The Barn Café Hackescher Markt

The Barn by Hackescher Markt, in a building over 250 years old: an eight-metre oak bar, a communal table, coffee from its own roastery.

Ralf Rüller had lived in London for several years when he opened his first specialty coffee café on Auguststraße in 2010. In 2012 he started roasting himself, and today The Barn has around ten cafés in Berlin. One of them is on Neue Schönhauser Straße, a few steps from Hackescher Markt, in the middle of the Scheunenviertel, laid out in 1672 for the barns outside the city wall.

The café sits in a building more than 250 years old. Floor, ceiling and the eight-metre bar that links the front room to the back are clad in oak, and the counter is matt black steel. At the front is a large communal table, at the back single tables and an oak bench. Behind the bar are a La Marzocco machine and a brew bar for hand filters, plus nitro coffee on tap. The regular coffees include Atlas from Guatemala, Elemental from Brazil and Genesis from Yirgacheffe in Ethiopia, with single origins changing by season. The kitchen makes sandwiches, cakes and fresh juices, vegan options included.