Berlin, Europe

posted February 20, 2012 2:14 AM | |

Wed February 29 at 5:00 PM, Bully's Bakery

Hi! I'm in Berlin too (not a Berliner myself). I'm going to be pretty busy until the end of the week, but starting next week I'd probably have time to meet up for coffee. And starting at the beginning of next week, I'll be living in Kreuzberg too (hence the busy until then).
posted by colfax at 9:13 AM on February 20

A great idea. I'm as new to Berlin as to MeFi but really starting to dig both. Either beer or coffee would be alright by me, end of February sounds good, too.
posted by faustdick at 9:37 AM on February 20

Hello, cool! What about somewhere Kreuzberg-ish, towards middle/end of next week, after work-time, is that suitable for you guys?

It's snowing! Yay!
posted by gmm at 12:06 AM on February 21

This whole snow thing is just fantastic, especially since I have nowhere to be today. This week is probably a no for me, but something mid-week next week would work well for me. Shall we do an über-German "Kaffee und Kuchen" somewhere post-work?

Since it sounds like we're mostly in Kreuzberg (me too, near the canal but closer to Prinzenstraße), we could meet somewhere here for coffee. I can recommend the following places for really excellent coffee:

Five Elephant
- 101 Reichenberger Straße
- best espresso and cappuccino in town, and they roast their own beans
- a bit of a hike from the nearest U-Bahn stop (Kottbusser Tor), but worth it.
- cakes made by the Viennese co-owner.
- only seating for about 15 people in the whole place, so depends on turnout

Bully's Bakery
- Friedelstraße 7 (corner of Weserstraße and Friedelstraße, near Hermannplatz)
- excellent flat whites, pastries, and savory Flammkuchen.
- very friendly staff
- kind of ground zero for hipstery ex-pat invasion at the moment, but not unbearable

Luzia Café
- Oranienstraße 34, near Adalbertstraße
- pretty good coffee and pastries
- right in the heart of SO36 Kreuzberg
- everybody knows about this place, so it can sometimes be a bit too much

Bierhimmel
- Oranienstraße 183, west of Adalbertstraße
- queer-friendly café and bar
- proper coffee, good cakes, a fair amount of space to sit
- Also in the heart of SO36 Kreuzberg.
posted by LMGM at 1:37 AM on February 21

NOTE: I can recommend the first two cafés above for really excellent coffee. The other two are good, but not orgasm-inducing. Good atmosphere in all of them, though.
posted by LMGM at 1:39 AM on February 21

Time and place suggestions sound good to me.
posted by faustdick at 1:51 AM on February 21

I might also be able to join after work hours, also in Kreuzberg. Five Elephant and Bully's are in my Kiez and I haven't actually visited them so I'd be in favor.
posted by Your Time Machine Sucks at 2:59 AM on February 21

Nice! I would love to come by too if I can make it.
posted by bitteschoen at 3:51 AM on February 21

And hmm I'd also like to submit a vote for the place with "savory Flammkuchen", I've never been and I can indeed imagine it's "kind of ground zero for hipstery ex-pat invasion", like pretty much any other café on the Friedelstrasse, but yeah, well, Flammkuchen :)

Really though, any of the others sound fine too, don't really mind. (I've only been in Luzia myself, indeed it can be "too much", and hard to find a seat for more than two people, unless someone goes a bit earlier and takes possession of the whole couch area in the back...)
posted by bitteschoen at 3:58 AM on February 21

Great! Thanks a lot for suggestions LMGM!

I'm going ahead and inventing space/time coordinates: Wednesday Feb 29th, 1700, tentatively at Bully's (Flammkuchen)? This is a a leap day. A splendid excuse for cake-as-dinner in the middle of the week.

Note: Bully's closes at 1800 and Five Elephant at 1900. So if 1700 is too early, we might be better off later at the Luzia or Beerhimmel places.
posted by gmm at 8:00 AM on February 21

Woo! Let's do 17h00 at Bully's. It'll be easier to get to by transit than the other places, too (2 blocks from Hermannplatz). And, if we decide to continue with drinks, we have all of Hobrechtstraße and Friedelstraße and Weserstraße to wet our whistles.
posted by LMGM at 2:47 PM on February 21

17.00 at Bully's sounds good! I've never been to a Mefi meet-up before. How am I going to recognize you people? :)
posted by colfax at 10:20 AM on February 22

You'll be able to recognize us because we won't be wearing pants.
posted by LMGM at 12:46 AM on February 23

Super, looking forward!

I haven't been to any meetup before, and don't know the venue, so I don't know if there's trick to find each other... but I can place a sheet of paper on the table and write METAFILTER in huge letters on it? Then you could just scan the tables for that.
posted by gmm at 5:30 AM on February 24

See everyone in a couple of hours! The weather is suicide-grey, but the coffee will fix everything.
posted by LMGM at 6:11 AM on February 29

I am at the rendez vouz point but currently crowded. I have so far secured internet access and will linger in shadows until a table is free

They are playing agent music on the soundtrack
posted by gmm at 7:52 AM on February 29

I now have half a table.
posted by gmm at 7:56 AM on February 29

I now have a window!
posted by gmm at 8:00 AM on February 29

We've moved to Major bar, at the corner of Hobrechtstrasse with Pflügelstrasse.
posted by gmm at 9:57 AM on February 29

That was nice! Thanks for organizing.
posted by faustdick at 12:15 PM on February 29

Successful meetup! Another one soon, I hope…
posted by LMGM at 1:39 PM on February 29

Yes that was great! Won't be soon for another!
posted by gmm at 11:20 PM on February 29

Ahh man totally missed the memail alerting me to this :| Ah well i'll be there next time.
posted by ST!NG at 4:40 AM on March 14