The Best Cocktail Bars in Kreuzberg, Berlin

Schwarze Traube is a speakeasy-style cocktail wunderkind in Kreuzberg run by Atalay Aktas, who’s something of a Berlin legend after his magnificent cocktails won him Germany’s Mixologist of the Year Award in 2013. Black wallpaper with gold details and trimmings make up the interior of the bar where guests can sip perfectly blended concoctions from antique glassware. There is no set menu and instead, visitors tell the bartender what they’re in the mood for to receive their own tailor-made drink.

Schwarze Traube, Wrangelstraße 24, Berlin, Germany, +49 30 23135569

Würgeengel gets its name from Luis Buñuel’s absurdist masterpiece film The Exterminating Angel, in which a group of bourgeois dinner guests find themselves unable to leave a fancy dinner party. This other-worldly opulence certainly translates into the bar’s every detail as its well-dressed staff serves guests reasonably priced cocktails in candle-lit leather booths. The bar’s menu features classic cocktails and a decent wine list with a small selection of food available from the Gorgonzola Club next door.

Würgeengel, Dresdener Str. 122, Berlin, Germany, +49 30 6155560

Limonadier embodies its simple slogan ‘we love good drinks’ in a rather lavish way. Its stylishly designed interior and dapper, knowledgeable staff makes this spot an impressive cocktail joint with a lengthy menu and its own homemade tonics. With warm lighting and a relaxed atmosphere, this bar is a favourite among Kreuzberg locals.

Limonadier, Nostitzstraße 12, Berlin, Germany, +49 170 6012020

Fahimi Bar is an industrial-chic speakeasy situated on bustling Skalitzer Straße. Dark wood, romantic lighting, clean lines and exposed pipes make up the interior of this super trendy Kreuzberg cocktail bar. To enter, guests have to go through an unmarked, sticker-covered door at 133 Skalitzer Straße and head up a graffitied stairwell. Once inside, visitors are greeted with a menu of classic favourites and a unique cocktail of the week. If you’re lucky enough, you’ll come on a night when the bar not only has its usual DJ spinning electronic beats, but also a pub quiz event, live music or a reading night.

Fahimi Bar, Skalitzer Str. 133, Berlin, Germany, +49 30 61656003

John Muir brings old-timey cocktails and a Brooklyn-style flair to the heart of Kreuzberg. Named after the 19th-century American naturalist John Muir, the bar has a log cabin feel with mounted trophy heads, dark wood and red brick walls. Each month, it puts out a new experimental cocktail menu with quirky drink names like Brother Shamus and Ruby Soho. It has a fully-stocked bar with wine and beers, and Monday nights are known as craft beer night.

John Muir, Skalitzer Str. 51, Berlin, Germany, +49 174 7462881

A self-proclaimed rabbit hole, this 1920s-style speakeasy serves up stunning cocktails, burlesque shows and good vibes, and is just a stone’s throw from the Kottbusser Tor U-Bahn stop. Hidden behind an unmarked green door off of Kreuzberg’s busy streets, Prinzipal Kreuzberg requires guests to ring a doorbell before being let inside. The menu is a mixture of classic favourites and house specials, and the friendly mixologists are happy to whip up a delicious concoction to fit your mood and taste.

Prinzipal Kreuzberg, Oranienstraße 178, Berlin, Germany, +49 30 61627326