Since late 2012 a popular Saturday food market (Wochenmarkt) has been taking place right outside Südstern U Bahn station and since our move to Kreuzberg, we have become regular visitors, often enjoying lunch there and buying flowers and food from their stalls.
One wet and windy day, we headed over to Wedding to check out a Berlin cafe with a difference, one that alongside it's normal dining seats also has an old bus that you can sit and eat in (and even play-drive should you wish!). Here's my review of Cafe Pförtner...
Berlin is home to a number of family café which come in very handy for those with young children, looking for a way to keep them entertained on rainy and cold days in the city. They vary in size and equipment and all serve food to keep the mums and dads well fed whilst they watch the children play. A map featuring all the Berlin family cafes in this list can now be found on Google Maps here.
If you know of a cafe that isn't on this list or if one of these cafes closes, do get in touch and let me know. Family-friendly cafes and restaurants that aren't specifically Eltern-Kind-Cafés will be listed in a separate post... "Eis, Eis, Eis" or ice cream as we call it in our household and it's all the kids think about this time of year (I must admit I think about it quite a lot too!) Thankfully Berlin is full of ice cream parlours with a multitude of flavours and types on offer. Here is my list of the places to find Berlin's Best Ice Cream, which is your favourite...?
It's not just Berlin's hipsters who want to enjoy brunch at the weekend's in Berlin, us parents want to as well. Here are my tips for the best family-friendly brunch options in Berlin. If you have tried out one (or more) of these brunches, it would be fabulous if you could write a short review in the comments section with some details about food quality and portion size.
There are a number of family-friendly cafes in Berlin and they can come in handy throughout the year, especially in the colder months when you need an alternative indoor space for your child to play or a relaxed place to meet up with friends and let the kids entertain themselves (ideally!) while you have a coffee and a catch up. Kiezkind on Helmholzplatz in Prenzlauer Berg is a splendid example of a kinder-cafe done well.
Whilst Neukoelln may not be so obviously baby-friendly as Prenzlauer Berg and some other Berlin-neighbourhoods, it offers a fabulous mix of things to do with children including a plethora of playgrounds big and small, gorgeous little hidden gems, water ways and more. Here are my Top 5 Things to do in Neukoelln with Kids...
Sitting in the beautiful scenery of Richardplatz in Neukölln, you'll find the fittingly traditional Villa Rixdorf. Built in 1870, this wonderful little restaurant offers a nice meal out for families in Berlin.
Prenzlauer Berg has a large number of babies and toddlers within its local population and a number of Eltern-Kind-Cafes to meet the demand. Here are my photos and info about Das Spielzimmer near Helmholzplatz.
Before entering Das Spielzimmer, you are expected to lock your prams/buggies/pushchairs outside (you aren't allowed to bring them indoors, quite common here). The cafe has a nice calm feel to it (when it's quite at least) and you will find two separate play sections for the different age ranges. On one side there's a small ball pit with mini-slide and cushioned crawling area. In the back, there's a soft play, climbing area for the slightly older ones. |