Bar 3

Bar 3: Artist Bar in the Dead End Behind the Volksbühne

Bar 3 is located on Weydingerstraße, in a dead-end street at the end of Linienstraße, diagonally opposite Soho House and a few steps from the Volksbühne. From the outside, with its large windows, the place looks more like a gallery than a bar, and in good weather, the crowd of people outside further reinforces this impression. Those who don’t know the address will walk right past it. On most evenings, the main topics of conversation are the recently attended vernissages and premieres, and in summer, some of the audience moves out onto the street.

Inside, a horseshoe-shaped bar counter takes up almost the entire space. Seating is only available on bar stools and cushioned window sills; everything else is done standing. Smoking is allowed inside, and the fuller it gets, the higher the noise level rises. At Bar 3, this is considered an advantage because no one is listening in on conversations amidst the hubbub anyway. Evenings at Bar 3 are rarely planned; reservations are not provided, and anyone who wants to commit to a specific seat is in the wrong place here anyway.

Kölsch in a Stange, Wine, and a Ritual from Cologne

The menu is short and deliberately straightforward. Beer, wine, whiskey, and cognac are served; elaborate signature cocktails are sought in vain here. The specialty is Kölsch in a Stange glass, refilled Cologne-style until someone leaves the glass half-full or places a coaster on it. Payment is exclusively in cash, which has become rare in this location in Mitte.

The clientele comes from the art, theater, and film scenes, many directly from vernissages and premieres in the neighborhood, and are on average over thirty. Discussions revolve around what was just seen, and that remains the main point of interest on most evenings. Next door, Restaurant 3 belongs to the same establishment. If you want to know how a scene bar in Mitte functions entirely without a door policy and concept menu, you’ll find the original in Bar 3. The audience consists predominantly of creatives from art, theater, and film who stop by for an after-work beer or a glass of wine. Those who prefer sitting to standing should come early, as the stools at the horseshoe bar are quickly taken.