A day in Schöneberg: coffee, food and a final drink

Schöneberg has a peculiarity: behind its everyday spots there are, strikingly often, people from top kitchens. A former head chef of Le Faubourg fills bowls at lunchtime, three cooks from luxury hotels make breakfast, and on Goltzstraße there is a vegan tasting menu with a star. Add one of the city’s oldest espresso bars and a bar that has been mixing classics since 2001. Nine places, sorted by time of day.

Morning: Gorilla Bäckerei – brunch on the EUREF campus

Schöneberg · BakeryGorilla Bäckerei SchönebergOn the map

Gorilla Bäckerei started in Neukölln in 2020, and the shop on the EUREF campus followed in 2022. The interior in natural materials is by Mathilde Gaudin, the ceilings are high, and light falls through the windows into the open bakehouse. They bake sourdough loaves, Roman pizza, croissants and tarts. Brunch is only served here in Schöneberg, at weekends with shakshuka toast and Spanish omelette. No reservations, so it helps to come early.

Morning: Jules Geisberg – coffee in the old post office

Schöneberg · CaféJules GeisbergOn the map

Jules Geisberg sits in a former post office on Viktoria-Luise-Platz, with a life-size statue still standing above the façade. Inside it is bright, with marble and a corner bench, and the coffee comes from independent roasters. In summer, filter coffee and banana bread belong outside on the square.

Lunch: Schüsseldienst – fine dining in a bowl

Schöneberg · Ice CreamJones Ice CreamOn the map

Felix Mielke was head chef at Le Faubourg for seven years, cooking haute cuisine. Then he chose the bowl: Schüsseldienst has been in the Akazienkiez since 2019, and since May 2021 in a bigger space at Akazienstraße 7. You order at the counter, it is self-service, and the house motto is “Don’t eat an ordinary bowl!”

The best is the catfish bowl: the fish is cured and torched like a tataki and comes with carrot salad, pak choi and coriander yoghurt. For a bigger appetite there is beef shoulder, cooked for 18 hours, with potato and leek mash. Open on weekdays.

Lunch: Frühstück 3000 – no rolls, good bread

Schöneberg · EuropeanSchüsseldienstOn the map

Frühstück 3000 began as a pop-up series. Maximiliane Wetzel, Lukas Mann and Martin Pöller previously cooked in luxury hotels and top restaurants and wanted to serve Berlin a better breakfast than the hundredth avocado toast. Since October 2020 the restaurant has been on Bülowstraße, with a large outdoor area. The strongest dishes are the steak tartare with cured egg yolk and wasabi peanuts and the Chicken 3000 on a cheddar waffle. At weekends a booking is worth it.

Afternoon: Jones Ice Cream – ice cream between two cookies

Schöneberg · CaféFrühstück 3000On the map

Behind Jones is Gabrielle Jones, French dessert champion in 2006, whose career includes the Ritz in Paris. The shop on Goltzstraße is the first of three in Berlin. The ice cream is American-style, made from fresh milk and cream without egg, and Jones bakes the cones and cookies herself. The ice cream also comes between two cookies.

Afternoon: DoubleEye – espresso since 2001

Schöneberg · BarFABELEI CocktailbarOn the map

Arno Schmeil opened the tiny espresso bar on Akazienstraße in 2001, which makes DoubleEye one of Berlin’s oldest specialty coffee addresses. The queue is often long, the room small, and closing time is precise to the minute: 6.29 p.m. Drink your espresso at the counter; the house blend is sold as beans to take away.

Evening: Bonvivant – a vegan menu with a star

Schöneberg · CaféDoubleEyeOn the map

Bonvivant on Goltzstraße received a Michelin star in 2023, at the time for vegetarian cooking. Since early 2026 the whole menu has been vegan; Bonvivant was Berlin’s first vegan restaurant with a star. Nikodemus Berger, formerly of Reinstoff and Le Faubourg, runs the kitchen; Elias Heintz runs the bar. In the evening the menu comes with a cocktail pairing, alcohol-free on request; at the weekend there is brunch.

Evening: FABELEI – a centrifuge behind the bar

Schöneberg · BarVictoria BarOn the map

“No smoke. No speakeasy. No bullshit.” That is how FABELEI on Kyffhäuserstraße describes itself: bright, with big windows and a terrace, more bistro than dark bar. Anastasia and Filip opened it in 2018. Syrups, espumas and cordials are made in-house, and behind the bar they centrifuge, fat-wash and ferment. The espresso martini comes with coffee liqueur from DoubleEye and croissant foam from JOHANN. On Thursdays there is tartare from Gut Kerkow. Card payment only.

Late: Victoria Bar – on Potsdamer Straße since 2001

Schöneberg · VeganBonvivant Cocktail BistroOn the map

Stefan Weber was Green Door’s first bartender; in 2001 he founded Victoria Bar on Potsdamer Straße. After a fire in December 2022 it reopened in autumn 2023, with the wood panelling and murals restored to the original design. The house drinks carry the year they were created, like the Jackie Brown from 2002 with rum, espresso and Tia Maria. Open until 4 a.m. at weekends.