Lonely Planet

TOP PICKSTOP PICKS118 Lonely Planet Traveller October 2017``````into the morning and beyond.Run by a collective, the venuealso hosts cultural, political andgender events.``````Bar am Steinplatz ££(hotelsteinplatz.com; Steinplatz 4)Christian Gentemann’s liquidplayground may reside at ArtDeco Hotel am Steinplatz, but itKDUGO\ZKLVSHUV¶VWXՖ\KRWHOEDU·The classic and creative drinks(how about a Red Beet Old Fash-ioned?) often showcase regionallyproduced spirits and ingredients,and even the draught beer hailsfrom the Berlin-based Rollbergbrewery. Inventive bar bites com-plement the drinks.``````Berghain/Panorama Bar ££(berghain.de; Am WriezenerBahnhof)Only world-class spinmastersheat up this hedonistic bass-junkie hellhole inside alabyrinthine ex–power plant.Hard-edged minimal technodominates the ex–turbine hall(Berghain) while house musicdominates at Panorama Bar, oneÁRRUXS$OPRVWDVOHJHQGDU\DVthe club itself is the strict doorpolicy: do some online researchahead of time, and steel yourselfto be turned away after a longwait. Check the website formidweek concerts and record-release parties at the main venueand the Kantine am Berghainnext door.``````Clärchens Ballhaus ££(ballhaus.de; Auguststrasse 24)Yesteryear is right now at thislate, great 19th-century dancehall where groovers and grannieshoof it across the parquet with-out even a touch of irony. ThereDUHGLՖHUHQWVRXQGVQLJKWO\²salsa to swing, tango to disco –and a live band on Saturday.'DQFLQJNLFNVRՖIURPSPRU9.30pm. Easy door policy butoften packed, so book a table.``````Kater Blau ££(katerblau.de; Holzmarktstrasse 25)With the opening of Kater Blau,the Bar 25 crew returned to itsoriginal riverbank location.Once again a top roster of DJs,including stalwart residentsSven Dohse and Dirty Doering,showers freewheeling hipsters``````ZLWKÀQHHOHFWURLQDUDPEOLQJindoor-and-outdoor playgroundVSUHDGRYHUWZRÁRRUVSOXVDwooden boat moored in theSpree for chilling.``````Schwarze Traube ££(schwarzetraube.de; Wrangel-strasse 24)Mixologist Atalay Aktas wasGermany’s Best Bartender of2013 and this pint-sized drink-ing parlour is where he and hisVWDՖFUHDWHWKHLUPDJLFSRWLRQVSince there’s no menu, eachdrink is calibrated to the tasteand mood of each patron usingpremium spirits, expertise anda dash of psychology.``````Tresor ££(tresorberlin.com; KöpenickerStrasse 70)One of Berlin’s original technolabels and dance temples, Tresorhas not only the pedigree but allthe right ingredients for success:the industrial maze of a derelictpower station, awesome soundand a great DJ line-up. Look forthe namesake vault in thebasement at the end of a 30m-long tunnel. It's relatively easy toget in on the door.``````Vagabund Brauerei £(vagabundbrauerei.com;Antwerpener Strasse 3)American friends Tom, Matt andDavid became Berlin craft beerpioneers when they started theirsmall-batch brewery in 2011. Intheir earthy-chic tap room, theypour hoppy American as well asdouble and triple Indian paleales alongside a mean wheatbeer, a smokey beer and theexotic ‘Szechuan Saison’ whichincludes crushed coriander seedsand peppercorns.``````Zum Starken August £(zumstarkenaugust.de;Schönhauser Allee 56)Part circus, part burlesque bar,this vibrant venue dressed inVictorian-era exuberance is afun and friendly addition to thePrenzlauer Berg pub culture.Join the unpretentious, interna-tional crowd over cocktails andcraft beers while being enter-tained with drag-hosted bingo,burlesque divas, wicked cabaretor the hilarious ‘porno karaoke’.``````E N T E R TA I N M E N TA-Trane £(a-trane.de; Bleibtreustrasse 1)Herbie Hancock and Diana Krallhave graced the stage of this inti-mate jazz club, but mostly it’semerging talent bringing theirA-game to the A-Trane. Entry isfree on Monday, when local boyAndreas Schmidt and his bandget everyone toe-tapping, andafter midnight on Saturday forthe late-night jam session.``````Bar Jeder Vernunft £££(bar-jeder-vernunft.de; Schaper-strasse 24)Life’s still a cabaret at this inti-mate 1912 mirrored Art Nouveautent, which puts on sophisticatedsong-and-dance shows, comedyand chansons nightly. Seating isin booths or at little café tables,both with waiter service. Manyshows are suitable for patronswithout German-language skills.``````Chamäleon Varieté £££(chamaeleonberlin.com;Rosenthaler Strasse 40/41)A marriage of Art Nouveaucharms and high-tech theatretrappings, this intimate 1920s-style venue in an old ballroomhosts variety shows – comedy,juggling acts and singing – oftenin sassy, unconventional fashion.``````Piano Salon Christophori £(konzertfluegel.com; Uferhallen 8)Fancy taking in a piano concert ata piano repair shop in a formerbus and tram repair station in theindustrial district of Wedding?7KLVXQXVXDOQRQSURÀWYHQXHhosts concerts, mostly by youngbut highly talented soloists, severaltimes weekly on a donation basis.Make online reservations as earlyas possible.``````Silent GreenKulturquartier ££(silent-green.net; Gerichtstrasse 35)This performing arts venue ispart of the historic formerWedding crematorium and pre-sents mostly experimental music,dance and other performances.The main hall is the angularCupola, the former mourninghall, which has striking acoustics.A bit creepy perhaps? But oh soBerlin. The 1911 building was inuse as a crematorium until 2002.Berlintracks1973Berlin (Lou Reed) Dark songabout the tragedy of twostar-crossed junkies.``````1977Heroes ( D a v i d B o w i e ) L ove rs i n t h eshadow of the ‘Wall of Shame’.``````1980Wir stehen auf Berlin (Ideal)Love declaration by the seminalNeue Deutsche Welle band.``````1991Zoo Station (U2) Bono embarkson a surreal journey inspiredby a Berlin train station.``````1995Born to Die in Berlin (TheRamones) Drug-addled musingsrevealing Berlin’s dark side.``````2000Dickes B (Seeed) Reggae ode tothe ‘Big B’ (i.e. Berlin).``````2003Berlin Du Bist So Wunderbar(Kaiserbase) The beer commercialturned chartbuster.``````2007Kreuzberg (Bloc Party)Looking for true love...``````2008Schwarz zu Blau (Peter Fox)Perfect portrait of Kottbusser Torgrit and grunge.``````2013Where are We Now? (DavidBowie) Melancholic reminiscenceof Bowie’s time in 1970s Berlin.