Berlin is a fantastic city break destination with enough vibrant neighborhoods, exciting restaurants and cultural activities to keep you busy for months, much less a weekend.
One of it’s best features is that there is truly something for everyone, including three wonderful cat cafes.
Located in the south, east and west ends of town, it may take a bit of travel time to reach them, but that’s part of the adventure, and besides, what does an extra trip on the U-Bahn matter when kitties are involved?
The Neighbor’s Cat visited Berlin’s cat cafes in September, 2017.
Funny Name, Great Place: Pee Pees Katzencafe
Pee Pees is well known in cat cafe circles as it was Berlin’s first and of course, the name alone makes it quite memorable. As such, it has made more than one mainstream media ‘Best Cat Cafes’ list.
I knew I was in the right place when we walked and saw a sleeping cat in a baby push chair. Navigating through the cute and cozy space, it was crowded being a Saturday afternoon, but we were promptly greeted by the friendly staff who spoke to us in English (Danke Schön!). We ordered two lattes and split a slice of apple tart, all of which were delicious.
But I was here for the cats, famed residents Pelle and Caruso, rescued as young kittens from the streets of Berlin. Unfortunately, the presence of small children (sweet little things, but noisy!) quickly scared the cats to the far corners.
Without kitties to pay attention to, I switched my focus to the cafe and enjoyed checking out all the quirky decor as there is quite a bit of it! All of the patrons seemed to be enjoying themselves and the atmosphere was a happy buzz.
The lack of cats was a major bummer as was the occasional whiff of cat odor (humorous considering the cafe’s moniker), but if I had visited on a less busy weekday, this might have been different.
Overall, Pee Pees genial humans, cheerful atmosphere and excellent foodservice made for a pleasant visit which I encourage you to do when in Berlin!
U-Bahn line U8 (direction Hermannstrasse), exit U Leinestrasse.
Click here for complete cafe details.
Beeindruckend!: Zur Mieze Katzenmusikcafe
There is no better feeling than visiting a top notch cat cafe.
Not only does it make writing the review a pleasure, it more than makes up for the time I spend in the less-than-great places, which luckily, are few and far between.
Zur Mieze, also known as Zur Mieze Katzenmusikcafe has everything going for it– adorable cats, lovely atmosphere, outstanding coffee and caring staff. All of which rank it among the best in the world.
We popped in on a Sunday afternoon and were greeted with a smile by a kind staff member. She apologized while explaining that all the empty tables were reserved, but a couple seated nearby indicated they were just about to leave so we waited outside and took some photos of a white cat in the window while they paid their bill. We truly lucked out!
Inside, we were delighted to discover that the cafe is known for their coffee, specifically five French Press blends, and award-winning cheesecake. We ordered both, plus a hot chocolate and raspberry torte for €15.50 EUR ($18.51 USD). I can confirm everything we consumed was very high quality, especially the coffee which puts Zur Mieze in contention for ‘best cat cafe coffee in the world’.
Order complete, we focused on the cats. Seven fluff balls, all rescues, call the cafe home. The menu contained cat biographies with heartbreaking stories about where they were found, but also uplifting details about their personalities, likes and dislikes. They were an incredibly social bunch, with several cuddling next to patrons (lucky you if Jacky Smoky fancies your lap).
There was a beautiful grand piano in the corner where the weekly concert (hence the katzenmusikcafe name) was set to begin at 5 pm, but never happened due to an issue with the pianist. It didn’t diminish the enjoyment of the afternoon as the cafe itself is beautiful, classy and completely enjoyable– striking a great balance between modern and cozy.
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, Zur Mieze delivers an outstanding experience that won’t leave you disappointed… unless you show up without a reservation. It may only be Sundays near concert time that a booking is needed, but check in advance to ensure you don’t miss out.
Located near Schloss Charlotteburg, take U-Bahn U7 (direction Rathaus Spandau), exit Richard Wagner Platz.
Click here for complete cafe details.
