One more? Berlin bars for a long evening

You can tell a good bar by the fact that you stop checking the time after the second drink. These six manage it in very different ways: with classics mixed the same way for decades, with plants from around Berlin or with a turntable.

Victoria Bar – the classic on Potsdamer Straße

Schöneberg · BarVictoria BarOn the map

Stefan Weber was Green Door’s first bartender; in 2001 he founded Victoria Bar on Potsdamer Straße. In December 2022 a fire destroyed the rooms, and the bar reopened in autumn 2023. The wood panelling and murals were restored to the original design; the art on the walls is new.

The house drinks are listed with the year they were created. Among the house classics are the Jackie Brown from 2002 with rum, espresso and Tia Maria and the Smoker’s Delight from 2007 with Laphroaig and dark chocolate. Open until 4 a.m. at weekends.

Green Door – bar of the year

Schöneberg · BarGreen Door BarOn the map

Behind the green door on Winterfeldtstraße, an American bar with a long wooden counter has been open since April 1995. The furniture came from New York in the nineties, and the artist Thomas Hauser painted the walls with checks and wood grain. The bar itself describes the room as something between a private salon and a David Lynch film. At the Mixology Bar Awards, Green Door was named Germany’s bar of the year twice in a row, and its team most recently bar team of the year. At the bar there are new recommendations every week, and since summer 2026 a bigger terrace too.

Velvet – Berlin plants in the glass

Neukölln · BarVelvetOn the map

On Ganghoferstraße, right by the Stadtbad Neukölln, Velvet’s menu changes every week depending on what is growing. The team forages plants in and around Berlin and turns them into distillates, infusions and ferments on a dedicated lab day: black locust blossom, yarrow, spruce tips. Velvet was named Germany’s bar of the year in 2019 and 2023. The drink of the week shows what the lab is producing right now. Closed on Tuesdays, which is lab day.

FABELEI – bright, smoke-free, no speakeasy

Schöneberg · BarFABELEI CocktailbarOn the map

“No smoke. No speakeasy. No bullshit.” That is how Anastasia and Filip describe their bar on Kyffhäuserstraße: bright, with big windows, more bistro than dark bar. Syrups, espumas and cordials are made in-house, and behind the bar they centrifuge, fat-wash and ferment; the alcohol-free list is long. Every weekday has a theme: No & Low Monday, Taco Tuesday, Gut Kerkow beef tartare on Thursday, Classic Sunday. The espresso martini comes with coffee liqueur the bar makes with DoubleEye and croissant foam from JOHANN bakery, both around the corner. Card payment only.

Anima – the listening bar on the Spree

Friedrichshain · BarAnimaOn the map

In the Locke hotel by the East Side Gallery, DJs Thibaut Machet and Robin Ordell opened Anima in September 2023, modelled on Japanese kissaten. The sound system was custom-built by the Berlin company H.A.N.D.hifi. During the week the house record collection plays; at weekends DJs take over. There are cocktails, natural wines and small plates. Next to the turntable stands the sleeve of the record that is playing. Weekdays are better for listening; at weekends DJs play.

Bonvivant – cocktails with a vegan menu

Schöneberg · VeganBonvivant Cocktail BistroOn the map

Bonvivant on Goltzstraße was the first vegan restaurant in Berlin with a Michelin star. The kitchen looks to Japan, Scandinavia and France, and Elias Heintz runs the bar. In the evening there are six or seven courses, each with its own drink, entirely alcohol-free if you like. The menu comes with its own cocktail pairing, and at the weekend there is vegan brunch.