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Berlin Uncovered: Bikini Berlin

Berlin Uncovered: Bikini Berlin

Bikini Berlin

Today I’m sharing about another highlight from my Berlin trip, Bikini Berlin… and no, it has nothing to do with swimwear!

My friends and I decided to check out the new concept mall in City West as we had been hearing so much about it.

The basic concept of BIKINI BERLIN is a combination of shopping, working, cinema, recreation, urban oasis and hotel. The name BIKINI BERLIN comes from the name Bikinihaus, which is how local Berliners affectionately christened the building in the 1950s. An open-sided storey framed by columns on the second floor once separated the building into one upper and one lower area. For the Berlin locals, the two-tier architecture, which today is fully glazed, reminded them of the daring new swimwear fashion of that time, the bikini.

At first we were a bit disappointed as the ground floor felt like a regular upmarket mall with a selection of boutiques and a few pop-up style shops which is nothing new for us Capetonians. But we knew there had to be more, so we headed upstairs to the rooftop terrace and happily discovered a lovely outdoor area overlooking the zoological garden.

Super

There are two really fantastic shop/eateries on the terrace level, Super and Gestalten, both overlooking the green oasis of the zoo and Tiergarten.

Super is a very cool industrial style, open plan shopping space and eatery. From quirky, fun gadgets to more high end pieces from Kikkerland, Normann Coppenhagen, Muuto and Balmain. Sigh, I wanted to buy everything!

Supermarket, Bikini Berlin

Supermarket, Bikini Berlin

Supermarket, Bikini Berlin

Gestalten is on the other side of the terrace and has more of a grown up feel with gorgeous interior fittings and an integrated café. The shop has an great selection of products from covetable brands to designer pieces. Once again I wanted to shop up a storm here!

25HoursHotel

After a bit of shopping, we headed over to the 25 Hours Hotel and up to the 1oth floor to discover the Neni Berlin restaurant and Monkey Bar…

Neni Berlin is a gorgeous dining area with a breath-taking vista all round. I absolutely loved all the greenery and hanging plants. I’d definitely love to eat here next time round, how amazing does this sound…

NENI Berlin is a culinary mosaic of Persian, Russian, Arabic, Moroccan, Turkish, Spanish, German and Austrian influences. The concept of Haya Molcho is that everyone is able to try a little of everything, and pots and pans are taken from the kitchen and placed directly on the table without any airs or graces.

Make the Monkey Bar your last stop for the day so that you sit down, relax and enjoy a cocktail while taking in the amazing views. The floor to ceiling windows allow for an amazing panorama of the city and you can also sit out on the deck and take in some sunshine.

The decor is stunning and takes inspiration from the monkey enclosure down below. My photos really don’t do the space any justice, think exotic, urban jungle – that you don’t want to leave! I can’t wait to go back one day… to enjoy a glass of bubbles and watch the sun set over Berlin.

All photography: Lana Kenney ©


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  1. Rose McClement

    27 November

    Thank you for such an fab post – it makes me want to jump on a plane, jet out to Europe and trawl places such as this to soak up what the European interior thought leaders are doing. These interiors are so my thing – edgy industrial with that touch of class in the furniture pieces. Like the seating in Neni – stylish, funky and trendy. What an experience. It looks as if you could spend a whole day there.

  2. Natasha

    27 November

    Wow, it looks incredible. I hope I get to visit Berlin. We have been talking about it and might get a chance next year.

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