The only thing gray about this cat is the love-it-or-loath-it, concrete facade of its futuristic “L40” Mitte address. Inside, Le Chat Gris is an ultra-chic bar and club, brought to you by the owners of the nearby Neue Odessa. Style-wise, it’s also in the vicinity (black and gold dominate) but far from suffering any déjà vu—the floor-to-ceiling windows and hued mirrors give this space a touch more sparkle than its low-lit comrade. Catering to the scrubbed-up guys and dolls from the media, fashion and art scenes, Le Chat Gris has a snazzy drinks menu to match. Crémant, rosé and champagne flow plentiful here as well as some seriously quaffable cocktails combos. And downstairs, the mirrored club room makes Le Chat Gris more than just a schmoozerama bar, as the Mitterati put their heels to the test at Friday’s after-work hoedown.

Tucked away just north of Lausitzer Platz, Vögelchen is a labyrinthine little café-bar where TLC rules the roost. The owner’s indefatigable approach to the finer details mean that almost every corner is littered with hand-picked ornaments and oddball furnishings: from a primed typewriter for the day-dreaming coffee fiends, to the antique piano for those of an ivory-tinkling inclination, or a wardrobe whose doors leads down to a Narnia-like, rentable party Keller. So whether it’s Kuchen o’clock in the afternoon or Negroni hour late at night, this is one nest you won’t want to leave in a hurry.

The old Trust—brainchild of Weekend owner Marcus Trojan, Cookie’s head honcho Cookie and photographer Sascha Kramer—was a place where Mitte’s movers and shakers went to be seen and heard. So naturally when the most exclusive mini-club on Torstraße closed its doors in 2012 many a scenester was left wondering where their nightlife would go from there…

They needn’t have worried. Fast forward a few months and messrs Trojan, Cookie and Kramer are at it again in a new, bigger location that sprawls underneath the railway tracks at Hackescher Markt. It’s still that unmarked-door-and-peephole sort of exclusive, but to immerse yourself in what lies within is more than worth enduring those scrutinizing eyes—a straight up lesson in urban cool, expertly realized over two floors of exposed concrete and flashes of gold.

Drinks-wise, like the Trust of old, it’s all about bottles of Champagne and spirits (available in 0.2 or 0.7 liter) and they’ve even made the concession of stocking beers as well. If you order one, though, you’ve missed the point and will have to endure the ignominy of having it served in a brown paper bag. Because nothing decimates a hip cat’s image more than drinking hobo-street style.

Leave it up to the debauchery of Berlin’s nightlife scene to name a venue after a character from Goethe’s Faust who commits matricide, fratricide as well as infanticide in order to justify an illegitimate love. Set up by the same forces behind Icon, the club Gretchen intends to offer a music venue that’s larger than the dark dungeon of its now-closed Prenzlauer Berg cousin.

Located in the 19th century stables of Queen Victoria’s Prussian 1st Guards Dragoon Regiment, Gretchen features a high cross-vaulted ceiling in its cavernous main room that has acoustics to match. Though it caters to a scene that is decidedly prim and hip, things easily get wild and raucous once DJs and live acts start thumping their sounds through the system. Just as Faust’s once supposedly incorruptible Gretchen found her way astray, don’t be surprised if you’re led to wildly riotous nights here.

The Cookies empire isn’t the type to rest on its laurels, and now it adds Drayton as part of its Berlin roster. Taking the ‘20s speakeasy formula and adding some potent Weimar zest, Drayton comes ready with its art deco adornments of thick wood, oriental motifs and subtle hints of gold. Whether hanging out before or after a dinner at nearby Cookies Cream, enjoy any one of their sours, bitters or sweet cocktails that are infused with syrups, spices and tantalizing garnishes. It might just be the ideal prelude that eases you into a night of heavy, or heady, exploits.

NEU! Bar takes its name from the legendary ’70s Krautrockers and was founded in 2009 by Alex Konuk, who also runs 8mm Bar. As a lover of subversive underground art and music, Alex has created a deadly high-class hang-out that hosts regular events including art exhibitions and film screenings.

The bric-à-brac interior is simultaneously cozy and cool, beer flows all night, and as with all truly alternative boozers, there’s a fine selection of whiskeys served up by educated barmen donning dapper suits. Don’t forget to bring a cigar.