Espresso House is a popular Swedish coffee chain serving up a wide range of drinks, pastries, and…read morelight lunch bites. From the outside, its large windows and inviting signage make it feel like a welcoming urban café: perfect for people-watching in one of the city's main squares (our tour guide compared it to the "Times Square" of Berlin). Once inside, the space feels modern, bright, and relaxed, with plenty of seating (two floors, actually) that ranges from cozy window nooks to communal tables ideal for chatting with friends or getting some work done.
After a 4-hour walking tour of the city, we were hungry for a snack to tide us over until dinner, as well as a hot drink to warm us up from the bitter cold! At around 4pm on a Saturday, the cafe was almost completely full, yet retained a buzzy, not overwhelming, atmosphere. The line was long but moved fast, and before I knew it, I was at the front of the line, still debating which of their delectable pastries to choose.
I opted for their Cardamom Bun (€3.80), which was a pillowy-soft sourdough wheat bun, with swirls of cardamom sugar throughout. It was perfectly yeasty and not-too-sweet, and I appreciated the slight crunch of the ground cardamom strewn atop the pastry. It was a great size for an afternoon pick-me-up snack, and they were more than happy to heat it up for me, despite the long line. It's a refreshing departure from the pre-packaged Starbucks pastries that I've come to get used to in the States.
Yes, Espresso House costs slightly more than your average bakery-corner coffee shop, but it's still reasonable for high-quality espresso drinks and snacks in a prime location like Potsdamer Platz. For a central café with reliable beverages, tasty pastries, and cozy seating it feels like a fair trade.