Victoria Bar
This classic bar was luring in the locals long before Potsdamer Strasse became dotted with trendy restaurants and contemporary art galleries. Indeed, it feels immediately like a throwback to earlier times with its classic long, wooden bar and well-dressed wait staff, not to mention the artworks on the walls, which feature satirical works by the likes of Sarah Lucas, Marcel Dzama and Martin Kippenberger. The drinks list is equally classic and extensive, spanning champagne amalgams like the “Pick Me Up”, mixed with Cognac VSOP, grenadine, lemon juice, champagne and angostura, and the “Funkadelic 1995”, with Jose Cuervo Silver tequila, Cachaça 51, Giffard Pêche, egg white and grenadine. If you get peckish, snack on one of the bar’s roast beef or club sandwiches.
Website: victoriabar.de
Price: ££
Wax On
Neukolln’s trendy Weserstrasse isn’t exactly short on bars but this spot has emerged as one of the hottest cocktail venues in the area – helped along by the winning of the Best Bar in Germany award in 2024. The simple interior offers a blend of wood-heavy furnishings, moody lighting and an industrial chic feel with crumbling plaster and cement walls contrasted by a welcoming fireplace in winter.
The crowd – and staff – are hip but approachable and the menu blends classic options with more creative concoctions. An Old Fashioned adds peanut butter and strawberry, rum is mixed with clarified banana juice and distilled coffee – crafted in the venue’s basement lab with the help of rotary evaporators and centrifuges. You can also go off-piste and ask for whatever you like or for suggestions. There are some natural wines, draft beer and some alcohol-free options on offer, too.
Website: instagram.com/waxonberlin
Prices: £-££
