Guidebook to our neighborhood

Groceries There's a supermarket (Lidl) right across from the apartment that has all the basics and produce (including organic foods). Right outside Lidl is a bakery and a small Italian deli. Two blocks away, there's an organic supermarket (Bio company at Uhlandstrasse 41), and a huge supermarket called Hit am Zoo about a five minute walk away (which is open until 10 pm on Sundays as well, when nearly all shops stay closed in Berlin.) There's a lovely farmers' market at Winterfeldplatz on Saturday mornings, which is about a 10-15 minute bike ride or short cab or subway ride, or half an hour walk away. There’s also the Karstadt department store about a 5 minute walk-away which has a big downstairs supermarket/deli/wine shop/liquor store. A little higher end: the KaDeWe department store is about a 12 minute stroll down the Kurfürstendamm. There are a few Asian and international supermarkets in walking distance on Kantstrasse. The addresses in case you want to plug them into Google Maps: Lidl, Meinekestraße 22, 10719 Berlin Bio Company, Uhlandstrasse 41, 10719 Berlin Karstadt, Kurfürstendamm 231, 10719 Berlin KaDeWe, Tauentzienstraße 21-24, 10789 Berlin Restaurants There are a lot of restaurants on our street – two Italian places across from the apartment called Luardi and Arlecchino’s, which are nice and affordable for lunch. There's an excellent pricier Alsatian bistro called Diekmann’s a little further down the street and Mena’s, which serves excellent wine and appetizers. All restaurants have outdoor seating in the spring and summer. One block over, the Literaturhaus on Fasanenstrasse has a nice cafe/restaurant/garden. Kantstrasse has lots of great Asian restaurants and markets. The Savignyplatz area has lots of iconic restaurants that serve traditional German, Austrian and Berlin fare. We recommend Diener’s on Grolmanstraße – an old artists’ hang out – that serves good beer and hearty staples. Also nearby: Tian Fu. Very good Chinese/Szechuan. Highly recommend the fried eggplant, all the dumplings, spicy cucumber side salad, and the duck. About a 10 minute walk. Uhlandstrasse 142. Jules Verne. A nice place for lunch or brunch Good schnitzels, meal salads, etc. About a 10 minute walk. Schlüterstrasse 61. Baba Angora. A lovely Turkish restaurant. 10 minute walk. Schlüterstrasse 29. Café Einstein. A wellknown Viennese-style café/restaurant located in a neo-renaissance villa. Great Strudels, but also nice for a cup of coffee or a meal. About a twenty minute walk. Kurfürstenstrasse 58. Late night snacks and drinks The closest Späti – late night corner store – in our area is on Joachimstalerstrasse Transportation The nearest subway stop is Kurfürstendamm, which is about a 3-minute walk from the apartment. The Zoo station, where the S-Bahn runs to East Berlin (and all over the city ), is a 7-minute walk away. There are also a ton of busses. If you have mobile internet, I suggest plugging in where you want to go into Google Maps – it has a public transit option that will map how to get everywhere. There's also a taxi stand right on the corner of Meinekestrasse/Kurfürstendamm. You can call a cab by dialing: 030/202020. Parks The Tiergarten – a huge park – is about a seven minute walk from the house, and is nice for longer walks (with pets.) It extends all the way from the Zoo to the Brandenburg Gate. There’s a lovely café called Café am Neuen See with a winter garden and outdoor seating. Pets There’s a small park a few blocks away, which you can access from the parking lot next to the Festspiele at the end of Meinekestrasse. At the corner of Schaperstrasse/Fasanenplatz, lots of people let their dogs play there. For long walks, we recommend driving to Grunewald (10-15 minute drive) or the nearby Tiergarten. Bike rental The best way to get around town when the weather’s nice. Berlin Bike Rental is 3 blocks away at Hardenbergplatz 9-11.