A Bit Far, But Close to My Heart: BaristaCats
The day we visited BaristaCats the weather was unusually sunny and warm, which mirrored our experience in this wonderful place.
While the location is quite a ways from the city center, don’t miss the opportunity to visit this beautiful, brand new facility with a cheery and cozy atmosphere, including a spacious outdoor patio that both humans and cats can access.
Speaking of cats, there are six kitties, all rescues, and quite social and playful, even Muffin, a long-haired sweetie who is still getting used to life off the streets and is a bit shy. We particularly enjoyed watching Mateo, an energetic ginger and Mokka, a friendly black cat wrestle each other.
Known for specialty drinks, we ordered a ‘Cold Cat’ ice cream concoction and housemade lemonade for €8.40 ($10.00 USD), both of which were beautiful in presentation and taste. They also serve a variety of snacks and desserts.
The staff are friendly and kind, but more importantly, they are cat lovers who know their charges well and monitor them closely for any signs of distress.
Overall, BaristaCats exceeds expectations in all departments and is well worth the effort to get there. Compared to Pee Pees and Zur Mieze, BaristaCats is somewhat outside the city core, but there are a couple of ways to get there via public transit.
Going there, we chose to take the S5 (S-Bahn) for the great views of the main tourist areas through central Berlin, then made a change at Ostkreuz for the S-75, exited at Hohenschonhausen and then walked the remaining distance, which is just under a mile. For our ride back, we took the M4 tram (Hansastrasse stop) all the way back into town which is more direct and only a quarter mile walk down Malchower from the cafe.
Click here for complete cafe details.
PAWSOME!
Beautiful article for the morning coffee…
Café and cats? What’s not to love?
Sound like great places to visit, especially when away from your own kitties!
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Coffee and cats – a perfect combination to solve all the world’s problems.
Can I have a beer bar with cats please?
Apparently, Bag O Nails in Bristol, United Kingdom is such a place!
Oh we went to that one! 🙂 https://katzenworld.co.uk/2016/02/22/cat-travel-bag-of-nails-the-reluctant-cat-pub/
Want!
Thanks for sharing the cat cafes in Berlin. Brought a smile to my face this morning. I only wish there was a cat Cafe in my area. I’d be there in a heartbeat.
There might be! Check out the most up-to-date locations section at theneighborscat.com as more are opening every day.
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Comment refers to “Pee Pee”. I was given a cat from my aunt. The animal’s name was Powder Puff, but saying that when you are trying to get the animal’s attention is too hard. So I shortened it to p.p.! P.p. arrived at our house full of fleas. A quick flea bath in our tub (screaming cat) and the fleas were all gone! She hated males in general. My mom is allergic to cats, so she and I became good friends. Was told that she had been fixed, but when I had to giver her away because we were moving found out she wasn’t. She had kittens!
Sounds like PP didn’t have a dull moment in her life!
I hope that these events will reach Españistan before the year 3.ooo!
I’ve been to one in Madrid, La Gatoteca and another has recently opened, Polineko. There is also Espai de Cats in Barcelona!
WOW! Sounds great. I wish we had more cat cafes in our area . . . or any. We have a cat lounge . . . which is GREAT. But they don’t serve food . . . I think it is difficult to get that license here. But they do adopt the cats out which is awesome. Last I heard they had found over 200 cats forever homes!
Great pictures! The cold cat looks delicious!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Hope you get a cat cafe in your area very soon. If you do, let me know so I can review it! 🙂
Well, I’m in California . . . do you cover that area? 🙂 I think the last I heard The Dancing Cat has adopted out 212 cats. (Two of them we adopted!)
I follow The Dancing Cat and love what they do! Congrats on your family additions! KitTea in SF and Cat Town in Oakland are the closest to San Jose. Definitely will be in CA this summer to visit them as part of our US Cat Cafe Tour 2018. 🙂
Oh, awesome. Fun stuff. We got our cats from them a few years ago. They are awesome. Yup . . . San Francisco and Oakland are not places I would go to visit with cats since I have my own. I rather spend the time with them. 🙂
I wanna go!!