Hackbarth’s
Mitte, Berlin
Bar in Berlin, Germany
Book with PearlWhy go
Hackbarth's on Auguststraße is a long-standing Mitte neighbourhood bar; unpretentious, walk-in friendly, best visited early in the evening before the room fills. It won't give you the curated depth of Berlin's cocktail specialists, but it delivers reliable drinks and genuine local character. A practical stop on any Mitte bar run.
About Hackbarth’s
Hackbarth's, Berlin: Quick Take
Hackbarth's sits on Auguststraße 49A in Berlin's Mitte district, right in the middle of one of the city's most concentrated stretches of bars and galleries. For explorers working through Berlin's bar scene, this is a neighbourhood worth knowing; and Hackbarth's has been part of its fabric long enough to carry some genuine local credibility.
The space itself is what you notice first. Compact, lived-in, deliberately unpretentious, it reads as a neighbourhood bar in the leading sense: no performance, no gimmick, just a room that fits its street. If you're coming from somewhere like Buck & Breck; which runs a tightly curated, high-concept cocktail operation, Hackbarth's is the counterpoint. Less ceremony, more ease.
The bar's identity leans into spirits in a way that's characteristic of long-running Berlin neighbourhood bars: a solid selection without the exhaustive categorisation you'd find at a dedicated whiskey or gin venue. If you're after depth in a single spirit category, Stagger Lee offers a more focused programme. Hackbarth's is better framed as a place where the pour is reliable and the atmosphere does a lot of the work.
Timing matters here. Hackbarth's works well earlier in the evening, when the Auguststraße crowd is still building and you can actually hold a conversation. Later on, particularly on weekends, the room fills and the noise climbs. This is not the place for a quiet drink after 10 PM on a Friday. Come Thursday or early Saturday evening for the right balance of energy and usability.
Booking is not required and walk-ins are the standard. The address puts you within easy reach of several other bars worth hitting on the same night, see our full Berlin bars guide for a mapped-out crawl of the neighbourhood. If you're building a wider Berlin trip, the Berlin restaurants guide and Berlin hotels guide are the logical next stops.
For Germany-wide bar comparisons, The Parlour in Frankfurt and Goldene Bar in Munich represent two different models of what a serious bar programme looks like, useful reference points if you're calibrating expectations before arriving in Berlin.
Practical Details
| Detail | Hackbarth's | Buck & Breck | Stagger Lee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking Required | No | Yes (recommended) | No |
| Walk-in Friendly | Yes | Limited | Yes |
| Ideal time to visit | Early evening, Thu/Sat | Any evening | Evening |
| Vibe | Neighbourhood, relaxed | High-concept, intimate | Focused, spirit-led |
| Good for Groups | Small groups | Pairs preferred | Small groups |
Planning details
- Location
- Auguststraße 49A, 10119 Berlin, Germany
- Website
- berlin.de/cafes/adressen/cafe/hackbarths-0d1ab041fbae2cc0a7f4503ae95b9b6c.html
- Phone
- +49 30 2827704
The take
The Take
The Vibe
Hackbarth's reads like a quietly fashionable Mitte bar that sits at the intersection of the gallery crowd and the evening drinking set. It lives on Auguststraße rather than in the tourism brief, functioning as a dependable local anchor rather than a showpiece. The tone is unforced: the place is comfortable for a 19:00 glass of wine after an opening and equally intelligible for the same group at midnight. That elasticity—part neighborhood mainstay, part art-world haunt—gives it a trendy-but-unostentatious character that rewards repeat visits and slow, conversational nights.
Best For
This is a bar aimed at people moving between openings, apartments and late conversations rather than one-off tourist itineraries. It is especially well suited to gallery-goers stopping for a drink after a show and to local groups who want a place that adapts from early-evening wine into late-night rounds. Hackbarth's works for small groups who value atmosphere and conversation, and for anyone who prefers a place that feels like a reliable fixture in Mitte rather than a momentary novelty.
Ordering Tips
Keep orders simple and in tune with the bar's neighborhood role: a glass of wine or a long drink fits the setting and is directly cited in the description. The profile is intentionally contrasted with high-precision cocktail temples, so expect drinks that support conversation rather than performance-focused theatrics. If you arrive after a gallery opening, start with a glass of wine and let the night unfold—the spot is built to hold its shape from early evening through a second round at midnight.
