Going to Berlin for a stag do with 10 guys next week, advice needed please!

[Richdog]

As per title, I am off to Berlin next week for a stag do. There will be 10 of us aged between 28 - 36.

A friend of ours has, without consulting us, booked us a table at a place called Matrix, but if I look at Google reviews and at Google image search it looks like it's a small club packed with 16-18 year olds, which would be a nightmare.

What we are looking for is a recommendation for the coolest parts of town for guys our age where we can drink in trendy (but not posh) bars and get chatting to some ladies of our age range. Ending up in a cool club, not cheesy if possible, and definitely not aimed at young teenie-boppers, would also be great.

So, anyone have any experience or recommendations please?

 

[Scam]

Kreuzberg is the hipster part of Berlin. It felt fairly grown up to me though. I went in Feb and a co-worker gave me some tips (she's from Germany). We didn't actually get to any of them though, so don't blame me

- Ä Bar on Weserstrasse (Neukolln, near Kreuzberg) – open very late, if you see a couple framed portraits of Amy Winehouse near the entrance then you’re in the right place (http://www.berlin-fever.com/en/bars/a) P.S. There’s loads of bars on Weserstrasse, just a heads up, a lot of them don’t take cards, pretty much 99% of them only take cash!

- Captain Schillow on Strasse des 17 Juni (Charlottenburg) – boat restaurant/bar docked on a canal, if the weather’s nice it’s very pleasant to sit outside & eat lunch with a bier – it’s also really close to the Berlin Zoo / Tiergarten which is quite big & leafy, you can walk through the park and head on over to the Berlin Victory Column, which is the famous big golden statue with the angel on top where Obama gave a speech way back when he was first campaigning for Prez. (www.capt-schillow.de)

- Mirchi on Oranienstrasse (Kreuzberg) – Singaporean restaurant, the food is delicious (cocktails are too), the portions are massive & you really get what you pay for & their outdoor lounge is the tops! (mirchi.de)

- Oranienstrasse in Kreuzberg has loads of cool bars & trendy shops, it’s a bit like Dalston or Shoreditch in comparison to London. There’s a really nice wine bar called Luzia which was quite under the radar, but has got very popular now.

- Café Jacques on Maybachuferstrasse (Kreuzberg) – very nice restaurant/wine bar, don’t be fooled by the outer appearance. It’s got a really nice, cozy, gastropub-like atmosphere and the food is great too, it’s right next to another canal so it’s nice to sit outside on a warm day.

- Haeckescher Markt (Mitte) has so many shops and an outdoor market, you literally just walk out of the U-Bahn station and they’re all there. It’s considered to be a posher district in Berlin, more expensive but it’s nice.

- Kulturbrauerei – old brewery that hosts several clubs & bars
- Bassy – rockabilly & Northern Soul/old school R&B & soul bar
- Kater Holzig - highly recommended bar (I've never been there but well recommended

We stayed in Alexanderplatz and went to Haeckescher Markt a few times (it's a short walk). Some decent restaurants but it felt a bit touristy unless you went off the beaten path. We went to Kreuzberg on a Sat afternoon and bizzarely everything was shut! We struggled even to find anywhere for lunch!

I'm actually also going on a stag do to Berlin soon, so I'm also taking notes from this thread

 

[Richdog]

Yeah, I'm staying at ALexanderplatz too, so we want to get away from there to the good places on the Saturday!

Thanks for the tips I'll bear them in mind, and if anyone else has any please let me know!

 

[/\ndy]

Some decent brothels in Berlin, you''ll be ballin' hard out there my friend.

 

[crinkleshoes]

Don't forget a trip to an FKK club...

It's like a strip club... with benefits.

 

[Richdog]

Don't forget a trip to an FKK club...

It's like a strip club... with benefits.

I live in the land of brothels and FKK clubs (more per square km than any other EU country), so this gag is nothing new or original my friend.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

When I saw the thread title my first thought was, "Tell me the OP is male"

 

[XeNoN89]

http://www.water-gate.de/

You will probably struggle to get in though, they don't like groups of british blokes!

