Editorial
Berlin's bar scene is unlike any other in Europe. The city has cheap rent, no closing time, and a population that takes drinking seriously without taking itself seriously. The 10 below span Mitte to Kreuzberg, hotel bars to behind-the-bookcase rooms. Some have dress codes; most don't. Most stay open until something close to dawn.
Mitte
Berlin is one of the rare cities where serious cocktail bars and serious dive bars exist on the same street and respect each other. Buck and Breck sets the technical bar; Kumpelnest 3000 sets the late-night one. Don't try to do all 10 in one night — pick a neighbourhood (Mitte for the polish, Kreuzberg for the grit) and commit. Most rooms get going around 10 PM.
European Editor — based in London. Twelve years across Soho, Marais and Mitte. Strong opinions about ice.