Its name might translate to “Where the bear gets the honey”, but a bear couldn’t fit inside this tiny Pankow lunch spot.
Since opening Wo der Bär den Honig holt last October, Melanie Mühlstädt and Roland Sawitzki have transformed a take-away nook on Florastraße into a cosy stay-in café. The native East Berliners make everything on the menu from scratch: every day, Melanie bakes chocolate peanut butter layer cake, marshmallow-topped brownies, lemon bars and other tasty treats while Roland makes the soup and quiche.
The soup of the day (€4) bounces back and forth between vegetarian/vegan and meat – we recommend the apple-celeriac, a hearty concoction topped with crunchy roasted chopped hazelnuts. On the sandwich list, the popular goat cheese-apple-walnut sandwich with homemade fig mustard or the many toasties are worth a try (all €3.20).
They might introduce salads for the hot days – check the café’s weekly menu on Facebook if you don’t want to play food roulette. There’s no wi-fi, but it might be a blessing in disguise. The obligatory organic, fair-trade coffee (€1.70 for an Americano) is decent, but it’s the fully homemade menu and warm, fuzzy ambience that make it worth the trip up north.
Originally published in issue 116.
