Where flowers, cakes and poetry mingle harmoniously…
Berliners love their bounteous breakfasts as much as their afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen—and any establishment that can offer both is justly venerated. So it is with Anna Blume, a Prenzlauer Berg institution that manages to combine a florist, bakery and cafe with impressive fluidity.
Interior designer Thomas Seiffert has made good use of the fact the venue was named after a 1919 Kurt Schwitters poem: lines from the surrealist masterpiece spiral elegantly outwards from a reproduction of an Alphonse Mucha mural—a summer-clad Art-Nouveau woman (Lady Dada?) sniffing coquettishly at a flower—and unfurl along the walls behind the counter.
The conceptual borders between flower shop and café blur even more as you spend time here. Delicate odours waft through the café when the internal door is opened; petals and other flower parts turn up in the beverages and food (think rose-infused crepes, teas, home-made ice cream); gorgeous bouquets and arrangements punctuate the tasteful interior.
The Art Deco theme continues with the curving red leather banquets, the solid, marble-topped tables and the dark, cosy salon at the rear, all red drapes and candlelight even during the day. Oddly the place only opened in 2005—it feels like it’s been here forever.
You can also sit outside on the generous patio (blankets and heat lamps during winter) and watch the locals go about their business. If that gets boring, grab a free book from the tree library—a community bookstore cunningly inserted into a nearby tree trunk.
Anna Blume’s menu stretches to hearty lunches and vigorous dinner courses made from seasonal ingredients—but it’s as a breakfast and cake place that it reigns supreme. For Frühstück there’s the usual run of muesli, eggs, crepes… but the real highlight are the set breakfasts.
Named after flowers, they’re beautifully presented and generously proportioned. Fish fans will love the Anemone (salmon, scrambled eggs, shrimps); the Med-style Oleander features salami, provolone, oyster mushrooms and marinated zucchini; the Alpenrose has Tyrolean ham and Schweinelende (pork loin). There are also options for vegetarians and vegans.
If there are two or more in your group then you should plump for a platter: a vibrant medley of …