5 wonderful tearooms in Berlin

Chén Chè serves a selection of excellent Vietnamese dishes but the most important reason you should drop by, is the afternoon tea: a pot of organic green Sencha-tea and three delicacies from their family bakery, served on a wooden plate. Pay attention to their porcelain: it’s just stunning.

This tearoom has been in the same family for five generations now, and their speciality is Baumkuchen or tree cake: a kind of spit cake that gets its name from the characteristic rings that appear when it’s sliced – they look like tree rings. You will also find more than 55 other cakes, pastries, and ice cakes in the bakery. It’s a fantastic place for breakfast too.

The big Karl Marx Allee used to be called the Stalin Allee and it has a very interesting past. In Café Sibylle there’s a permanent exposition of old photographs of this avenue. They also sometimes organise tours here (only in German). Have some coffee and cake and enjoy a perfect afternoon at a historical location.

The whole interior of this splendid teahouse was a gift from the former Soviet constituent republic Tajikistan to the GDR. The venue opened in 1976 but has moved since then. The tea is served in original samovars – a Russian metal container that’s used to make tea. The samovar tea ceremonies are very popular so please book well in advance.

A little off the beaten track but too good not to mention and very close to Gärten der Welt (secret no. 297). Proof that Berlin has it all! Do you have a hankering for some tea and homemade cake and a rose garden? Look no further. This tiny English cottage serves one of the best high teas in town. Utterly British, indeed.