 

[Richdog]

http://www.water-gate.de/

You will probably struggle to get in though, they don't like groups of british blokes!

There will be:

6x British
2 x Americans
1 x Turkish
1 x Ethiopian

...so some variety at least. But yeah, needs to be a place that doesn't mine a group of lads for sure.

But anyway, when we find a aplace that looks good we will call ahead and try and get on the guest list and reserve a table.

 

[FutileBreadMachine]

My advice - double bag it.

 

[Richdog]

My advice - double bag it.

Ahh, the simple humour of the common GD troglodyte... take the same joke and rinse and repeat in the hopes that it will somehow get marginally funnier each time.

 

[Simmz]

Deffo see some of the sites, we did a beer bike which took us round everywhere which was a good laugh. Also if you are into football, check to see if there are any games on as you have Hertha BSC, then FC Union Berlin. We went to a FC union Berlin game as Hertha were playing away and the atmosphere was fantastic, plus can take beers into the game and people walk round with backpack beer so you can buy and drink during the game. If feeling brave then - http://www.base-flying.com/

As for bars and clubs, it's quite relaxed and we didn't seem to have any trouble getting into anywhere with 12 of us. Also the dress code is a lot more relaxed there, so don't really need to turn up in super smart clothes or you will stick out like a sore thumb. Matrix wasn't too bad, gets busy which is the main thing, plus different rooms with different music playing.

Make sure you also grab a Berlin CityTourCard 2015 (ABC) for the trains which will allow you to get anywhere. Prices cheap too -
48 hours only € 19.40
72 hours only € 26.50
5 days only € 36.90

 

[Richdog]

Deffo see some of the sites, we did a beer bike which took us round everywhere which was a good laugh. Also if you are into football, check to see if there are any games on as you have Hertha BSC, then FC Union Berlin. We went to a FC union Berlin game as Hertha were playing away and the atmosphere was fantastic, plus can take beers into the game and people walk round with backpack beer so you can buy and drink during the game. If feeling brave then - http://www.base-flying.com/

We are playing bubble football on Saturday afternoon, so an activity is sorted there thanks.

As for bars and clubs, it's quite relaxed and we didn't seem to have any trouble getting into anywhere with 12 of us. Also the dress code is a lot more relaxed there, so don't really need to turn up in super smart clothes or you will stick out like a sore thumb. Matrix wasn't too bad, gets busy which is the main thing, plus different rooms with different music playing

Hmm so can you give me a bit of a lowdown on Matrix please... all of the photos I see online show teenage kids? The last thing I want is to be surrounded by young kids with glowsticks, we want to meet and chat with some cool women in late twenties and early thirties.

Make sure you also grab a Berlin CityTourCard 2015 (ABC) for the trains which will allow you to get anywhere. Prices cheap too -
48 hours only € 19.40
72 hours only € 26.50
5 days only € 36.90

Thats a good tip, I'll make sure we order the 72 hour, should save some stress!

PS: Any ideas for brunch on Sunday?

 

[daz]

We did the beer bike around the city which was great fun. Word of warning they will make you do a breath test before you get on so probably something to do earlier on in the day.

 

[Simmz]

We were all 29/30 when we went. When you walk in, it looks like a dungeon in all honesty lol, but once into the main room it's quite open with a couple of bars. Best place to chat and mingle with people is in here, which also seemed to be where the older crowd were. Next room was rnb/hiphop, where all the younger lot were, but nothing wrong with it as music was good plus all the women were dressed in pretty much nothing, so good to look and touch if you are single -_- Room after that was kind of the seedy room I'd call it, as was constant stobe lighting and **** knows was the music played in there was, good if you are into the drugs scene I suppose, although the bar in there was always empty so we quite often went in there to get a drink if the others were busy. BUT if you are wanting to chat to women, then it's not really the place to do it. It's a club and doesn't get busy until 1/2am as it stays open until 6-8am. It's pretty much a place to go once wasted and just basically dance the night away and if you are trying to pull then unless you look like Ronaldinho you shouldn't have too much trouble.

