Exploring Berlin: The Hotspots of Potsdamer Straße

photo: Philipp Langenheim

For the longest time, Potsdamer Straße in Tiergarten has been a forgotten place famous only for its theatre and a couple of national museums. But in recent years, the street has developed into a melting pot for contemporary art with countless new galleries, and a few additions to the world of avant-garde fashion as well. In this guide we will discover all the new and exciting places, along with a few classics. Click on to tour the hotspots of this bustling street.

Sticks’n’Sushi

photo: Sticks’n’Sushi

Sticks’n’Sushi is a restaurant concept that comes straight out of Copenhagen. Yes, you read that right: it’s a Japanese restaurant from Denmark.  It’s the newest place in the rising gastronomic scene of Potsdamer Straße opening on January 30th 2017. We’ve been to a tasting event back in 2016 and can absolutely vouch for the amazing quality of their food. They’re serving high-quality, fresh food based on a unique combination of traditional sushi and yakitori sticks from the grill. In addition there is also a selection of chicken, pork, beef and vegetable skewers. Yum!

Opening January 30th 2017, 10h, Potsdamer Strasse 85, 10785 Berlin-Schöneberg

Panama Restaurant & Bar

photo: Philipp Langenheim & Corina Schadendorf

You might actually miss this one, if you are not very careful. While its entrance is on Potsdamer Straße, this wonderful restaurant/bar is situated in the courtyard behind the buildings on that street. While sitting outside might not be recommendable in this weather, it is guaranteed that you will see culinary art giving shape to some of the most tasty and innovative dishes you will get the chance to try out in Berlin.  Should you be down rather for a drink, Panama will not let you leave dissatisfied. Its sibling, Tiger Bar -to be found right next to the restaurant-, is there ready to serve and impress you.

Open Tuesday-Saturday from 18-23h, Potsdamer Straße 91, (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstraße)

Tiger Bar

As already mentioned above, you will find Tiger Bar right next to Panama Restaurant. A brief look at the cocktails the first time I went there, left me contemplating for a long time, what I should choose, since everything looked delicious and tempting. At the end, I went for a Napoleon 1805 and I did not regret it. I doubt you will find a similar combination of ingredients in any other cocktail bar in the city.

Open Tuesday-Saturday from 18-0h, Potsdamer Straße 91, (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstraße)

Acne Studios

photo: Acne Studios

It is impossible to walk past this store and not notice it. Its superb design along with the exquisite pieces of clothing hanging on clothes rails scattered all over the large, brightly-lit space will definitely catch your attention. When it comes to quality shopping, Acne Studios is one of the first places that comes to my mind, especially when discounts are available. I am constantly in awe of the sheer talent and detail-oriented approach poured into their clothes.

Open Monday-Saturday 10-20h, Potsdamer Straße 87, (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstraße)

Oliv Eat

photo: Oliv Eat

I am delighted to live in a neighbourhood with so many great places and OLIV EAT is definitely one of them. Aside from its great coffee and sweet delicacies, it offers a number of specials, that change daily. If you ever  happen to be there, while they are serving fish, you really have to try it. The atmosphere is somehow always calm, no matter how many people are inside.

Open Monday-Friday 08:30-18h, Saturday-Sunday 10-18h, Potsdamer Straße 91, (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstraße)

Maiden Mother & Crone

photo: Maiden Mother & Crone

It is always inspiring to watch young people who are passionate about their job to succeed. Maiden Mother & Crone is one of the many examples which prove this. While it might be a little bit hard to go there for somebody, who has a 8-17h work schedule, I would say the following: if the opportunity ever comes up, try it out, it is definitely worth it.

Open Monday-Friday 12-15h, Potsdamer Straße 93, (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstraße)

Maisonnoée

photo: Maisonnoée

Established in 2013 by designer Sophie Oemus, Maisonnoée is a Berliner high-quality fashion broad. Should you have visited the Berliner Fashion Week in the last years, there is no chance you would have missed their shows. The name itself stands for the house of peace, strength and tranquility and a visit to the newly opened store at Potsdamer Straße 91 definitely proves it.

Open Monday-Saturday 10-20h, Potsdamer Straße 91, (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstraße)

P103 Mischkonzern

The obscure name might be initially confusing, but don’t let it mislead you – this place is actually a nice, spacious cafe (and pretty much the only one on Potsdamer Straße.) It developed out of a taxi service around the corner when the owners started hosting cultural events and exhibitions in their old space. Once the opportunity arose to get this huge, amazing location they decided to turn their business into a cafe. Thanks to its big size there is now a lot more space for the exhibitions, film screenings and other events. But you can also just enjoy a nice coffee and a piece of cake here. They serve breakfast every day until 3pm, and prepare warm meals for lunch and dinner.

Open daily from 10h-0h, Potsdamer Straße 103 (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstr.)

Victoria Bar

The Victoria Bar is one of the most respected cocktail bars in town and it’s conveniently located in the middle of the newly developed gallery quarter for contemporary art at Potsdamer Straße. The interior is very traditional, mature and elegant which is quite unusual for Berlin and makes this place very unique in the bar world of the city. The guys who run it sure know how to make a cocktail, so every lover of the perfect drink will not be disappointed here. Experts are working!

Open Sunday-Thursday from 18h-3h, Fridays and Saturdays 18-4h, Potsdamer Straße 102 (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstr.)

