The Erste Liebe bar is situated right next to the Steigenberger Hotel/Heiligengeistbrücke and invites you to sit outside to enjoy the sun while sipping an iced coffee. The vicinity contains a couple of fancy new buildings – most of them associated with financial services-, that are surrounded by restored ones, giving this place a unique flair. Tradition meets Modèrne. So while munching on my panini, talking about the last biology exam with a friend of mine, I could overhear some heated discussions about business deals.
It was my first trip to the bar/café – I had only discovered it a week before and promised to reserve a spot for it in this column, given it would be any good – and sitting there in the sun, having a sip of my cool drink every now and then, made me fall in love with coffee all over again.
Since I’m a coffee addict I went for a large iced café latte to fight the heat. #classicMaria
The coffee arrived and I was pleasantly surprised: For 4,50€ the glass is pretty large compared to other popular coffee brands, so the ‘price is right’ as Bob Barker used to say. And the taste is even better. Not too much milk and the right amount of coffee, the Erste Liebe bar gets some extra stars in the brewing category. (In my imaginary system of categories.)
Since I spent most of the time outside I only took a quick peek into the café to check out the interior for this review: there’s nothing too fancy to report, the café’s interior is held very minimalistic, another repetition of tradition (the exterior, the building in general) meets modèrne (some wooden banks and tables, a bar, white walls inside).
I also ordered a panini with mozarella, rucola, and tomatoes and seeing that it was 4,90€ I was sceptical whether the product could once more make up for the price. And, quelle surprise, it did. It looked like there was an entire piece of mozerella spread on the panini and not only a thin slice of it. And the bread was adequately crispy. So nothing to complain, only beautiful carbs to devour.
So if you’re ever at the harbor, close to Rödingsmarkt and tired of going to one of the big coffee chains just take a quick walk over to the Erste Liebe bar and enjoy a nice lunch in the sun.
– Maria
Maria was listening to her mind urging her to have another coffee while writing this article. She gave in. #classicMaria
