Went looking around our hotel for somewhere to grab a nightcap and stumbled upon Minimal Bar. As I…read morerecall for a Monday night the hours were something like 7PM to 6AM, so I guess if you're looking to party on a Monday evening, Berlin got just the spot for you. As I recall we showed up around 10 or 11 PM and place was rather empty with some people trickling in and out of lounge area and a handful of people throwing down at the ping pong table. There's some outside seating available as well along the side walk and for the most part, service seemed to be just order at the bar and sit wherever you like. As an incentive to bus your own table, they put a 0.50 euro deposit for any beer bottle you order. If you bring the bottle back to the bar you get your deposit back. Nice way to keep patrons motivated to bring back the bottles and clean up after yourself. I have to say the ambiance of the spot is a bit dark and eerie with the low lights and crazy ass art work on the walls. But one cool thing I noticed is it's DJ booth right at the entrance and they have a live DJ performing every night. Bartender was pretty nice and luckily spoke English so that it was easy to order and ask questions about the drinks which were all reasonably priced. Wouldn't say cocktails are their specialty here, but definitely more of a spot to just hang out at one of the many booths/tables, have a local beer, enjoy the music from the DJ, look at some crazy art, and maybe hit the ping pong table. Not sure I got much else for ya. 'Til next time, cheers! 221/365

With a pure heart I can say that Minimal Bar is my second home. The main reason is probably that it…read moreis close to my home, but I love this place. The atmosphere of the place is always hot especially when the game is ping pong table. If you like this discipline fall into certainly will not be a problem to find a sparring partner. The decor is rather cozy. I must admit that all the paintings on the walls are very interesting and inspiring. Mainly dominate acts of women . Let's get to the most important you will always find here some good music and line up of DJ. You need not be embarrassed if you want dancing. Feel free! Well I can tell you, I invite you to my second home, really it is worth.

nice little french bar, very similar in decor to similar places you'd find in france. french…read morebartenders, french wines, other french stuff. more quaint and relaxing than other places on this street.

One of the less touristy places in the Simon-Dach strasse. Rather small, but with a good…read moreatmosphere, cheap drinks, and the bartender was nice! Very smokey though, even more smokey than in most bars.

Are you an American in Berlin struggling to decide between a Berlin bar experience and something a…read morebit more familiar that appeals to your American taste? Have no fear: Bohnengold, with its unassuming exterior, is full of surprises for a bar near Kotti. From what I saw, not even native Germans are exempt from getting carded at the door... and just like in the States, it's 21+ or bust, unfortunately, in a country where you can legally imbibe in liquor at 18. Much to my amusement, the bouncer also sang "California" à la Katy Perry's "California Gurls" when I flashed him my Californian driver's license. But the American similarities didn't stop there. While the front room of the bar screamed Berlin with its comfortable living room vibe, some of the drink prices were reminiscent of those found in the bars I frequent back home in San Francisco. While my European friends were taken aback by the cost of their beers (€3.50, give or take), I was surprised by some of the cocktail prices. Having a Berlin bar charge me €7 for a gin and tonic was definitely highway robbery, especially since it tasted like the bartender used a cheap well liquor. Unlike its American bar brethren, Bohnengold was packed the entire night (even when I left around 4 a.m.) and you'll go home smelling like an ashtray. But for what it's worth, the downstairs toilets were surprisingly clean and it seemed like the coat check was well organized, but there are definitely better (and cheaper!) bars in Kreuzberg.

It's easy to miss a place like Bohnengold unless one knows exactly what to look for; viewed from…read morethe sidewalk, the façade is deceptively demure. Yet once inside, a tiny storefront opens up to a candlelit main area. The two rooms beyond are decidedly less cozy, but the back occasionally plays host to live acts, dance parties, and DJs spinning vinyl on the ones and twos. The atmosphere varies from night to night but the drinks never do: solid cocktails at an indisputable price. And with two bars - one in front and one in back - the service is decidedly quick.

