Berlin never ceases to surprise with unusual places and repurposed locations. Everything deserves the chance for a second life, may it be a former swimming pool, a cultural institute or an old post office. The old pharmacy at Oranienplatz has been empty for quite a while now. It’s one of the really old cool looking ones with the wooden counters and shelves and all the little jars and glasses. Obviously this stunning place needed to find a new purpose and so it did a few weeks ago with the opening of the cafe and bistro ORA. Most of the old pharmacy charm has been preserved and refurbished which easily makes this cafe the best looking one in Kreuzberg. While you can still see all the little drawers and jars in the shelves obviously the medicine has been replaces with coffee and liquor. And instead of ointments and pills they serve small bistro-sized dishes such as pulled pork, roasted chicken, mild rice and polenta. Their specialty is their freshly baked sour dough bread that you can order with a variety of toppings. The cafe offers a lot of space inside and a few seats outside and is currently really one of the nicest places in the area. Check out our impressions after the jump.
Oranienplatz 14/Erkelenzdamm 1
10999 Berlin-Kreuzberg
Open daily 10-24h