Offering traditional French cuisine with a Mediterranean twist, Le Faubourg is a classic Parisian Brasserie with a contemporary edge. Set in Hotel Concorde, Le Faubourg offers a variety of exquisite French dishes, presented either in their daily menus or a la carte. Paired with their fine selection of reds and whites, this Parisian-style restaurant makes for a memorable gastronomic experience. The set lunch menu is particularly worthwhile, offering a competitively priced 2 course option. During the summer, be sure to nab a spot on its outdoor terrace where you can enjoy a few drinks and relish their cuisine in style.

A waste of space: so would the eulogy sound for the 20,000 sq.ft. Skalitzer Post building if it wasn’t dragged back from the pearly gates by global powerhouse art curator, Leah Stuhltrager. A long time unused and unappreciated—apart from it’s iconic outer shell—the structure has had its act pulled together, been given a fresh lick of paint and a new purpose in life. Et Voila: The Wye is born.

There’s a lot happening here and plenty in the pipeline, so to avoid confusion let’s call The Wye an international art house. Yet, beneath that umbrella term lies its charm: spanning five floors are artist studios and residencies, a gallery, a library, an event hall, a concept store and even more room for who knows what. You’ll have to attend their multi-discipline events and projects to find out.

“Sandwich” and “deli” are words that are woefully appropriated in Berlin as “Brötchen” and “Bäckerei”. All too often, a thin, dry layer of meat is spread between two oversized pieces of bread, resulting in an understandably mediocre experience.

Not anymore. The opening of Mogg & Melzer inside the Mädchenschule has been a balm to expat New Yorkers, sandwich fanatics and all those in need of a lesson in what truly constitutes a pleasurable pastrami experience. Paul Mogg, a reputable DJ and producer himself, teamed up with Oskar Melzer to serve up what Berlin has neglected for far too long, and brought in a New Yorker chef to properly smoke their homemade pastrami. When placed on rye bread, the moist, seasoned meat is best tasted along with some mustard, or as part of their spectacular Reuben. Topped with melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Islands dressing, you’ll realize how these Jewish deli staples—true sandwiches —leave all other Brötchen, baguettes and ciabattas behind in their own starchy dust.

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.

If it’s any indication on how locally-based the cuisine of Pauly Saal truly is, then take this small tidbit into account. When the Mädchenschule first opened, the restaurant found difficulty in serving more than potatoes and lentils from the surrounding region. Yet they pulled it off, and when combined with their homemade wurst and rotisserie meats, it turned out to be a feast for any food connoisseur.

Pauly Saal—its namesake a sort of New Objective stylization about its ‘20s décor—features “Landküche”, a kind of cooking that Germans are well acquainted with, but which finds limited reception in Berlin’s cosmopolitan eateries. A Sunday roast or stew is what you would expect, but if that’s not a hint enough, then let the seasonally-changing dishes speak for themselves. Braised veal, Pomeranian entrecôte and organic ox elicit the traditional cuisine that belies the inspiration for these dishes. And no less is this inspiration highlighted by its open kitchen, brimming with well-humored chefs and slowly-roasting rotisserie meats bound for your plate.

Primarily an espresso bar, Chapter One places a premium on the bean-to-cup chain: from farms that grow their beans with integrity, to ethical buyers and local roasters who treat the beans, to the Bonmak Hikaria Siphon that single-filter each delicate brew. Chapter One goes easy on the organic milk (a quiet stand against Germany’s lactose-heavy coffee culture), and serves beverages to educate customers on the art of a fine espresso experience. Founded by Germany’s 2002 barista champion and opened in the deep of winter 2011, Chapter One is a special spot that brings new genius to Berlin’s burgeoning coffee culture.