There is more than one reason to go to Pony Bar. First - it is in the middle of Mitte, so you will be important and extremely cool, as soon as you go there. Then - it is next to Monsieur Vuong, the famous Asian restaurant (more important people). Then - there is this convenient piece of furniture at the outside which is shaped like stairs. Great to sit on and look at everybody walking by (even in winter - dress appropriately). Then - there is friendly staff, listening to their music and talking to each other and occasionally looking up (your chance to place an order). Then - there are pony photos up on the wall and pony stickers inside the toilet rooms (see picture). And - the final reason to go there: it is a non smoking place and they put a message at their window: “Think of our neighbours” (they really are nice people at Pony Bar!!), “please smoke silently”.

Alte Schönhauser Allee, Mitte, U-Bahn Weinmeister Strasse.

there’s this thing about berlin nights.

they can become magic. like tonight. mies van der rohes neue nationalgalerie celebrates its 40th birthday with lectures and an open museum all week. tonight we went there at 11p.m. while outside one half of the crowd still gets drunk with red wine at a temporary bar, inside the museum is a lecture about minimal music (later on, after midnight, douglas gordon will come too). the bright light shines out of the building into the dark city; behind us the potsdamer platz panorama. we have a glass of wine and afterwards visit the current exhibition and i show my friend the one hiroshi sugimoto image that always makes me cry.

If you have been to Berlin before I guess you have visited or heard of Dr Pong. You can find it in the heart of Prenzlauer Berg at Eberswalder Strasse 21. Grab yourself a bat from behind the bar and join in the killer ping pong. A great place to exercise your arm before painting the town red. Cheap beer, live DJs, and occasionally sports events are screened on a projector. Even if you haven’t made any arrangements for the nights antics ahead, its a good place to go and socialize to find out whats going on in Berlin.

opening times: mo-sa 20:00-open end, sun 14:00-open end

Look it up on google maps

While it might be hard to find some really good restaurants in Berlin (though this has changed and I will later post more on this issue), the city remains my uncrowned queen of international “snackage”. Based on the famous Currywurst, all the nations under Berlin’s sky offer their own delicacies and those of others in small, affordable and good snack stands and restaurants.

So why buy in? Eat out!

First thing to do of course: the Currywurst and there is - in my opinion - only three places to eat it. For those of you into the topic you might be surprised that Konopkes is not on my short list. Despite the fact that’s an East Berlin institution I consider their wurst just not up to the highest standards. So please only go to:

CURRY 36, Mehringdamm 36, U Mehringdamm, curry36.de

Thanks artie* from Flickr for this picture.

Order quick and sharp, the ladies on the counter don’t have much time: “Einmal Currypommes mit Ketchup-Mayo” will give you a Currywurst, french fries, ketchup and mayonnaise. Yumm! Alternatively order a “Schaschlick-Spieß” and enjoy a bit of tender fried pork.
Look it up on google maps

Bier’s at Kudamm 136 and at S Friedrichstraße

The slightly more noble West Berlin Curry (please notice the French champagne bottles in the coolers behind the grill stand next to the Beer and Coke!) is not more expensive but offers the curry for the endless party-monster and the distinguished opera visitor at the same time. The original outlet at Ku’damm 136 received a sister on Friedrichstraße directly in the underpass below the train tracks for the Mitte crowd. Try the extra spicy sauce along with your curry, it’s delicious.
Look it up on google maps: Ku’Damm location.

A really atmospheric event is a Yellow Lounge Night in one of the favourite clubs in Berlin. About once a month Universal Music is holding very individual classical concerts with their top artists in various casual club surroundings. It means you can wear your oldest jeans, grab a beer at the bar and then listen to fantastic piano, violin or soprano sounds performed by stars in a private attitude. Check dates at the website or get the newsletter. The events normally open doors at 9 p.m. and take until midnight, costs are about 6 EUR.

Asked for a hip location to go out dancing, especially for house, minimal, disco sounds, the Weekend would certainly be one of the names on the list. You find it in an absolutely ugly building right on Alexanderplatz (No. 7) and you need to take the elevator to the 9th floor to get into it. The view is great, though, and it seems to be even better outside at the roof terrace. I never made it there, but we can ask my colleague Jens about details, because he recently spent a night on the roof with a lot of vodka and I don’t know who else. Jens, on the other hand, also likes to go to the “Kalkscheune” and we are all waiting for his special report on this one. Right, Jens?

What a spooky place! In the southwest of Berlin, there is this historic location where - during the 40 years of wall in Berlin - spectacular undercover agent exchanges between east and west have taken place. The bridge, also called “Bridge of Spies”, has been part of movies, such as the UFA movie “Unter den Brücken”. Choose a mystic, foggy night to visit the place. And get a lot of information on Wikipedia (especially read the German version).