I walked in and the seat were almost all reserved. I dont know how they expect anybody to sit when…read moreall of the restaurant is empty but all of the tables say reserved. They didn't have an English menu or the workers did not speak English. The smoking room was side open so I wanted to barf when my food came. I didn't stay too long, needless to say. Their drinks were not good, the service wasn't good. the only cool thing about the place was the ambiance.

Located right on Frankfurter Tor, this is a more laid back rock and roll bar. Its nice to come here…read moreduring the middle of the week, when there is the sound of rock music playing softly in the background. I really like the atmosphere and its a good place to bring a larger group of friends. Its quite easy to have conversations here, unlike most other rock bars, where the music is cranked to level 11. A plus is that they also have food so if you have a midnight craving, you dont have to stumble to the nearest kebab. You can grab some pub grub right there!

Okay bar/club. Back room has kicker and is less full and less touristy. Good place to start a night…read morebut nothing special.

CASH ONLY Such a…read morecomfy dive bar with many tables and couches to relax at. The bartender was extremely nice despite us not really knowing German well. We got a couple of drinks here on a Monday night and it wasn't too crazy or loud. It was a great place to catch up with a friend.

Chilled out dive bar with a cool red glow on the inside. Nice bar staff. English friendly with a…read morelocal vibe.

I wanted to check this place out per a NYT article's recommendations on things to do in Berlin…read more Unfortunately didn't make it far beyond the entrance as the bar was fairly full even on this Monday night. The bartender wasn't particularly welcoming, when I asked if I could sit at the bar, he pushed the reservation sign at the seat I was pointing at towards me from what I remember... point taken that yes there was a reservation sign but I just wanted to check since I wasn't sure... perhaps I was perceived as rude since I asked in English, or coz I wasn't local and didn't know, or may be that's in keeping with the vibe of the bar, no idea. Obviously can't comment on the drinks, but yep, there was no effort made to accommodate me, though I also didn't ask. Oh well, too bad.

Great communist memorabilia, good selection of German beer I have never heard of, and a great local…read morevibe

So back in the day (meaning: before I lived in Berlin), there was a club in the U-Bahn Schlesische…read moreStr. known as Kato. As clubs in Berlin are wont to do, it closed down and the place remained empty for some time. Then, earlier this year (six weeks ago, to be exact), that same space reopened, only now it's known by Bi Nuu (and purportedly owned by the same folks over at Lido). Being that I live a few blocks away, my natural inclination is to love this venue, namely due to its proximity. But there are other positive aspects too. I don't know what the old club looked like, but the new one is quite lovely inside, although surprisingly small. The entrance is somewhat discrete (although easier to locate on a night when there's actually a show) but there is a lot of open space in the hallway between the door and the main room. The ceilings are high, there is a lot of "natural' light that can come through, and the acoustics are not bad. However, I've only seen solo artists on amplified acoustic guitars, so it will be interesting to compare the sound with a full live band. Also, for being in a train station and practically directly under the train tracks, one doesn't even hear the U-Bahn going overhead (although it's likely different when music is not playing). If you get an opportunity to see a show at Bi Nuu, I would urge you to check it out. The booker is consistently bringing in excellent acts and the venue itself is pretty legit.

I love this place! Cute and cozy, super friendly staff (even the bouncers/security!), gender…read moreneutral washrooms, safe coat check, and unpretentious crowd -- we saw Brujeria + openers, and honestly, I have never seen a more racially and gender diverse crowd at a metal show in my life - so cool!! There's an upstairs, apparently, but I didn't check it out... I just saw someone head up there after being grossed out by the floors in the toilet area. But srsly, who gets grossed out at the floors at a punk/metal venue? Isn't that part of the charm? *Lol lol lol* Also, ftr, this venue is NOT hard to find: It's literally under the metro! That's easier to find than a street number posted on a door at night! Wish I was there when the light was shining through the big window -- I saw some really great pics of that online; cool vibe!