make the list? Drop it in the comments below, my next trip is already being planned around coffee stops!
