This month, our teacher Tamara takes us to Berlin: the bold, bizarre, beautiful city she’s called home for nearly four years. A proud Tel Avivian and head of Sales at Citizen Café, Tamara moves through Berlin with the curiosity of an artist and the sass of a pop culture critic. From late-night arak at an Israeli restaurant to quiet mornings with bagels and Bowie, she has figured out how to make this massive city feel like her own private playground.

My name is Tamara Epstein. I’m a proud Tel Avivian, currently living in Berlin (almost four years now!). I am head of the Sales Department at Citizen Café – and I’m also a Hebrew teacher 😎
I’m deeply interested in music and art, especially from the business & branding side. I’m fascinated by pop culture and how it shapes the way we live, think, and connect. I pretty much know everything about it. Try me 👑

1. Where do I get my coffee?

📍Shakespeare & Sons – Fine Bagels, Warschauer Str. 74, 10243 Berlin, Germany

Shakespeare & Sons – Fine Bagels
Coffee in Germany isn’t exactly known for its greatness, so to be honest, my favorite coffee is the one I make at home. But (!) when Sunday rolls around and I need to recover from the weekend, I always love heading to this place.
It’s an English-language bookstore that also serves New York-style bagels (they call it Jewish-style bagels… I’m still not sure what the connection is between bagels and Jews, but I guess it’s an American thing?). Anyway, I love sitting there, sipping coffee, enjoying a bagel, and picking out a good book in English.

2. Where do I go when I’m feeling fancy?

📍Night Kitchen Berlin, Heckmann Höfe, Oranienburger Str. 32, 10115 Berlin, Germany

Night Kitchen Berlin
It might sound like a strange choice – an Israeli restaurant in Germany – but Berlin’s going-out culture is so different from what we’re used to in Israel.
When I want to treat myself and celebrate, I want to sit at a restaurant, order great food, and hear everyone talking way too loud while the bartender offers us a round of arak shots.
Actually when I want to feel fancy, I want to feel like I’m in Tel Aviv again….
Night Kitchen is an Israeli restaurant in the heart of Berlin that always gives me exactly that experience. The food in Tel Aviv may be better, but the vibe – that special Israeli energy – is the same.

3. Cultural hub

📍Strandbar Mitte, by the river, Monbijoustraße 3B, 10117 Berlin, Germany

Strandbar Mitte, by the river
Every summer, they set up a beautiful dance floor right by the river – and every night of the week, there’s a different music genre.
I love sitting on the little grassy hill nearby, grabbing a beer, and watching people dance.
After that, I’ll grab a slice of pizza and head to a cozy bar. It’s the perfect evening.

4. My go-to outdoor spot

📍Volkspark Friedrichshain, 10249 Berlin, Germany

Volkspark Friedrichshain
A bit of a cliché, maybe – and people who live in Berlin wouldn’t necessarily name this one – but I live just a minute away, and there’s something about my neighborhood park that feels absolutely magical.
Every time I walk in, I feel like I’m 10 years old and discovering the world.
I’m enchanted by the people lying on the grass doing absolutely nothing, I love the open-air cinema with old films at night, and I love walking through the park after a night out and seeing people strolling with their dogs.
There’s something so European yet intimate about it – it always makes me feel like I belong.

5. A place that I don’t like in the city

The U8 U-Bahn line
The legendary U8 line connects some of Berlin’s most diverse and iconic neighborhoods – from Neukölln in the south, through Kreuzberg and Alexanderplatz, all the way up to Gesundbrunnen in the north. It was actually the first U-Bahn line I got to know when I moved to Berlin. And while I do have some sentimental memories tied to it – mostly of the 23-year-old me trying to figure life out – I have to say: nothing good has ever happened to me on that train 🫠

It’s one of those lines where there’s always a weird smell, someone yelling, someone fighting, and you catch yourself thinking, “maybe I should’ve just walked…”

6. A significant person for you who was born in the city or currently lives there

David Bowie
Between 1976 and 1979, Bowie moved to Berlin – specifically to Schöneberg, then part of West Berlin – to escape the drug scene and fame of Los Angeles, and to rediscover himself as an artist and as a person.
He once said he chose Berlin because “no one there cared who I was.”
He was looking for anonymity, peace of mind, and a different pace of life. And honestly? If I had to explain why I came to Berlin, I’d probably use those exact same words.
It moves me to know that someone so iconic saw in this city what I see in it.

Fun fact: At the beginning of his career, some claimed Harry Styles would be the “new David Bowie.” Rumor has it he’s been living in Berlin for a few months now — people see him around all the time, even in the big clubs. There’s something about this city that attracts people who need both quiet and noise.
I love it here.