When cafés first started opening on this once isolated stretch of Berlin, proprietors would lock their doors after every customer for fear of what might happen. Now the imposing Karl-Marx-Allee is an up-and-coming area, with a growing collection of new cafés, bars and restaurants. Named after the Russian communist intellectual Ehrenburg, this curious coffee stop is an unrivalled spot for thoughtful contemplation. Originally an East German paper shop, the artistically minded owners renovated the interior in keeping with Stalinist sentiments of grandeur. A giant square shaped bar forms the focal point, and decoration is kept to a clutter free minimum. By day, light spills through the giant windows and at night the space is filled with a strangely surreal, but alluring orange light. Incidental music, a mixture of cult movie classics and 1930s jazz, adds to the askew experience