Ben Rahim

Ben Rahim opened in the Hackesche Hofe in 2015 billing itself as the first third wave coffee shop with an Arabian twist, a genuine hybrid rather than a gimmick, the counter pours V60 and espresso alongside coffee brewed the traditional way in a copper cezwe, and the shop sells its own cezwe pots, burners, and porcelain cups for people who want to take that brewing method home. The house rule is stated plainly on the website, no sugar is served at all, and hand brewed filter coffee comes without milk by default, a stance the shop treats as a point of principle rather than a limitation.

Eleven years in, Ben Rahim has expanded from this original Berlin address to sister shops in Tunis and Doha, and single origin filter options rotate seasonally, a bright Kenya lot served as iced V60 with cherry and hibiscus notes was a recent seasonal pour. The Hackesche Hofe courtyard location keeps a full breakfast and baklava case running alongside the coffee bar, and outdoor tables in the courtyard stay busy from the morning opening through the afternoon.