(sorry, dass ich auf englisch schreibe, anstatt deutsch - ich kann eine genauere überprüfung schreiben diese weise!)
i have to disagree a bit with the other review by Stefan for Dildile (although i will admit to being biased since i live next door to the café!). he has it exactly right that the place is a bit of a sleepy mix of "street café" and "cellar bar" and that it doesn't quite fit with the rest of the Kiez...but this is exactly part of what i like about Dildile. yes, the interior design is a bit awkward at first (there's sort of a subterranean-cave-meets-Luke-Skywalker's-house sculpting to the plaster inside...), but quickly feels cozy, especially in the evening when candles are lit and they're playing african jazz or classic soul CDs. as such, you can often find me here in the evening catching up on reading or work.
this is the place that helped me get an idea of what germans mean by 'gemütlichkeit' - Dildile sets a great mood in lots of different ways. there are a couple of low tables on a raised part of the floor in the front, surrounded by pillows, where you can sit with your shoes off for hours eating house-made mediterranean mezze (even the small vorspeise teller is GIGANTIC) or cakes (only on the weekend) and drinking a nice range of alcohols. it's a good sign that they have so many "regulars" who come almost nightly to hang out with the lovely staff and catch up. although my German is still quite crappy, they have been wonderful and patient in supporting my efforts to only speak German with them, even to the point that Ayse and Natalie took the time to teach my brothers some German when they were visiting from the States.
i will admit that i wish they had better beer on tap (e.g. i would prefer Jever to Veltins!) but that's a small price to pay for having a 'second living room' next door to my apartment. read more