Even though Helmholtzkiez is around the corner from my home, I’m seldom in the area. More’s the pity, since I’ve been missing out on Kajumi. Opened in 2020, the cafe is decorated with so much attention to detail that it feels like every little nook and cranny offers something to discover. Designers Ebrahim Qayumi and Emilia Giulini wanted to create a timeless interior that gives objects and designs from the past a place in the here and now. If you know a bit about design classics, you’ll immediately notice the skid-base chairs designed by Swedish architect Sven Markelius and the Artek stools by Alvar Aalto. The palette of red, blue and yellow is strongly reminiscent of the color theory of Bauhaus while the hand-painted tableware comes courtesy of German ceramics legend Hedwig Bollhagen.
The food on offer doesn’t disappoint, either, with vegan tahini banana bread, crème brûlée cookies and lemon meringue tartelettes. I particularly recommend the rosemary chocolate cookie, with its perfect balance of sweet and salty. The coffee comes in three varieties, all roasted in-house. Just ask the baristas if you need help choosing. You can get all this to go, of course, but it’s worth spending time in Kajumi whiling away the hours watching passers-by on the street in front. The cafe also sells a cute range of postcards. One hangs above my desk – a reminder of the afternoon I spent in a sunny cafe on a cloudy day…
Text & Photos: Sophie Doering
Kajumi, Dunckerstr.73, 10437 Berlin–Prenzlauer Berg; map
Tue–Fri 8–18h, Sat 9h30–18h & Sun 10h30–18h
