Gourmet products local specialties and wines Berlin & Brandenbourg

Located in an old pharmacy (the inscription "Apotheke" is intact on the outside), this coffee and chocolate lounge is original to say the least: the chocolates are placed in the old drawers that used to contain medicines. The most greedy will quickly be tempted by the different varieties of chocolate that can be tasted individually. Perfect to accompany your coffee! Most people come to Winterfeldtplatz on Saturdays during the market on Winterfeldtplatz, or at brunch time on Sundays. The place is not lacking in charm with all its wood panelling.

This Schokoladenhaus (chocolate house) is the obligatory address for cocoa lovers. At the top of the top chocolate makers, Rausch (confectioner since 1918) is known throughout Germany. On the ground floor, all kinds of chocolates and pralines await you as well as chocolate sculptures depicting Berlin monuments! It's like being in Charlie & and the Chocolate Factory! The house also has a café on the second floor from where you have a superb view of the Deutscher Dom at the Gendarmenmarkt. Perfect for a gourmet break.

A Franco-Israeli bakery? The combination may be surprising, but the result is astounding. Israeli-born Erez Pintok learned the art of pastry-making in Paris before opening his own bakery in Berlin with his wife Hilla Sasson in 2022. The house specialty: brioches filled with crème pâtissière or mousseline combined with a variety of delights: caramelized pistachio paste, apple jam, milk chocolate... Despite the small selection of brioches, the choice is far from easy at Madame Paloma.

Anyone who knows Berlin knows how to get angry with local bakeries and their cardboard rolls. The famous schrippe, the most consumed white bread, suffer from a bad image, but fortunately all those who stay in Friedrichshain escape this ordeal and will benefit from the schrippe of Baumann. There are, of course, all sorts of favourite German breads: complete breads, cumin au, schusterjunge, and sandwichs sandwiches and omelet, for the sake of the workers, students and all residents of the neighborhood.

If you come on a very hot day, you might see a long queue in front of this very popular ice cream parlour in the neighbourhood; because in summer, Germans love ice cream. At Berlin Homemade Icecream (the name says it all), you'll find delicious homemade ice creams made on the spot, without preservatives or chemical colourings; sugar, cream, fruit and water! This little shop has won over the Schöneberg families. Among the original flavours: blueberry cream or roasted almonds for example!

Germans love ice cream and in summer you will often see long tails forming in front of the various glaciers in the city. This small Berlin company serves delicious home-made ice cream to take away in several outlets throughout the city, Mitte, Wedding, Friedrichshain and of course here in Neukölln. This lively address on Weserstraße is well known to families in the area. Among the original perfumes: Persian pistachios, Madagascar vanilla, Ceylon cinnamon, caramel and fleur de sel.

Berlin does not shine with its pastry creations... except at Princess Cheesecake, where the cakes are of a finesse that has nothing to envy to Pierre Hermé or Ladurée! A fine selection of teas and coffees in this small tea room with tastefully old-fashioned furniture reminiscent of Marie-Antoinette's elegant candy boxes. Located just a few steps from the Museum Island, don't hesitate to stop there after a visit to fill up on carbohydrates and why not try a cheesecake? Nice tables on the street in summer.

Zeit für Brot is a bit like Berlin's bakery 2.0, rather expensive, trendy, very busy. Not only is the setting bright, clean and welcoming, but the breads and pastries are above all delicious. Try their Zimtschnecke (a kind of cinnamon bun) and their nut bread. Even their simplest Käsedings (a crusty bread with cheese) is a treat. There are four more Zeit für Brot bakeries in Berlin: Eberswalder Straße 26, Weinsbergsweg 2, Alte Schönhauser Straße 4 and Savignyplatz 9.

This pretty covered market is just like the neighborhood: good, organic and bobo. You can find good products there, among the stands of fruits and vegetables, fresh meat or fish or world specialities (excellent stand of Spanish delicatessen, Greek specialities... and there is even a Breton stand for those who would miss pancakes and galettes terribly!). The prices are quite high, but the quality of the products is there. You can sit down for a delicious snack, or in the summer go and sit on the terrace

Candy lovers and other gourmands should visit this confectionery in the Heckmannhöfe. Here you can see how these little delicacies are made by hand and choose from a wide and varied range of products. We particularly recommend the Maiblätten and Feuerhimbeeren. The owner will demonstrate his skills at 2 and 4 p.m., explaining all the steps, giving you plenty of time to salivate. But be patient, because there's a bonus tasting at the end!

If the visit of the castle has upset your stomach, you can take a short break in this bakery-pastry shop five minutes away on foot, which has a small terrace on sunny days. There's just about everything you need for a snack or to satisfy yourself without breaking the bank: coffee, ice cream, bread, cold drinks and cakes galore. If you're in a salty mood, try their focaccias: they're tasty and very affordable.

"Chocolate is the Lord's answer to broccoli," says this little dollhouse-shaped tea shop, with lace doilies and kitsch pictures to support it. Sünde Chocolateria ("The Chocolate Factory of Sin") is dedicated entirely to chocolate, from sugared almonds to hot chocolate and brownie, and is a real treat for cocoa lovers. Also ideal for a short break Kaffee und Kuchen ("Coffee and cake", the German equivalent of British tea time) in the afternoon during your visit to Kreuzberg.