How Berlin10 chooses the places worth your time
The five steps behind every Berlin10 ranking: all twelve districts, staying power, checked essentials, real quality and room for every budget in the city.
Berlin rewards curiosity, but not everyone has time to explore a city of this size block by block. Our rankings exist to do some of that legwork for you. Every list on Berlin10 is built through the same five steps, with Berlin's quirks firmly in mind.
Searching all twelve districts
Each category starts with a search across all twelve districts, not just the parts of Mitte, Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg that dominate travel guides. A strong candidate in Spandau, Lichtenberg or Steglitz is considered on equal terms with a celebrated address in the centre, and the same goes for Reinickendorf or Treptow.
Still good years later
We favour places Berliners have trusted for a long time, the kind people keep returning to and recommend without being asked. In a city where every opening gets attention, we are more interested in who is still doing good work once the excitement has passed and the queues have moved on.
Checking the essentials
Before publication we confirm that each place is still open at the listed address, with live contact details and current opening hours. Bars, clubs and seasonal spots such as beer gardens, whose hours shift through the year, are checked with particular care.
Doing the job properly
Different trades are held to different standards. A bar is judged on its drinks and atmosphere, a bakery on its bread, a tattoo studio on hygiene and skill, a language school on its teaching. Reliability matters more than a fashionable postcode.
Room for every budget
Berlin has never equated price with quality. Where the category allows, a list can hold a corner Imbiss beside an ambitious tasting-menu restaurant, or a second-hand bookshop beside a design store, because both can be the best at what they do.
Keeping up with Berlin
Berlin changes faster than most cities, so we revisit our rankings regularly and act on what readers tell us. Spotted a closure, a move or an omission? Write to info@berlin10.com and mention the district. Tips from people who live in the Kiez are often the quickest way for us to learn what has changed.
A note on nightlife
Clubs and late bars change their door policies, nights and line-ups often. Our nightlife rankings describe venues with a lasting reputation, but always check the latest programme with the venue itself before you head out.