Fuk;s Bar

Kreuzberg / Neukölln, Berlin –

Located in an area that caters to Berlin’s alternative side, Fuk;s is an eclectic, low-key bar popular as much for its cheap drinks as it is for its free pasta, laid-back air, and cozy dash of weirdness.

Pronounced “fooks,” the venue is helmed by Italian expat Massimo Vinco who, depending on the night, will tell patrons the bar’s name is either a play on the German word for fox or a not-so-subtle misspelling of...something else.

Frequented by artists, musicians, and creative types from all over town, the two-room space is relaxed throughout the week, with folks quietly chatting on the few couches and chairs in front of an antique wood stove or taking advantage of the free-to-use piano as raconteur Massimo doles out drinks at the ramshackle bar.

Local bands play everything from acoustic rock to avant-garde noise on Wednesdays, as multicultural patrons chow down on Massimo’s free homemade pasta – only available that night – and sip his imported Sicilian wine, which thankfully is available all the time.

Fridays and Saturdays, see the dim back room full of tuque-clad college kids who perch around the reclaimed retro tables, chairs, and lamps to talk politics and poetry, or to assess the local art that covers the walls and customizes the men’s bathroom.

Cozy and completely unrefined, Fuk;s is a little hodgepodge of a bar ideal for quiet night;s with a few non-mainstream Berliner;s.