Café Strauss

"Located inside a converted funeral parlour, Café Strauss is a Viennese-inspired Kaffeehaus, which offers a perfectly peaceful spot to enjoy Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) whilst taking a moment to reflect and admire the historic cemeteries which surround you. The old, dilapidated chapel which is nestled on the edge of the tranquil grounds of Friedrichswerderscher Friedhof, was bought by Martin Strauss after the idea of opening a cemetery café had come to him whilst restoring monuments within the graveyard. After buying the beautiful red brick building, Martin and his wife Olga spent a year renovating it until it was ready to open to the public in 2013. I visited over lunch time and found many locals sat outside on the sun-soaked terrace reading the newspaper or meeting with friends and family, whilst looking out over the gravestones and pine trees. It’s a very popular spot due to their famous Käsekuchen (quark-based cheesecake) and homemade signature roasted coffee, which is made on the premises in their hot-air roasting machine. Sat under the looming arches, I enjoyed tucking into one of their “Stulle”(open sandwiches) on rye bread and their signature cheesecake, which were both delicious! And, if you fancy something a little stronger, they also offer regional beers and a full wine list. It’s a delightful little haunt and the perfect pitstop after wandering around the vast 21-hectare grounds of the captivating neighbouring cemeteries. "