We’re standing in an area of Berlin that I’m not so familiar with. In Mitte, just a block from the River Spree and only 20 minutes walk to Alexanderplatz. A small park sits opposite the hotel and in the small lot next door, a food truck market is generating a small crowd. The hotel in front of me looks like any other business building—slightly intimidating at first in its cold silver exterior, but once we walk inside, a soft and playful palette of colors welcomes into a familiar Berlin scene.
We’re here for a night at the hotel, including a dinner in the plush restaurant which is beginning to get a name for itself in Berlin’s food scene. Located inside the COSMO Hotel lobby in Mitte, the Scent Restaurant is run by chef Ottmar Pohl-Hoffbauer. His menu features eco-friendly and sustainable foods sourced from local & regional markets and vendors.
The chef has worked with Berlin foodie favorite Markthalle IX and has had stands at some of Berlin’s speciality food markets. A three-course set meal in the restaurant is fairly reasonable—a better value than many of the other high-end restaurants, and the quality just as good.
The menu changes seasonally but the innovative desserts and starters are exceptionally good—expect a lot of surprising flavors such as a sweet & spicy kimchi and savory ice creams. Weird but good, a lot like Berlin.
After a long and leisurely dinner, the balcony of our hotel room provided the perfect place for a glance of that Berlin sunset. The cranes from Museum Island were far enough away not to be a nuisance, and there’s that TV tower again—standing tall against the red-roofed historic buildings of Berlin Mitte.
Rooms in the hotel are comfortable and relatively spacious. A large balcony from the back of the building was definitely the highlight of the room, offering a sweeping panoramic view over Berlin. The standard-sized room also had a clean and spacious desk at the foot of the bed and a TV tucked away in the corner. There’s a simple elegance to the design and layout of the rooms—the perfect kind of escape from Berlin’s crazy and cool vibe outside.
More information about the COSMO Hotel Berlin available on their website.
Photos courtesy of COSMO Hotel Berlin.
In 2009, Adam Groffman quit his job as a graphic designer in Boston and went on a 15+ month trip around the world. The life-changing journey took him to places like North Africa, the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia. Since 2011 Adam has been living in Berlin—Europe’s most hipster city.
Travels of Adam is a hipster travel & lifestyle blog for sharing his personal experiences and alternative & indie travel tips from around the world. He also is the editor of My Gay Travel Guide—a gay travel website written by gay travelers for gay travelers.
