Although you can find good coffee all across Berlin, it’s still quite rare in tourist areas, which makes The Barn’s coffee shop in the Sony Center, around the corner from Potsdamer Platz, such a good find. The Barn, which boasts 10 Berlin coffee shops and two more overseas (Mallorca, Dubai), needs no introduction with its international reputation for roasting excellent coffee. The Barn, which began life in the Mitte district of Berlin, has a certain look and feel to the majority of its coffee shops, although the one in the Sony Center bucks this trend, with its modern, clean lines. There’s a handful of tables outside on the quiet street, while there’s plenty more seating in the L-shaped interior.

Despite the atypical appearance, you can be sure of the same warm welcome, along with the usual range of coffee, which is common to all The Barn’s Berlin locations. This includes a concise espresso-based menu (available online via QR Code), two options on pour-over through the V60, plus cold brew, tea, hot chocolate and a range of cakes. The specific beans (all single-origins) vary by location, chosen by the baristas every few days, while the full range is available in retail bags.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45

Photo Carousel by WOWSlider.com v4.6

The Barn at the Sony Center is a recent addition to the area, although it’s not that easy to find, being on the northern side of the Sony Center on the quiet Bellevuestraße, just to the northeast of Potsdamer Platz. In fact, The Barn has another coffee shop nearby on the opposite side of Potsdamer Straße on Alte Potsdamer Straße, and since this is easier to find (and it’s more likely that you’ll wander past), it’s perpetually busy, whereas the one in the Sony Center is a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding area.

Occupying a ground floor spot in the modern building, The Barn looks out over Henriette-Herz-Park, providing a pleasant, green backdrop for your coffee. If you want to sit outside on the broad pavement, then there are a pair of round, four-person tables (one front, one back) to the right of the door, while to the left, there are a pair of round, two-person tables at the front and a four-person picnic-style table at the back.

The front of The Barn is all glass, with central, glass door, making for a very bright interior. Stepping inside, the space is long and thin, with the counter is directly ahead of you, running all the way to the wall at the right-hand end. There’s limited seating down here, with a two-person window-bar to the right of the door, followed by a single-person one, both with stools.

The bulk of the seating is to the left, where the counter stops short just after the door, extending just enough to fit in three low stools, with a fourth tucked around the corner at the end of the counter. There are three more stools, tall ones this time, at a pair of window-bars to the left of the door, while beyond the counter, space extends towards the back, giving it an L shape. There’s lots more seating here, with a bench running down the left-hand wall and along the back wall, while there’s a shorter bench running from the back wall up to the counter. In all, there are ten small, round tables, with addition seating provided by chairs.

You order at the counter, the till slightly off to the right as you enter, leaving you standing face-to-face with the cake display, which itself is surrounded by retail bags of coffee and coffee-related kit. The counter to the left, beyond the cakes, is kept clear, while to the right is the pour-over station and then the La Marzocco Linea espresso machine.

Unlike some of The Barn’s locations, which have no printed menus, there are menus here on the counter, along with a QR Code to take you to the more extensive online menu. There’s a single-origin plus decaf on espresso, along with two single-origins on pour-over through the V60. These change every day or two, with the baristas getting to choose what they want to serve.

During my visit, the pour-over choices were the El Obraje Colibri from Colombia and the Gitwe from Rwanda, which is what I went for. Served in a carafe with the cup on the side, this was a very fine coffee. Subtle and smooth, it was at the perfect drinking temperature, with a touch of citric acidity coming out as it cooled. I went back for an espresso, the Fasya from Brazil, which produced a classic, strong well-balanced shot which brought a fine end to my coffee shop explorations that day (you can also see what I made of the Fasya when I tried it in a cortado at The Barn at Café Kranzler).

Liked this Coffee Spot? Then check out the rest of Berlin’s speciality coffee scene with the Coffee Spot Guide to Berlin.

You can also see what I made of two more of The Barn’s coffee shops, the original coffee shop/roastery on Schönhauser Allee and the other at the iconic Café Kranzler.

Don’t forget that you can share this post with your friends using buttons below, while if you have a WordPress account, you can use the “Like this” button to let me know if you liked the post.