“Kaffee und Kuchen” is a sacred ritual in Germany and nowhere is it celebrated more perfectly than at Konditorei Café Buchwald in Hansaviertel. The café is a fourth-generation family-owned business. Its founder, Gustav Buchwald, was appointed court confectioner to the Prussian Court in 1842, so it’s no wonder they know what they’re doing. Located close to Bärenbrücke, near the river Spree, it’s the perfect start or end to a stroll through the Tiergarten and Hansaviertel’s modernist architecture. My recommendation: skip coffee and go straight to cake. While the café is famous for its “Baumkuchen”, they serve all the classics — think “Donauwelle”, “Frankfurter Kranz”, “Herrentorte”, “Schwarzwälderkirschtorte” or, my personal favorite, “Stachelbeere Baisertorte”. It’s so delicious that my 96-year-old relative Klaus and I sometimes find ourselves queuing before they open.
Text: Leonie Herweg / Photos: Grotto, Robyn Steffen
Leonie Herweg is a curator and founder of Grotto, an independent space for art and culture in the Hansaviertel district whose program includes exhibitions, readings, listening sessions and an annual art book fair. She lives between London and Berlin and is part of the editorial team at Zeitung Magazine.
Café Buchwald, Bartningallee 29, 10557 Berlin–Hansaviertel; map
