The Curtain Club sits behind heavy drapes in the lobby of The Ritz-Carlton on Potsdamer Platz, a Roaring Twenties cocktail bar that opens with a small piece of theatre every night.
At 6pm a Beefeater guard descends the marble staircase and declares the bar open as the curtains part, a ritual Falstaff highlights in its review. Behind them is a room of mahogany panelling, a dark wooden ceiling and a glass-topped baby grand piano. This is a grand-hotel bar that leans into ceremony, with live piano from Wednesday to Saturday and a list built around 1920s classics.
The room
The space is intimate and formal, all polished wood, low light and deep seating. The glass-topped baby grand anchors the room, played live on the back half of the week, and the curtained entrance keeps the lobby noise out. It reads as a hotel bar in the old sense, designed for slow drinks and conversation rather than a crowd. Bartenders work in waistcoats and the service stays formal without turning stiff, the kind of attention a five-star room is built to deliver. Dress smart-casual and expect a calm, adult tempo.
The drinks
The list is a cocktail program rooted in the Roaring Twenties, with the classics handled properly and a rotating set of house creations. Expect the Sidecars, Old Fashioneds and Champagne cocktails of the era, made with care and priced at five-star hotel rates. Diffords Guide lists it among Berlin's notable hotel bars. Order a well-built classic and let the bartender steer the rest.
The crowd and the vibe
The crowd is hotel guests, business travellers and Berliners marking an occasion, a quieter and dressier set than the Kreuzberg dives. The mood lifts when the piano starts midweek, and the room stays composed even on a full night. This is a place for a measured drink, not a loud one.
Best time to go
Arrive for the 6pm opening to catch the Beefeater ceremony, which is the bar's signature moment. For live piano, come Wednesday to Saturday, when the room is at its best. The bar runs nightly until 1am, so an early-evening seat or a late nightcap both work, while the mid-week piano nights are the sweet spot.
What regulars say
Regulars praise the service, the classic cocktails and the sense of occasion, and rate the opening ceremony as a genuine draw rather than a gimmick. The common note is the price, which sits at the top of the Berlin range, and that the formal mood will not suit everyone. Several reviewers single out the piano nights as the time to visit.
Who it is for
The Curtain Club fits an occasion drink, a polished date, or a traveller who wants a grand-hotel bar done well. Skip it if you want a casual, cheap or loud night, since this is the opposite of a neighbourhood dive. Come for the room, the ritual and a properly made classic.
The verdict
Few Berlin bars commit to old-school ceremony the way The Curtain Club does, and the Beefeater opening earns its keep. The mahogany room, the live piano and the careful classics add up to a refined night at the top of the price range. Time it to the 6pm ritual or a midweek piano set, and order a classic.
Stay in the city with our cocktail bars in Berlin roundup, the wider Berlin bar guide, and the best cocktail bars in Berlin edit. Pair The Curtain Club with Newton Bar in Berlin, Lebensstern in Berlin, and Bar am Steinplatz in Berlin.
Sources: The Curtain Club official site (curtainclubberlin.com, 2026); The Ritz-Carlton Berlin; Falstaff bar review; Diffords Guide; Yelp reviews (n=36).
