Boxhagener Platz market on Saturdays, Burgermeister and currywurst counters under the S-Bahn arches, and the Vietnamese counters along Frankfurter Allee.
Vöner in Friedrichshain carves vegan doner from a spit of house-made seitan; one of Berlin's first plant-based doner kitchens, with vegan currywurst.
OrderThe vöner with the full salad load; the special fries are the side to get.
TipCounter-order, no reservations. Open daily from midday.
Silo Coffee in Berlin Friedrichshain pulls a tight Australian-style menu of flat whites and brunch plates, the Five Elephant beans run the filter side.
DrinkFlat white
TipWeekend brunch is the busy window; arrive before 11:00 for a table on the front terrace.
Fine Bagels on Berlin's Warschauer Strasse hand-rolls bagels in the kettle-boil-then-bake New York style; the lox bagel with smoked salmon, capers and red.
Worth the queueLox bagel
TipClosed Monday and Tuesday. The lox bagel sells out by 13:00 on weekends; arrive before 11:00.
Vöner on Boxhagener Strasse serves the vegan doner that started Berlin's plant-based kebab wave, carved from seitan with generous salads and sauces.
TryVöner seitan doner and vegan currywurst
Silo Coffee in Friedrichshain serves Berlin's best-known seasonal brunch from a small room with a serious house espresso and a menu that leans heavily.
OrderSmashed avocado with feta on sourdough, or the pulled-pork hash with a poached egg.
Berghain occupies a former Vattenfall power plant in Friedrichshain and remains the canonical Berlin techno club, with Sven Marquardt's door and Klubnacht.
TipNo phones inside, no logo'd clothes, no big groups. Klubnacht queue moves all weekend; small groups in black after 04:00 fare better than 23:00 lines.
About Blank runs next to Ostkreuz S-Bahn as a collectively-run club and garden, programming queer-leaning techno, breaks and electro across an indoor floor.
TipThe garden runs through the warm months and is the reason to arrive at sundown. Awareness team active; no phones on the floors.
Cassiopeia sits in a former industrial hall on the RAW grounds in Friedrichshain and runs a broader booking than its techno-heavy neighbours, with hip-hop.
TipThe summer beer garden is the easiest way in on a hot night. Weekday nights are local and cheap; Saturday gets touristed.
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.
TipS-Bahn to Warschauer Strasse is five minutes away; tickets via Eventim for named tours. Coat check is fast.
Lab.oratory runs in the basement underneath Berghain as Berlin's reference men-only fetish club, hosting code-night parties through the week and the biannual.
TipStrict dress codes per event (skin, rubber, sport); separate entrance from Berghain. No phones, no mixed-gender entry.
Private tour · 2 hours
Discover Friedrichshain, Berlin's alternative neighborhood packed with works of street art. Visit the post-industrial RAW area and a leftist neighborhood with tiny sho...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste your way through East Berlin’s transformation. Explore history, street art, and global flavors on a guided food and culture walking tour, vegan-friendly!
Guided tour · 3 hours
Explore Berlin's most exciting historical hotspots, Mitte. Taste delicacies in various restaurants, and hear authentic stories about the district.
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