Restaurant Kuchen Kaiser

These days the “Cake King” of Kreuzberg (map) is more Bar than Bakery, but a decent place for kicking back in the summer weather, grabbing a bite to eat or a drop to drink.

The Restaurant Kuchen Kaiser has an impressive history – although it’s not really it’s own. Founded in 1866 at the site it is now, Kuchen Kaiser was a large bakery/cafe which had Berlin’s first ammonia refrigerator and it’s first revolving door – out of which many customers and staff had to be rescued. It was also the proud owner of the first specially designed delivery car in 1904… but that blew up in front of the house. The restaurant’s delivery vans acted as ambulances in World War One, it’s cakes were on board the Hindenburg, and it was fired from supplying cakes to the Reich’s Foreign Ministry when it delivered mustard filled donuts by accident. The business never really recovered after World War Two and closed in 1957. The current restaurant was founded in 1998 with the same name.

American Breakfast, Berlin by Angermann

Nowadays the focus is less on cakes and more on standard pub fare. There’s some pizza, some meat dishes, some hamburgers, they do a Sunday breakfast buffet for 9 Euro and they show football matches on a screen. Honestly the hamburgers are, well, chunks of patty between to bits of bun without any particularly distinguishing factors but the schnitzel seemed to be decent and both were generous servings for under 10 Euro.

The second best thing about Kuchen Kaiser (well maybe the third, because I really like the exploding delivery van story) is it’s location. On the north-east corner of Oranienplatz, it is in the middle of Kreuzberg’s happening hub, has a vista of trees and unusually dressed locals and plenty of outdoor tables at the front and side of the building.

But the best thing about Kuchen Kaiser is the service and I don’t think I’ve experienced such happy wait-staff anywhere in Germany. Just for that I’ll be going back.

Restaurant Kuchenkaiser

Oranienplatz 11-13

10999 Berlin

Tel: +49 (0)30 6140 2697