Place with a View: Henry’s, Berlin

In this category I talk about places that offer a special perspective on good food and its culture. This time, I’m highlighting one of the coolest spots in town for summer food. Literally.

“Who’s Henry?” we asked, “The guy who runs this place?” Kind of expecting to hear that there is no real Henry. These days, everyone garnishes the name of their cafe, restaurant or coffee outlet center with a familiar-sounding fictive person’s name. Like Gerard, Nancy or Rick.

But the lady behind the counter smiled and motioned to a photo up on the wall beside her. And there he was. Gracious, relaxed and nonchalant. As if he were observing all that was done below in his name and giving his generous consent.

“Henry is our cat.”

I looked around and understood: The drawn cat presenting an ice cream cone on the chalkboard above the flavor signs. The other one next to it with a soda cup. The lovingly hand-stamped little images on the paper cups and take-out bags.

Inspiration comes from many forms and places, they say. Some may have whiskers and a fuzzy tail.

You can taste the love in the ice cream. In addition to the obligatory Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla, you’ll find Sencha-Matcha, Earl-Grey with Baked Cherry and Dark Chocolate-Espresso (with a small dash of liqueur in it, that cream wakes you up). Also an excellent classic Pistachio – which seems to be a favorite of many customers (myself included) – and an unexpected yet yummy Roasted Rice. And I should mention the Cassis and Mango, which surprisingly taste just like the real fruit.

If you want to know, what’s in the treat, take a look at the open door to your left: High quality natural ingredients, as little sugar as possible (info in English on Henrys’ website). The food is all handmade and fresh on demand. This means that every night of the week after closing, Sabine and Jürgen, the couple who run the place, look at the remaining sorts and decide which ones need to be backed up. Then they personally produce those ice creams (Wow!). They even crack and roast the pistachios themselves.

But don’t worry. Even though it is rightfully called ‘Henrys Gourmet Ice Cream’, the prices are the same as those of any other familiar house-made ice cream shop in town. Frankly, for the same amount you’d spent on a (machine-brewed) Chai Latte with oat drink at Gerard’s, Nancy’s or Rick’s, you’ll get two masterfully handcrafted scoops of nutritious frozen food on a real baked cone or in a hand-stamped paper cup.

The small shop of Henrys Gourmet Ice Cream is not hard to find if you are in the Steglitz district in Berlin. As you cross the Feuerbach Bridge onto the Schoeneberger Strasse on your way to Walther-Schreiber-Platz, look out for a pretty stained glass ice cream cone on the right side. It stands out like the first palm tree of an oasis in the busy urban desert.

Take your time to choose the right ice cream to suit your mood. Then sit down on the bench outside and let life melt into the colorful rhyme of delicious licks.

Side Notes:

• The Henrys was opened in 2014, so they are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. Congratulations and all of the best for you in the future! Including many customers who love good ice cream. And who, like us, appreciate your authenticity and attention to detail.
• As usual for the ‘People and Places’ category, I provide the links to go with the personal insights of ‘Place with a View’ and ‘Table Talk’ on the [‘InfoByteSized’] page.