Joseph Roth Diele is featured in our book Cee Cee Berlin No2. Get the book here.
Joseph Roth never really warmed up to Berlin. In 1920, the journalist and author moved from Galicia to Vienna, and from there to Potsdamer Straße. Two novels and countless feuilletons emerged during this time – which seem just as current today as they did a century ago – with nighthawks, bohemians, and harlots populating the pages. Nearly 100 years later, Roth’s heroes seem to meet in a restaurant that bears his name: the Joseph Roth Diele. Sitting under the awning, Kölsch beer in hand, you can watch as gallery owners, alcoholics, fruit vendors, and fashion designers drift in and out. Inside, Roth’s quotes adorn the walls, and you will find yourself reading the newspaper in a Thonet chair at a table with a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth. Even as you order beef roulade or homemade spätzle you feel as if Roth himself may stroll through the door. Instead, one particular Roth quote, written in 1930, jumps out at you: “Berlin is a young and unhappy city-in-waiting.” Today, not much seems to have changed. (Text: Laura Storfner / Photos: Steffen Roth)
Joseph Roth Diele, Potsdamerstr.75, 10785 Berlin-Tiergarten; map
Mon-Fri 10-24h
