Wkiez

There’s kind of a magical feeling in the area surrounding Markthalle (Market hall) in Eisenbahn street. With a lovely collection of small intimate bars and restaurants that are always full with locals. And then there’s the Markthalle itself. A reminiscence of an older, cheaper time. In which Kreuzberg’s stores were just functional bodies, instead of the fashionable entity they form today. There are two stands inside the market hall. They serve germans sausages and beer, and you can always find there those older Germans standing all day. Getting a bit drunk. Getting filled with traditional oily food. I love it. Oh – how I love it!

Wait, what was my point? Oh yeah. I wanted to tell about Hubertus lounge. One of those charming coffee/pubs in the Markthalle kiez (I just made up that term!). So let’s do that.

We already agreed (like, i agreed with myself) that all the places in Kreuzberg are  second hand shops in disguise. But Hubertus lounge takes that look to extremity. The couches are not ‘just couches’ – they are unique rarities specially collected – and are very soft if I might add. The decoration is a combination of a 70’s dancing hall with the touch of american 40’s lounge. Sombody wandered heavily through flee markets and found the most unusall stuff. They also hanged a disco ball in the back room – the darker one – which results in a charming look.

The music goes along the 40’s-50’s quite line. Therefore, a caution is in place: a melancholic mood would follow a long stay in that place. The crowd is awfully strange and trendy (in real Berlin, trendy equals strange), and sometimes a tad too theatrical for me. They smoke a lot as well, and it could have been annoying would the place was a bit fuller. But usally it’s mostly empty, and the smokers are scattered in all of it’s eight corners (two rooms, four corners each) which makes it kind of ignorable.

I always wonder how such a place – which is so heavily equipped and well-designed – can survive with such sparse clientele? But they do. Cuz it’s Berlin, and business pull those things off here sometimes. And I’m satisfied with it – as the place is charming, and I just love hanging out there.

Business Card:
Name: Hubertus Lounge.
Address: Eisenbahnstr .6, 10997 Berlin
Opening Hours: Monday-Saturyday, 12:00-Idunnowhen. But don’t you believe that it opens at 12:00. It’s more like 12:30-13:00. Be aware.
Tip: No food, no cakes. But some nice drinks – and most of all: the best atmosphere in the street.