💙 Kiez Guides #2: What to do in Berlin Mitte

Berlin Mitte: Where the city's heart beats day and night, by Eva Lebedeva.

Welcome to the second episode of our Kiez Guides series! After Wedding's raw authenticity, we're crossing over to Mitte - a neighborhood often dismissed by some Berliners as "too touristy," but deeply loved by those who call it home. Between the government buildings and luxury shops lie streets full of character, history, and community. We have asked Eva, who's lived here since 2017, to take us beyond the postcard version of Mitte to the places that make it a true Berlin Kiez.

Keep scrolling to read about Mitte through Eva’s eyes - and heart.

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Let me tell you about my Kiez. I've always called myself a Mitte girl. To some, it might sound basic, but to me, it always made sense. I never cared how hipster it came across.

I've always liked being in the city center. When I lived in Moscow, my apartment was at the heart of everything. And then, in 2017, at 22, I moved to Berlin. Mitte. My first apartment with my ex-boyfriend was at Torstraße 151, one floor up from MoosYooBermayer—a bar downstairs that made our bedroom shake at night.

After our breakup in 2019, I moved ten minutes away, to Brunnenstraße 39—a historical landmark in one of the most neighborhood-like areas, with the Arkonaplatz vintage market and cozy coffee spots just down the road.

By 2021, I found my own place. In Torstraße. My first completely mine apartment, with Neue Odessa and Nachtleben Bar just around the corner. An area full of life—blaring sirens, trams rattling by every two seconds, people bar-hopping, tourists strolling, locals weaving through it all.

I know everything here. The local stores, the café owners, the bartenders, and the regulars sipping their filter coffee around the corner. Most of my friends live close by. My work, the bar I've managed for six years, is just around the corner. I know the smell and the sounds of the Kiez too well.

Whenever I'm in Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Neukölln, I feel a bit like a foreigner. I love exploring. I like new things a lot. But I would never change it for any other area in that city. Mitte is home and I love that feeling.

Eat & Drink

Brunch & Coffee:

• Lucy's (Torstraße): Fresh, green dishes with no added sugar. I grab a book, an Americano, and a mushroom toast, and read while I eat. Their weekend specials are amazing.

• Distrikt (Bergstraße): Their mortadella sandwich is 1000000/10. Trust me on this one.

• Father Carpenter (Münzstraße): Get the double espresso and the pulled pork benedict.

• Acid (Rosenthaler Straße): My favorite flat white in Mitte, plus their bread, butter and cheese plate is simple perfection.

  

Restaurants:

• Bardele (Auguststraße): Italian masterpiece. Take the menu for €65 and a bottle of Sauvignon.

• Night Kitchen (Oranienburger Straße): Mediterranean food, I love their octopus plate, it's delicious.

• Trio (Linienstraße): By Otto owners, traditional German food with a modern twist.

• Volk (Brunnenstraße): Freshest oysters, seafood and bubbles in the Kiez.

• Torbar (Torstraße): Modern French cuisine with a wonderful pepper steak and tartare. Get a bottle of natural orange wine.

Image: Trio – Modern German cuisine with exceptional wines and innovative dishes.

Bars & Wine:

• Rocket (Sophienstraße): My favorite wine bar where I grab a glass of rosé bubbles and talk about life with Caro. Selective natural wines by the best team on earth. Ask Caro anything and she will answer.

• Gaststätte W. Prassnik (Torstraße): One of those bars where people are still allowed to smoke, with that classic Berlin feel.

• Bar Milano (Brunnenstraße): Where we gather with friends to talk for hours about life.

• Lois (Linienstraße): In warm months completely packed. Great summer terrace with negronis that shimmer in the sun.

Activities & Culture

Museums & Galleries:

• Berlinische Galerie (Alte Jakobstraße - actually in Kreuzberg, but bordering Mitte): Modern art, architecture and photography museum from Berlin-based artists.

• KW Institute for Contemporary Art (Auguststraße): A former margarine factory transformed into a dynamic space for artistic discourse and innovation.

• Fotografiska (Oranienburger Straße): Photography museum with a beautiful store and great downstairs café for meetings.

• Museum Island: Bode Museum, Alte National Gallery, Neues Museum – island museums of art and history all within walking distance of each other.

Shopping Streets:

• All the shopping streets with local stores keep me wandering even after years here. I still love exploring Torstraße, Linienstraße, Auguststraße, and Große Hamburger Straße.

• Quadrat Shop (Gormannstraße): Polish Designers & Friends – my friend Marek brought me here and later I met Zuzanna (the owner), a rockstar who I come by to talk to or get a new cool item.

• Superconscious (Weinmeisterstraße): Local and streetwear brands in one store.

• Do You Read Me? (Auguststraße): A cool book and magazine store with publications you won't find elsewhere.

Fitness & Wellness:

• Club Athleten (Gormannstraße): Three minutes from home is my favorite gym, where I push through strength training while my coach, Milo, grins and says, "You got it, sunshine." And after I get through it—I swear, I'm so happy.

• Rocycle (Rosenthaler Platz): High intensity cycling workouts. You get out as a newborn human after it.

• Y4All Pilates (Brunnenstraße): Quite strong pilates to stretch and strengthen your body, sometimes I sweat there more than in my cardio workouts.

Historical Spots:

• House No. 29 (Große Hamburger Straße): A surviving building from WWII, still covered in bullet holes from Allied bombings, where people still live today. It's an unforgettable sight for me even now.

• Hackesche Höfe (Rosenthaler Straße): Beautiful art nouveau courtyards with shops, cafes and cultural venues.

And that's (not) all, folks!

While these are my favorite spots in Mitte, I'm sure there are many more gems I haven't discovered yet - that's the beauty of this neighborhood, it keeps surprising me. If you know a spot I should check out, drop me a message. After all, the best recommendations often come from fellow Kiez lovers.

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Subscribe to get ours and Eva’s Google Maps list with over 50 Mitte locations for your next adventure. And stay tuned - we'll be creating these guides (and maps!) for a lot more of Berlin Kieze. Next episode, we'll take you through another neighborhood.

P.S. Have you already read our Wedding Kiez Guide? If not, check it out!

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About the Author

Eva moved to Berlin at 22 and has been managing a night bar in Mitte since March 2019. When she's not behind the bar, she's exploring her neighborhood's coffee shops, wine bars, and hidden corners. A self-proclaimed "Mitte girl," she knows the smell and sounds of her Kiez too well. With over 9,000 hours of night shifts under her belt, she launched her own gastronomy event business, The Night Shift, last year. Now working toward opening her own multifunctional dance bar, Eva continues to discover new reasons to fall in love with Mitte.