Frederick's on Potsdamer Platz: Extravagance for all

Frederick’s at Potsdamer Platz is going big: after all, aren’t we meant to back in the “roaring twenties”? In the lavishly appointed bar-restaurant hybrid, Potsdamer Platz reinvents itself as the pulsating heart of Berlin.

The bar at Frederick’s: opulence is writ large here. Photo: Frederick’s Berlin

Frederick’s at Potsdamer Platz: The Twenties Revisited

The Berlin of the 1920s is synonymous with mystical dance-filled evenings – and this is precisely the tradition the recently opened Frederick’s in the Sony Center wants to continue.

At the Sony Center? That mall-looking thing? Yes, that Sony Center.

Potsdamer Platz has undergone a series of changes and transformations over the past hundred years: from being the heartbeat of Berlin, to the deserted restricted area next to the Berlin Wall and now the gigantic metropolitan project, abundant with vacancies. Now, back in the twenties, Frederick’s comes at just the right moment.

What’s the idea here? Take an impressive space pieced together from fragments of Berlin history: parts of the bombed luxury hotel Esplanade and the legendary Kaisersaal are integrated into Frederick’s, expansive murals, crystal chandeliers and huge vintage mirrors – and together it makes for a restaurant of thoroughly opulent charisma. The design is gigantic, the furniture custom-made, the horseshoe-shaped bar sky-high with a surrounding gallery eight meters high.

The restaurant at Frederick’s: a big hit. Photo: Frederick’s Berlin

Frederick’s on Potsdamer Platz: Escapist Present

In other words, Frederick’s is very conceptual. For a long time, Berlin didn’t like that kind of thing. But a look at London, New York or even Bellboy Bar on Gendarmenmarkt and you will see a culinary trend that appreciates such well-orchestrated escapism.

In the kitchen, Marcus Prahst and his team are tinkering with a sharing menu with multiple plates (8 to 48 euros), all vaguely “fusion”, with an extensive dessert menu and wine list . It’s all very tasty and well-crafted, but understands that its clientele aren’t here for the food alone.

Beef cheeks and opulence: fusion cuisine as a stage. Photo: Frederick’s Berlin

There is all-around spectacular drinking to be had at Frederick’s two bars whose menus were designed by acclaimed mixologist Arnd Henning Heißen. Guests can choose their cocktail based on a colour palette – optionally, the bar team can sniff out the appropriate drink. It’s fancy, interactive, and hard not to like. The drinks on the colour menu are exceptional in every aspect: perfume-rich but layered and deep, they’re served in small cups amid dancing clay figurines or with burning white sage under a seashell blanket. The balletic acrobatics of bartender Guilherme Kilpp Gonzatti would worth a visit by itself.

In short, there’s a lot going on at Frederick’s, in this new version of an old space. Somehow, it fits together harmoniously, with an accessible extravagance that doesn’t take itself too seriously. For Berlin, it feels refreshingly new. Definitely worth a try.