Bar wise, just research online or just walk around like we did. You will find plenty and majority will be busy.

 

[FutileBreadMachine]

Ahh, the simple humour of the common GD troglodyte... take the same joke and rinse and repeat in the hopes that it will somehow get marginally funnier each time.

How very dare you sir! I'll have you know, a Google search on this site for the phrase "double bag it" reveals the last usage to be in September 2011 by a certain "Glaucus", so it's hardly a GD staple.

I pity your travelling companions!

Good day to you sir!

 

[Richdog]

We were all 29/30 when we went. When you walk in, it looks like a dungeon in all honesty lol, but once into the main room it's quite open with a couple of bars. Best place to chat and mingle with people is in here, which also seemed to be where the older crowd were. Next room was rnb/hiphop, where all the younger lot were, but nothing wrong with it as music was good plus all the women were dressed in pretty much nothing, so good to look and touch if you are single -_- Room after that was kind of the seedy room I'd call it, as was constant stobe lighting and **** knows was the music played in there was, good if you are into the drugs scene I suppose, although the bar in there was always empty so we quite often went in there to get a drink if the others were busy. BUT if you are wanting to chat to women, then it's not really the place to do it. It's a club and doesn't get busy until 1/2am as it stays open until 6-8am. It's pretty much a place to go once wasted and just basically dance the night away and if you are trying to pull then unless you look like Ronaldinho you shouldn't have too much trouble.

Bar wise, just research online or just walk around like we did. You will find plenty and majority will be busy.

We were all 29/30 when we went. When you walk in, it looks like a dungeon in all honesty lol, but once into the main room it's quite open with a couple of bars. Best place to chat and mingle with people is in here, which also seemed to be where the older crowd were. Next room was rnb/hiphop, where all the younger lot were, but nothing wrong with it as music was good plus all the women were dressed in pretty much nothing, so good to look and touch if you are single -_- Room after that was kind of the seedy room I'd call it, as was constant stobe lighting and **** knows was the music played in there was, good if you are into the drugs scene I suppose, although the bar in there was always empty so we quite often went in there to get a drink if the others were busy. BUT if you are wanting to chat to women, then it's not really the place to do it. It's a club and doesn't get busy until 1/2am as it stays open until 6-8am. It's pretty much a place to go once wasted and just basically dance the night away and if you are trying to pull then unless you look like Ronaldinho you shouldn't have too much trouble.

Bar wise, just research online or just walk around like we did. You will find plenty and majority will be busy.

Ok chap thanks for the feedback, thats actually very useful! Will check out the best areas and stay concentrated on there for an evening.

How very dare you sir! I'll have you know, a Google search on this site for the phrase "double bag it" reveals the last usage to be in September 2011 by a certain "Glaucus", so it's hardly a GD staple.

I pity your travelling companions!

Good day to you sir!

Thanks!

For!

That!

 

[rhysduck]

we want to meet and chat with some cool women in late twenties and early thirties.

 

[Richdog]

Please do me the courtesy of explaining why that statement was in any way eyeroll-worthy... I need a good laugh this morning.

If oyu can't understand why a gorup of 28-35 year olds prefer to talk to women in our age range when we are out, as opposed to being surrounded by young teens then I guess you must be a tad... special.

 

[XeNoN89]

Please do me the courtesy of explaining why that statement was in any way eyeroll-worthy... I need a good laugh this morning.

If oyu can't understand why a gorup of 28-35 year olds prefer to talk to women in our age range when we are out, as opposed to being surrounded by young teens then I guess you must be a tad... special.

I've always preferred to talk to women of that age group since about the age of 20 Hence why I'm 25 and have a 30 year old girlfriend

Maybe he's rolling his eyes because he can't speak to women?