Schwarze Pumpe is one of those places, that look exactly like what one would imagine a very cool place in Berlin to look like. It’s dark, cosy and full of old wooden chairs, tables that don’t match, exposed brick walls, things hanging from the ceiling, and old bar stools made of heavy metal pipes. The interior design is composed of the kind of things you see on the street and fancy taking home, but never actually do. They all add up to a very nice, very Berlin-like atmosphere.

However, that’s where the magic ends. We came for a Sunday brunch. It was a buffet. Probably the cheapest in town: only 5 euro (hats off for that). Cheese, vegetables, eggs, sausages, hash browns – all the usual suspects. Nothing very special, nothing to write home about. It’s the service that cracked us, the service! We live in Berlin for a few years now, so we’ve grown accustomed not to expect much in that area, but despite all that – the service in Schwarze Pumpe was off the charts. And by that we mean: lost, and never to be found.

There was one waiters doing everything, or in fact, not doing anything. Since brunch was a buffet we needed only two things from her: coffee and the bill. It took us a very long time to get her attention and even longer to get what we asked for: coffee, and the bill. So if you have no money and lots of time, the Schwarze Pumpe brunch might be the thing for you.

Bottom line: Life’s too short to wait for the coffee, and bill

The plate test: Okish

SoundTrack: we didn’t notice

Kids: none

Pets: possible

Service: no service. None

Price: cheap. 5 Euro for buffet brunch

Crowd: local, from the kiez

Schwarze Pumpe

http://www.schwarzepumpe-berlin.de/

Choriner Str. 76, Berlin

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We went to Chipps on a lovely Berlin summer’s day (yes, we do occasionally get some of those). The skies were blue and the air crisp, so we decided to walk. The road took us through the majestic splendor of the Mitte district, across the Museum Island and Unter den Linden (once a glorious boulevard, and nowadays, a not-less-glorious building site of the city’s new U-Bahn line). By the time we got to Chipps we felt like proper tourists, so we did what tourists do: grab a spot in the sun.

Chipps has a nice clean design, with lots of mirrors and a marvelous central bar. But on a lovely Berlin summer’s day, who bothers to even look in? All the outside benches were already full: lots of tourists, families with kids, couples with no kids, of all ages and languages.

The place offers breakfasts ranging from 6 to 9 Euros. We tried a blueberry waffle with whipped cream, eggs florentine and the lumber jack breakfast (French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon and maple syrup. Heavenly combination). The dishes were all beautifully plated, and tasty as well. The only thing that might prevent us from dropping by again is the fact we really have no interesting business in this part of town.

The bottom line: very touristic, but being a tourist in Berlin for a day is great! And yummy!

The plate test: all were left clean

Soundtrack: classical music inside. Multi-Culti chatter outside

Kids: yes

Pets: yes, outside

Service: nice and efficient

Price: 6-9 for breakfasts, without the drinks

Crowd: tourists, and locals who have visitors 

Chipps

http://www.chipps.eu/

Jägerstraße 35, Berlin

 

 

Today it’s hard to recall, but there’s a good chance Kopps is where we had our first brunch together. Then we had another (elsewhere). And another. And you get the gist – here we are. Kopps is a vegan restaurant. The kind that helps convince you that vegan food isn’t necessarily a sad imitation of what carnivores eat, but could be original, esthetic and very yummy.

On weekends they serve a Brunch Buffet at Kopps: Cornflakes with soja milk, fruits and vegetables, watermelon and fruit salad, tomato salad, beans, cold pasta salad, the best egg-salad-substitute we’ve came across, couscous, hummus, wonderful fried potatoes, spreads, chocolate cake and chubby little pancakes for dessert. And the list goes on. And it’s all vegan, so your tummy will be full while your conscience is clear. Unfortunately, in our last visit the food was a bit too oily. Especially the beloved potatoes.

Vegan is great. Oil? not so much.

Price: 11 Euro

Location: splendid. On the corner of Linienstraße and Ackerstraße

Space: pleasant, big buffet, minimalist table, tasteful design and low sitting area for larger groups. On nice days it’s worth sitting outside with an overview of the street corner and Koppenplatz. It’s beautiful.

Service: efficient and to the point

The Plate Test: a few oil puddles were left as décor

Crowd: grown-up and respectable-looking. Like they came especially to have brunch at Kopps

Kids: for the sophisticated and well-behaved. None were spotted while we were there

Dogs: outside is fine. Never seen one inside

Soundtrack: no music

The Bottom Line: we’ll be back. We’ll hope there’s less oil, and be back.

Kopp’s Bar & Restaurant

http://www.kopps-berlin.de

Linienstraße 94, Berlin