Not ten years ago, Neukölln was known as one of the more depressed areas of Berlin. Not anymore. These days, the once-rundown neighbourhood has become a destination for its bars, cafes, and galleries, especially after nearby Tempelhof Airport was shuttered in 2008 and turned into the city’s largest park.

Poised on a quiet street corner near the entrance of the park, Café Engel epitomizes the new Neukölln cool. Its interior is high-ceilinged and light-filled, and packed with a charmingly mismatched array of antique furniture. On breezy summer days, its sidewalk seating also makes for prime cobblestoned lunching and people watching. A lengthy menu of lunch plates includes sandwiches and exemplary renditions of German fare (a plate of mushroom and walnut potato gnocchi was rich and satisfying), and its all-day hours mean the bohemian spot transitions seamlessly from coffee shop to neighbourhood bar.