Isla Coffee

Isla built its name in Schillerkiez on a house espresso from Berlin roaster Vote Coffee alongside single origin lots like a traceable community batch from the Ombligo de Luna project in Mexico, and the shop treats that sourcing chain, down to using Wildfarmed regenerative oats in the milk alternative, as seriously as anything on the food menu. It has also become an unofficial hub for Berlin's running community, offering a standing discount to groups stopping in before or after a group run, and even set up a pop up counter at a partner roastery on the other side of the city for runners who cannot make it to the original address.

The cafe runs a deliberately old school policy for a specialty shop this well known, no wifi and no laptops, which keeps the small leafy terrace and dining room turning over for people actually there to eat and drink rather than work. A strict low waste ethos runs through the kitchen and the coffee program alike, and the shop closes entirely on Tuesdays to give the small team a real day off rather than running seven days a week.