One of the oldest existing bars in Berlin - a pub has existed at this location since 1890. In 1936, it was taken over by the Burger family and given its name. The family continued to run it as a private business in the GDR. From the 1970s onwards, Kaffee Burger became a meeting place for the East Berlin cultural scene, with the nearby Volksbühne playing a major role in this. Among others, Thomas Brasch, Adolf Endler, Thomas Körner, Heiner Müller, Ulrich Plenzdorf, Klaus Schlesinger, Katharina Thalbach, Bettina Wegner and other artists, intellectuals and journalists frequented the place. The authorities were not happy with this scene, which is why they ordered a temporary closure - nominally for renovation - in 1979. This meant the end of the Burger as an artists' pub for a long time.
In 1999, Uta Burger handed over the restaurant to Karl-Heinz Heymann, Bert Papenfuß-Gorek and Uwe Schilling.
The reopening took place on November 10, 1999. The restaurant was only slightly altered, and the furnishings from the GDR era were essentially retained.
Kaffee Burger became nationally known for its fortnightly Russian disco, organized by Wladimir Kaminer and others.
There was a program almost every day, including readings by the reform stage Heim & Welt, Verbrecher Verlag (until 2004) and other more or less well-known authors. There were also concerts, lectures and talks. Dance events were always held after the program.
On February 13, 2008, Madonna rented the bar to celebrate her world premiere as a director.
The new operators wanted to keep this piece of Berlin history alive and so the “Burger” was given a fresh coat of paint in 2019, but care was taken to retain the old, classic chic. Since then, Nachtleben Berlin with good cocktails and the finest music has once again become a meeting point for many, thus continuing the tradition...
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Eine der ältesten bestehenden Bars Berlins - ein Lokal existierte an dem Standort seit 1890. Im Jahre 1936 wurde es von der Familie Burger übernommen und erhielt seinen Namen. Die Familie führte es auch in der DDR als Privatbetrieb weiter. Ab den 1970er Jahren entwickelte sich das Kaffee Burger zum Treffpunkt der Ostberliner Kulturszene, wozu nicht unerheblich die nahe gelegene Volksbühne beitrug. Unter anderem verkehrten dort damals Thomas Brasch, Adolf Endler, Thomas Körner, Heiner Müller, Ulrich Plenzdorf, Klaus Schlesinger, Katharina Thalbach, Bettina Wegner und andere Künstler, Intellektuelle und Journalisten. Den Behörden war diese Szene nicht geheuer, weshalb sie 1979 eine vorübergehende Schließung – nominell zur Renovierung – veranlassten. Dies bedeutete auf längere Zeit das Ende des Burger als Künstlerlokal.