Berlin

Coffee and cake, '50s style

Nestled at the very end of the northern U6 Metro line, Alt-Tegel is one of those seemingly far-flung places that few tourists ever get to visit.

But Berliners themselves have long loved the area's slightly faded charms - chief among them the Greenwich Promenade, a lakeside esplanade which still attracts day-trippers of a certain age to its ice-cream parlours, tea dances and lost-in-time cafes.

And for fans of all things retro, there's another, far less obvious highlight tucked away in a leafy Alt-Tegel backstreet: a miraculously preserved 1950s storefront that's home, today, to 'Bine's Tortenstube', a tranquil cafe serving up delicious home-made cakes.

With its dramatically rounded windows and striking red and black colour scheme, you'd be hard-pushed to find a better example of classic '50s shop design anywhere in Berlin.

And although, sadly, there's little left of the original interior, this architectural gem is so unusual that it definitely merits a place in our guide to Berlin's quirkier, little-known treasures.

It also happens to be one of the area's very best cake shops, so indulge that sweet tooth while feasting your eyes on an extraordinary slice of postwar décor.

See also:
A retro cafe that granny would love
A 19th century time capsule apartment
Berlin's funkiest, '50s style laundromat

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