In order to give you the best spots in Berlin, Whitewaller talked to the director of KW Institute for Contemporary Art Krist Gruijthuijsen, contemporary artist Robin Rhode, co-owner of Bar Zentral Torsten Bender, and Curator at Nationalgalerie im Hamburger Bahnhof –Museum für Gegenwart Anna-Catharina Gebbers.
KRIST GRUIJTHUIJSEN
Courtesy of Robin Rhode.
WHERE TO EAT AND SIP
Osteria Ribaltone is a wonderful simple Italian restaurant at the Viktoria-Luise-Platz. Sasaya is simply the
best Japanese in town. Good French food can be found at Brasserie Lumières, and next door at the Victoria Bar you’ll find exquisite cocktails. A nice hangout in Mitte is Bar Saint Jean.
WHERE TO SEE ART
I’m excited to see the exhibition “Neolithic Childhood: Art in a False Present, c. 1930” at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt and “Hello World” at the Hamburger Bahnhof. Then, of course, the 10th Berlin Biennale will be one of the highlights of the summer.
© Michael Mann
WHERE TO HAVE FUN AND RELAX
I think Berlin is truly a city to experience outside. Take a bike and get lost in the many districts, parks, and lakes the city has to offer. There is an immense street life, and in the evening it is taken over by the exuberant nightlife, which is endless and extremely diverse.
ROBIN RHODE
Photo by Ali Kepenik.
WHERE TO EAT AND SIP
I’ve been frequenting the imbiss Misir Carsisi for over 15 years and can highly recommend their lentil
soup as a superb appetizer for a night out. I’d also recommend the legendary Hühnerhaus 36 on the
corner of Görlitzer Park.
WHERE TO SEE ART
My favorite art spots have changed over the years, and I also tend to visit art spots with great bookshops.
The Hamburger Bahnhof is quite good; I visit the museum only to see the Cy Twomblys and the bookstore. The Martin-Gropius-Bau, too, is quite a treat.
Courtesy of Torsten Bender.
WHERE TO HAVE FUN AND RELAX
Berlin has many parks where one is able to unwind for a short while. My park preference is usually where
drug-dealing takes place. This activity adds an extra edge to the unwinding experience and exposes Berlin
for what it is. There is something quite seductive in witnessing the economy of the street.
ANNA-CATHARINA GEBBERS
WHERE TO EAT AND SIP
Markthalle Neun, if you’re up for a more casual brunch or lunch. Or Kin Dee, where you can eat the most
delicious Thai food in town, even made of mostly regional ingredients (yes, that’s possible!). Nobelhart &
Schmutzig and Pauly Saal (with a great bar as well) are younger Michelin-starred restaurants with regional ingredients. Borchardt and Grill Royal are the classics—always a treat.
WHERE TO SEE ART
The Brücke Museum, where Lisa Marei Schmidt just started as the new director with enthusiasm and great cutting-edge curatorial skills. The Museum Europäischer Kulturen has a fantastic program, and of course the Botanic Garden is always worth visiting. But most important: Don’t miss seeing our amazing collections at the five branches of Nationalgalerie: Alte Nationalgalerie, Neue Nationalgalerie, Museum Berggruen, Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg, and Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin.
WHERE TO HAVE FUN AND RELAX
The Tiergarten in Berlin’s center is the largest of the many pretty parks in Berlin. You’ll find countless lovely bars in Berlin, like Bar 3, Victoria Bar, or Mozzarella Bar. Das Stue has an amazing Susanne Kaufmann Spa.
TORSTEN BENDER
WHERE TO EAT AND SIP
The most addictive dish in the city: the veal spare ribs at Big Stuff BBQ (for a quick fix). After years of
scanning all of Berlin for the perfect steak tartare, I find Lode & Stijn in Kreuzberg are hard to beat.
For grown-up dry martinis and transcending tipsy art go to Victoria Bar and have a sip for daddy.
Most real Berlin dive bar: Zur Quelle.
WHERE TO SEE ART
Brücke Museum. Martin-Gropius-Bau. Berlinische Galerie. I’m looking forward to the “Back to Nature?”
show from the Frieder Burda Museum at Salon Berlin, with works by Georg Baselitz, Flavio de Marco,
and David LaChapelle.
WHERE TO HAVE FUN AND RELAX
Hmm, try a couple of rounds of Space Invaders and Frogger at the museum for video games,
Computerspielemuseum Berlin. A good walk: Soviet War Memorial Treptow. On late weekends, I mostly
stay on the couch reading the latest column of Savage Love and try to finally finish Goncharov’s Oblomov—while I send my avatar to the club Heideglühen in Moabit.
