Bekarei GmbH Café

In Berlin, Bekarei GmbH Café pairs the baking traditions of Portugal and Greece under one roof. Breads, sandwiches, pastries and cakes come out of the oven fresh every day. The mood stays casual, and people come for breakfast, a light lunch or coffee with something sweet.

The pastel de nata, a Portuguese custard tart, counts among the most recognised pastries here. A vegan version follows under the joking name pastel de nada. You taste the Greek side in olive oil, honey and certain loaves. The bread runs from soft white loaves to darker varieties, and pastries span flaky croissants to dense, sweet pieces. The menu shifts with the day's bake, so many guests pair a sandwich on the house bread with a pastry.

The same team also bakes for retail, turning out burger buns, slider buns and Japanese-style shokupan. Seasonal and themed lines carry American-style potato rolls and black burger buns, the Halloween edition among them. An online shop sells the same range as bun sets, slider packs and mixed bread boxes for households and businesses. Almost everything is vegan, with shokupan and the pastel de nata the two exceptions that contain dairy. Nothing contains preservatives or alcohol, so the goods stay fresh for about five to ten days. Stored cool, dry and dark, they keep their quality, and the freezer stretches that to twelve months.