Quasimodo on Kantstrasse runs as Berlin's longest-standing jazz club, with a basement stage that has booked blues, soul and funk acts alongside straight-ahead jazz since 1975.
Tip: Cash at the door for the late set. The cafe upstairs runs earlier; the basement stage is where the music lives.
Address: Kantstrasse 12a, 10623 Berlin
B-flat in Mitte runs an acoustic jazz programme almost every night, with a low stage that puts the band a metre from the front row and a Wednesday jam called Robin's Nest.
Tip: Robin's Nest jam Wednesdays runs three-euro admission and a deep local-musician turnout. Book named acts ahead.
Yorckschloesschen has run on Yorckstrasse for over 120 years and books jazz, blues, soul, swing and funk Wednesday through Saturday in a smoky old-Berlin saloon with a beer garden.
Tip: Live music Wednesday through Saturday; the kitchen runs until 22:00 weekdays and later on event nights. Cash at the door.
Lido reopened in 2006 in a 1950s former cinema on the corner of Cuvry and Schlesische Strasse, booking indie, rock and pop concerts followed by DJ sets near U Schlesisches Tor.
Tip: Standing room only; the floor is flat so arrive early for sightlines. After-show club nights run until early morning.
Astra Kulturhaus on the RAW site in Friedrichshain has run mid-size concerts since 2009, with a programme that covers indie, rock, electro and experimental shows plus DJ-set party nights.
Tip: S-Bahn to Warschauer Strasse is five minutes away; tickets via Eventim for named tours. Coat check is fast.
Festsaal Kreuzberg is a former ballroom on the Arena complex by the Spree, hosting indie, electronic and experimental concerts in a raw industrial hall with a 1,000-capacity standing floor.
Tip: Despite the name the room sits in Treptow, not Kreuzberg; U Schlesisches Tor or S Treptower Park are both walkable.
Privatclub fills the old Schlesisches-Tor post office basement with newcomer bookings, alternative DJ nights and small touring shows on Skalitzer Strasse between Goerlitzer Park and the Spree.
Tip: Capacity is small (around 300); buy ahead for buzz acts. The bar runs cash plus card.