Being a single mum, nightclubbing is pretty much a closed chapter in my life, but I love bars where you can arrive in the early evening, have a great time with friends, and still make it home before the babysitter has emptied all the food reserves.

My two favourite bars are both located on Helmholtzplatz (nickname Helmi) in Prenzlauerberg, former East Berlin.

EKA 

EKA is situated on the Dunckerstrasse side of the rectangular square of Helmi, a small Portuguese bar, where the atmosphere is always chilled and the drinks always made with true dedication. Music nine out of ten times is cool, and I love that you can always order ham and melted cheese sandwiches, or the wonderful small Portuguese custard tarts called Pastéis de nata.

 A really cool place to hang out with friends before going to the nightclubs (this is the part where I go home to pull the babysitter out of the candy cupboard).

Bar EKA, Dunckerstraße 9, Berlin

Wohnzimmer

Photo by CDrewing

The other bar on Helmi is called 'Wohnzimmer' (Living room). It is a big corner apartment, converted into a bar furnished with soft armchairs and couches. There are chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and smoking is forbidden between 10 A.M. and 6 P.M. When the weather is good, which it often is during the summer, there is a great atmosphere outside this lively, well decorated, and in a way, typical Berlin bar.

Wohnzimmer, Lettestraße 6, Berlin

If you fancy cheap beer and table-tennis - then visit Dr. Pong in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg. At this ultra-popular bar you’ll probably spend most of the night with a table-tennis bat in one hand and a beer in the other.

Dr. Pong is situated in a trashy and run-down room with raw concrete walls and floors (on the website it looks a lot more polished than it actually is). The main attraction of the bar is placed in the centre of the room – a rather decayed table-tennis, which every night constitutes the battleground for competitive “round-the-table-games” between the arty and studenty crowd. Everybody can join in but remember - fair play is taken seriously!

The table-tennis goes on until the early hours and you can expect the bartenders and DJs to grab a bat and join in after they’ve closed down the bar.

Dr. Pong, Eberswalder Strasse 21, Prenzlauer Berg

Author David Rich Momondo

Photo by Bernd Schönberger

Stepping into Ballhaus on Auguststrasse 24 (Mitte) is like stepping into another era. You will see a restaurant, a beer bar and candlelit tables along the walls – but first and foremost a compelling dance floor.

In between the worn-down wooden floor and the big disco ball hanging from the ceiling, there is some serious dancing going on. Some of the dancers are brilliant, while others are carefully taking their first feeble steps.

The walls are gleaming with tin foil, the air is hot and thick and people of all ages are getting up and going to the dance floor with little ladies with neat hair-dos and young students dressed in black from top to toe. The music varies at Ballhaus. According to the day of the week, cha-cha, swing, tango or dj-music is on the program. The place is enchanting and rumor has it that Tom Cruise, who just shot a movie in Berlin, has picked the dance restaurant as a location for one of his next films.

If you stay in Berlin for a while, you have the possibility of joining a dance class.

The area close to Auguststrasse is the preferred destination for local bar-goers. There are lots of bars and great places for going out at night, particularly in Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg.

Erdbeer

”Erdbeer” means strawberry and the name is mirrored in the slightly trashy decoration of the red-painted bar and in the drinks on the elaborate cocktail menu.
You can try the ”Erdbeer-special” at 9 Euros, or the luxury version for one extra Euro.

Erdbeer, Linienstrasse/Max-beerstrasse, 

Lining Bar

Enjoy a cocktail, chilling out in one of the big lounge chairs, while a projector displays experimental graphics on the walls. 

Lining Bar, Tucholsky/Auguststrasse.

Victoria Bar

Close to Tiergarten you will find Victoria Bar, which employs some of Berlin’s best and most experienced bartenders, who can mix anything you could dream about. Long-drinks and cocktails, both classic, innovative and without alcohol. The interior design, which has won several awards, is stylish and luxurious with leather couches, dark wood panels and modern art on the walls. A mix of soul, jazz and reggae is on the stereo.

Victoria Bar, Porsdamer Strasse 102

Night clubs

The club scene in Berlin is huge, and the best in Europe. But it is constantly changing. So the guide lines below are for the scene right now. Clubs come and go and new ones keep cropping up.

www.wmfclub.de - for information on Berlin party institutions.

Some venues are listed in magazines such as Tip and Zitty (the Berlin equivalents of Time Out) along with English title Ex-Berliner, but many prefer to remain ‘underground’. Clubbers often rely on a sophisticated email system, which is actually fairly simple to tap into. Just sign up on the club websites.

Weekend

Cool club atmosphere at a 12th floor level with a panoramic view. Watch the sun dawn over Berlin. Entrance fee about 10 Euros.

Weekend, Alexanderstrasse 7
www.week-end-berlin.de

103 Club

DJs from all over the world mix at 103.
103 Club, Falckenstein Strasse 47, Kreuzberg.

Tape

The latest addition to the Berlin club scene.
Tape, Heidestrasse 14

40 seconds

The club is named after how long it takes for the elevator to go from street level to the 8th floor, where the club is located. You can be seated in one of the three lounge areas lit by Verner Panton-lamps, or you can have a drink on one of the three terraces, from where you have a beautiful view over Berlin. 

Note: Most clubs operate a glass deposit system. You’ll be charged extra for each drink and given a token. Return this, along with your empty glass and you’ll be given a refund.

40 seconds, Potzdammerstrasse 58

By Mette Lomholdt & Katrine Salomon