Filed under: Berlin, canal, kreuzberg, nightlife, Restaurants & Bars
The Ankerklause: Cafe Bar of Nautical Kitsch
I only just realised I’ve been writing here for a year and have completely failed to cover one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks – Die Ankerklause. This cafe/bar lies just south of Kottbusser Tor, right on the Landwehrkanal and is almost an institution. It’s a place you can still find that grungy Berlin feel, a place that hasn’t changed or gentrified over the last decade, and a place that is still one of the most popular destinations on a sunny day for people who just want to hang out with a beer.
Now when I say it’s on the Landwehrkanal I mean it. This small, shack-like building overhangs the water and from the back balcony you can while away a pleasant afternoonwatching the passing canal traffic. Spend an hour sitting out here and I guarantee you’ll end up in some other tourist’s Flickr album as you chill out like a local. If you’re lucky you’ll get to see some brave Berliner’s take to the water in an inflatable dinghy. If it’s a sunny spring day the front area on the street will be overflowing with customers trying to up their vitamin D levels and, though louder than the back, has more tables and less shade.
The menu is reasonably sparse. It’s typical bar food, generally, with some all-day breakfast offerings. I did enjoy the burrito though and they have a small selection of cakes. Coffee, beer and cocktails are available but I’d avoid the wine list… half of my glass went over the balcony to the ducks.
Nights are usually busy, loud and crowded. It’s a fun atmosphere if you like small spaces. So far every second time I’m at the Ankerklause there is someone going around selling candles. I’m not entirely sure why they’ve chosen this product to purvey – perhaps they’ve realised that Germans don’t tend towards the flights of romantic fancy that would find them a customer for roses.
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