Venue details
Ambiance
Vintage bar atmosphere with unpretentious interior, marble countertop, gold bar, wooden tables, and a relaxed, chatty crowd under low lighting conducive to conversation.
Tags
Vibe
Best For
Experience
Format
At the Bar
- Bar Category
- Pub
- Late Night
- Open Until 4am
Planning details
Location
Auguststraße 49A, 10119 Berlin, Germany · Directions
berlin.de/cafes/adressen/cafe/hackbarths-0d1ab041fbae2cc0a7f4503ae95b9b6c.html
Also consider
Also Consider
- Buck & Breck; Notable alternative
- Lebensstern; Notable alternative
- Stagger Lee; Notable alternative
- Velvet; Notable alternative
- Wax On; Notable alternative
Bar context
How It Compares
Among Berlin's bar options in and around Mitte, Hackbarth's occupies the accessible, unfussy end of the spectrum. Buck & Breck is the right call if you want a technically ambitious cocktail programme in an intimate setting; but it requires more planning and delivers a very different experience. Hackbarth's is easier to walk into and carries less pressure, which makes it the better choice when you want a drink rather than an event.
Stagger Lee and Velvet both lean harder into specific identity; Stagger Lee through a focused spirits programme, Velvet through atmosphere and aesthetic. If you're an explorer who wants to understand Berlin's bar scene by category, use those two as your reference points for what a dedicated programme looks like, use Hackbarth's as the neighbourhood baseline. Lebensstern sits closer to Hackbarth's in terms of approachability, though it pulls a different crowd given its location near KaDeWe.
For value and ease of access, Hackbarth's is hard to argue with as a first or last stop on a Mitte evening. It's not the place to benchmark serious cocktail craft; for that, Buck & Breck is the clear winner in Berlin. But if you want a room with genuine local character and no booking required, Hackbarth's earns its place on the list. See our full Berlin bars guide for context on where it fits across the whole city.
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full Hackbarth’s guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare Hackbarth’s
| Venue | Booking Difficulty | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| Hackbarth’s | Easy | No published awards |
| Buck & Breck | Unknown | Top 500 Bars 2027 · #4002020 World's 50 Best Bars · #372018 World's 50 Best Bars · #482016 World's 50 Best Bars · #502015 World's 50 Best Bars · #162014 World's 50 Best Bars · #212013 World's 50 Best Bars · #17 |
| Lebensstern | Unknown | No published awards |
| Stagger Lee | Unknown | 2012 World's 50 Best Bars · #48 |
| Velvet | Unknown | Top 500 Bars 2027 · #369Top 500 Bars 2026 · #1442026 Pinnacle Guide |
| Wax On | Unknown | 2026 Europe's 50 Best Bars · #17Top 500 Bars 2026 · #2962025 World's 50 Best Bars · #572024 World's 50 Best Bars · #732023 World's 50 Best Bars · #29 |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the crowd like at Hackbarth's?
Hackbarth's draws a mixed, neighbourhood-leaning crowd typical of Auguststraße in Mitte, an area that pulls gallery-goers, locals, visitors in roughly equal measure. It's not a tourist trap, but it's not a secret either. Expect a relaxed, conversational atmosphere rather than anything high-energy or sceney.
Do I need a reservation at Hackbarth's?
For most visits, walking in is fine; Hackbarth's functions as a drop-in bar on Auguststraße 49A rather than a reservation-first destination. Peak weekend evenings in Mitte can fill up fast given the density of foot traffic on that strip, so arriving early is the practical hedge. No booking infrastructure is publicly listed.
Is Hackbarth's good for groups?
Small to mid-size groups work well here given the bar's Mitte location and casual format. For larger parties of six or more, the same Auguststraße stretch offers alternatives with more defined group capacity, so it's worth a call ahead. Hackbarth's suits a group that wants to settle in, not one that needs a structured booking or dedicated space.
Is Hackbarth's good for a date?
Yes, for a low-pressure first or second date. Auguststraße's gallery-district context gives you something to do before or after, Hackbarth's doesn't carry the performative weight of Berlin's more self-conscious bar scene. If you want something more atmospheric or cocktail-forward, Buck & Breck a short distance away sets a higher bar for date-night stagecraft.
