Viani Schöneberg

Delicatessen, Deli, and Café on Akazienstraße

Akazienstraße in Schöneberg is one of those streets where you can just wander without a plan. Small shops, cafés, and bars line up one after another, and not far from Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz lies Viani Schöneberg, an Italian delicatessen that is also a deli and café. At the front is the fresh counter with antipasti, behind it, shelves fill the space, holding over three thousand specialties from around four hundred artisan producers, from pasta to oil to preserves that no one else carries. Those who want to stay can sit at one of the tables, outside when the weather is good, and order focaccia, a soup, or a salad. Coffee is available in all Italian variations, from espresso to cappuccino, and a cornetto for breakfast. Fresh pasta and pizza dough can be taken home. The house’s loyalty card credits three percent of the purchase as credit, which becomes noticeable on a second visit. The assortment ranges from specialties from Northern Italy to products from Sicily, and if you can’t decide, you can get advice at the counter. Everything is cooked and prepared on-site; the focaccia comes fresh from the oven.

A Meeting That Can Be Extended at Any Time

This place is well-suited for a first meeting for a simple reason: you don’t have to make any specific arrangements. There’s no reservation, no fixed duration, and no pressure to fill an entire evening. An espresso and a piece of focaccia are enough for a first half-hour, and if things go well, you can choose something together from the antipasti counter, which incidentally provides conversation starters. Behind the name lies a story worth telling: Antonio Viani came from Italy to Germany in the sixties for love, was previously a naval officer, and started as a wholesaler importing fresh truffles. Since 1973, the name has stood for Italian food, and today his son Remo leads the company. If you want more than just coffee, book one of the cooking classes that regularly take place here and last several hours. If you want to move on afterward, it’s not far: Akazienstraße is one of those streets where the next café, the next bar, and the next small shop are always within sight. This allows a short coffee to turn into an entire afternoon without much re-planning.