Bäckerei & Konditorei M. Biesewski

Bäckerei & Konditorei M. Biesewski: East German Rolls in Bötzowkiez

Bäckerei & Konditorei M. Biesewski is located at Pasteurstraße 32 in the Bötzowviertel, on the eastern edge of Prenzlauer Berg. Tram lines M4 and M10 stop at Arnswalder Platz, from there it’s about a 230-meter walk through a quiet old building quarter. The shop itself is inconspicuous, a narrow storefront between residential buildings, where a queue regularly forms on the pavement in the mornings. People don’t come for the interior, but for what happens at the back of the house.

There you’ll find their own bakery, where fresh goods are baked daily, without preservatives or pre-made mixes. Nine employees keep the business running. Owner Marco Biesewski has known the building since 1991 when he started his apprenticeship here, back when the shop was called Bäckerei Lau. In 1994, he completed his confectioner’s training, in 2000, his master baker’s examination, and in 2017, he took over the business.

Old Berlin Rolls, Prasselkuchen, and Splitterbrötchen

The most famous item in the display of Bäckerei & Konditorei M. Biesewski is the Old Berlin Schrippe. It is made using an old method and is therefore significantly smaller and denser than the airy industrial products sold elsewhere under the same name. Once you’ve held one, you’ll understand why some customers travel across the city for them. Next to them are Schusterjungen (rye bread rolls) made from rye meal and homemade egg salad, for which eggs and poultry come from Geflügelhof Oderland in Wriezen.

On the sweet side, Prasselkuchen and Splitterbrötchen are perennial favorites, along with Kameruner, Bienenstich (bee sting cake), and Mohnkranz (poppy seed wreath). The assortment changes constantly, with individual varieties like Seezunge (sole) or Mohnzopf (poppy seed braid) appearing only on certain days, making a visit a small lottery. Beyond sales, the bakery delivers fresh rolls daily to a daycare center and baked goods weekly to a church community. The GDR recipes aren’t just decorative here; they are in the display every morning.