Helga Klosterfelde Editionen

Helga Maria Klosterfelde Editionen is a family business run by Helga Maria Klosterfelde and her son Alfons. The main gallery run by the mother is in Hamburg and the Berlin version is run by the son. The family specializes in selling artist editions which they carefully exhibit in their charming gallery space at Potsdamer Straße that looks a bit like an apothecary. Here you won’t find any original pieces of art, but rather prints and reproductions of artworks created in close collaboration with the artists in limited editions.

Open Wednesday-Saturday from 11h-18h, Potdamer Straße 97 (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstr.)

Fiona Bennett

She is the master of the hats – you may even call her the mad hatter of Berlin. Well, Fiona Bennett isn’t really mad, but rather a nice, elegant lady who makes remarkable hats. She became famous many years ago for her extravagant head pieces that were worn by the most flamboyant characters and celebrities of the city. After running a fancy little shop for a long time at Hackescher Markt, she made the move into the new avant-garde hotspot at Potsdamer Straße with an amazing studio and boutique. For those of you who are worried that crazy head pieces might not be your cup of tea, don’t worry, Fiona also has a line of simpler, more “wearable” hats.

Open Monday-Saturday from 10h-19h, Potsdamer Straße 81-83 (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstr.)

401 Contemporary

This art gallery, when started in 2009 by Ralf Haensel, was driven by two motivations: to provide young artists with rooms in which to exhibit a spatial platform, but also to offer them a time platform, a possibility to discover a connection with other artists across the boundaries of time. In 2011, 401contemporary moved from Mitte to Potsdamer Straße, and has since been bringing young artists’ work into a hologram of past and present.

Open Wednesdays-Saturdays from 11h-18h, Potsdamer Strasse 81B (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstr.)

Andreas Murkudis

Andreas Murkudis pretty much rules the city when it comes to the retail of high-end avant-garde fashion in Berlin. He runs a couple of stores in town, but this one is the main store and also the biggest one. Located in a spacious warehouse in the backyard of Potsdamer Straße 81E, the store is embedded into a string of contemporary art galleries that have all opened here in recent years, bringing in quite a sophisticated clientele. Among the brands he sells you will find renowned names such as Jill Sander, Maison Martin Margiella, Kostas Murkidis (his brother), Yohji Yamamoto, Closed and many more.

Open Monday-Saturday from 10h-20h, Potsdamer Straße 81E (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstr.)

VIU Flagship Store

Dedicated to high-quality glasses and sunglasses this swiss brand created not only a flagship store, but created indeed a visual design experience for everybody walking down Potsdamer Straße. The marble walls and furniture are of exquisite taste. The brand not only selected some of the best opticians in town for their staff, but also collaborates with local designers like Malaikaraiss to implement an avant-garde aesthetic in their beautiful collection. All glasses are handmade in Italy and Japan and are timeless key essentials in your everyday look.

Open Monday-Friday 12-20h, Saturday 10-18h, Potsdamer Straße 77/79, (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstraße)

Blain|Southern

Blain|Southern is one of the biggest and most established privately owned galleries in the Potsdamer Straße area. The founders Harry Blain and Graham Southern started in 2010 with two spaces, one in London and one in Berlin, showcasing the work of the most acclaimed artists of our time. The Berlin gallery is located in the former printing press of the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel which gives them over 1300sqm of space for their exhibitions, making it the perfect space for huge sculptures and oversized paintings. There is also a book shop where you can buy artist editions.

Open Tuesday-Saturday from 11h-18h, Potsdamer Straße 77-87, (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstr.)

Galerie Thomas Fischer

Galerie Thomas Fischer is perhaps one of the newests and most promising additions to this street. Enter the gallery through the first floor of an old building, and you will encounter multi-media works by young, emerging artists as well as established international names, mainly though painting, installation, photography and video art. Have a chat with the gallery owner himself, and you’ll see he loves to share his passion for art, as well as his personal encounters with artists.

Open Tuesdays-Saturdays 11h-18h, Potsdamer Straße 77-87, Haus H (U-Bhf Kurfürstenstr.)

Circle Culture Gallery

Circle Culture is one of the leading contemporary galleries specializing in artists who draw their influences from street art, avant-garde design, pop-art, graffiti and other genres that go beyond traditional forms of art. For over 10 years, the gallery has maintained the urban attitude of the street in a small location on Gipsstraße in Mitte, bringing their exceptional exhibitions also into a second location in Hamburg, several international art fairs worldwide and to recurring pop-up exhibitions in unusual spaces. In 2013 they moved into a bigger space at Potsdamer Straße right into the new hotspot for contemporary art in Schöneberg.

Open Wednesday-Saturday from 12h-18h and Tuesdays from 14h-18h, Potsdamer Straße 68 (U-Bhf Weinmeisterstr./Gipsstr.)

Philharmonie

Another already-established city landmark is this bright yellow, tent-like structure that has been the musical heart of Berlin for more than 50 years. Architect Hans Scharoun was able to bring his vision to life here, developing the main concert platform where one person is opposite another, arranged in circles in sweeping, suspended arcs around soaring crystal pyramids. This space has presented Berlin with magnificent concerts, featuring great conductors, soloists and orchestras.

Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1 (U-Bhf Potdamer Platz)

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