Cafeography
Draußen sitzen · Berlin

Outdoor seating cafés in Berlin

Sidewalk tables on Kastanienallee, squares in Wilmersdorf and terraces by the canals.

Photo: Arlind D, Pexels License

Draußen sitzen (sitting outside) follows the season. At the Berlin-Brandenburg weather station, July averages a daily high of 25.0 °C and about 234 hours of sunshine, against 45 hours in December (1991–2020 normals).1 About a third of the city's area is forest, park, garden, river, canal or lake.1

Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg have the most cafés with outdoor tables, ahead of Friedrichshain and Schöneberg. By street, Kastanienallee leads, followed by Kollwitzstraße, Goltzstraße and Bergmannstraße.

Local tip: Between May and September, pair the Rheingauer Weinbrunnen on Rüdesheimer Platz with an afternoon coffee at Lotte am Platz, which opens daily at 10:00.3

Where these cafés are: Mitte (148), Kreuzberg (139), Prenzlauer Berg (134), Schöneberg (99), Friedrichshain (98), Charlottenburg (77), Wedding & Gesundbrunnen (73), Neukölln (70), Moabit & Tiergarten (62), Wilmersdorf (47), Steglitz & Lichterfelde (25), Treptow, Weißensee & the east (24), Friedenau (18), Pankow (9), Lichtenberg & Rummelsburg (9), Baumschulenweg & Schöneweide (7), Westend (5), Dahlem & Grunewald (5), Tempelhof south & Mariendorf (5), Tempelhof (4), Britz (4), Alt-Hohenschönhausen (2), Südende & south Schöneberg (2), Reinickendorf (1).

At a glance

1067Cafés listed
719With opening hours
00:00Earliest opening
04:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Yacht Cafe, from 00:00 (Mon–Sat Open 24 hours).
  • Closes latest: Tante Emma, until 04:00 (Mon–Wed 09:00–02:00 · Thu–Sat 09:00–04:00 · Sun 09:00–02:00).
  • Most listed streets: Kottbusser Damm (2).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (81%), vegetarian options (36%), smoke-free indoors (33%).
Mitte

Art.City.People

  • Oranienburger Straße 32
  • Mon–Tue 10:00–21:00 · Wed–Thu 11:00–19:00 · Fri 11:00–18:30 · Sat 11:00–23:00 · Sun 10:00–21:00
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Kastanienallee

Kastanienallee runs 975 meters, mostly through Prenzlauer Berg, with a short southern stretch in Mitte; Schwedter Straße marks the line between them.2 Bars and cafés moved in from the 1990s, and since the early 2000s the street has carried the nickname Castingallee. At its northern end, the Prater counts as Berlin's oldest beer garden: C. F. Porath is said to have poured beer there from 1837.2

When the street was rebuilt in 2014, the roadway was widened and new parking bays were cut into the sidewalks, after a citizens' campaign against the plan failed for lack of support.2 On the Mitte end, Café Drop at number 38 serves daily 08:00–20:00 and Caffè Focacceria San Francesco at 64 until 22:00. In the Prenzlauer Berg section, Chaplin's at 75 opens at 07:00 from Monday to Saturday.

Squares in Wilmersdorf

Rüdesheimer Platz is laid out around the Siegfriedbrunnen, a fountain designed by Emil Cauer the Younger in 1911. Since 1967, winemakers from the Rheingau have run the Rheingauer Weinbrunnen on the square every year from May to September.3 Lotte am Platz at number 1 is open daily 10:00–19:00, and Kaffeehaus am Platz at number 7 from Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30–18:00.

Prager Platz has Café Engel and Mayerbeer Coffee at numbers 1–3 and Cafe Spot at 6, which opens daily at 08:00; Café Engel serves until 21:00. On Olivaer Platz, The Visit at number 20 is open until 20:00 every day.

Terraces by the water

The Engelbecken is the one basin left of the Luisenstädtischer Kanal, which opened in 1852 and ran through what are now Kreuzberg and Mitte. The canal was filled in 1926; after the Wall went up in 1961 the basin was filled too and became part of the death strip, and the garden has been rebuilt in stages since 1991.4 Café am Engelbecken at Michaelkirchplatz 25 is open daily 10:00–00:00.

On the Landwehrkanal, Pavillon am Ufer at Paul-Lincke-Ufer 4 stays open until 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and Petit Paris at Planufer 92d opens at 09:00 from Friday to Sunday. In Wedding, Café Zwei Freunde at Nordufer 5 is open until 20:00 every day.

The rules for a Schankvorgarten

A café's sidewalk seating, the Schankvorgarten, needs a permit for a fixed area, and how much space a café gets depends on the width of the sidewalk. In Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg the district bans terrace heaters, enclosures and floor coverings; the only wind protection allowed is fully transparent side panels hung from an awning, which must leave 2.20 meters of headroom.5

The furniture has to come off the street when the terrace is closed for longer spells, for business reasons or bad weather, and each café must post a copy of its permit at the entrance where it can be read from outside.5 On a cool evening in Kreuzberg or Friedrichshain, bring a jacket: there will be no heat lamp.

Sources

  1. Berlin (Climate), Wikipedia (Deutscher Wetterdienst data), accessed October 2026
  2. Kastanienallee (Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg), Wikipedia (German), accessed October 2026
  3. Rüdesheimer Platz, Wikipedia (German), accessed October 2026
  4. Engelbecken, Wikipedia (German), accessed October 2026
  5. Nebenbestimmungen für Schankvorgärten, Bezirksamt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Straßen- und Grünflächenamt (updated 2024), accessed October 2026
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By area: Kreuzberg Neukölln Mitte Prenzlauer Berg Friedrichshain Charlottenburg Schöneberg Wedding & Gesundbrunnen

FAQ

Outdoor seating in Berlin: questions

When is the best time of year for outdoor cafés in Berlin?

From May to September. At the Berlin-Brandenburg weather station, July averages a daily high of 25.0 °C and about 234 hours of sunshine, while December gets only 45 hours. About a third of Berlin's area is forest, park, garden or water, so many terraces face a square, a park or a canal.

Which street in Berlin has the most cafés with outdoor seating?

Kastanienallee, a 975-meter street through Prenzlauer Berg and Mitte nicknamed Castingallee since the early 2000s. Cafés and bars moved in from the 1990s, and the Prater beer garden at its northern end dates from 1837. Kollwitzstraße, Goltzstraße and Bergmannstraße come next.

Are heat lamps allowed on café terraces in Berlin's Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg?

No. Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg bans terrace heaters, enclosures and floor coverings on sidewalk seating, allowing only fully transparent side panels hung from an awning, which must leave 2.20 meters of headroom. Each café needs a permit for a fixed area, sized by the width of the sidewalk, and must display it at the entrance.

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