One of the most beautiful pieces of Berlin actually is a piece of another city (Al-Hillah, Iraq). Normally Berliners are laid back and like to hang around, drink beer and chat till sunrise. Sometimes they do get excited though, and then they start taking old war-battered stones and piecing them together to (re)form walls. The results are great as can be seen all over Berlin, but the Ishtar gate in the Pergamon museum is where they’ve really outdone themselves.

Delicious beer and marinated camembert.

One of my favorite sophisticated-but-casual places in Berlin. Everything is delicious and the restaurant is cozy and minimal at the same time. It is the right place to have a wonderful dinner with somebody special without being too anxious about the dress code :)

Zola is a Neapolitan style pizza joint hidden inside a Kreuzberg backyard. This is a killer pizza place, one of the best in Berlin without a doubt. 

Wim Wenders shot Wings of Desire here. It's a quiet place to work and definitely a gorgeous place to visit. Combine it with a visit to the Philharmonic, just across the street. Affiliation is 30 euros per year and you have lots of desks all over the library to choose from.