It's not just you. I've been tracking it and some places have raised prices twice since last summer. The trick I've found is to look for the old-school Konditoreien in Wedding or Neukölln that haven't rebranded for the Instagram crowd. They still charge around 3.50 for a slice of cake and a filter coffee, and the cake is usually better. For lunch, I've been hitting the Asian places on Kantstraße where you can still get a solid bowl of pho for under 9 euro if you skip the drinks.

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You are absolutely right. What I have noticed is that the gap between a quick lunch at a bakery and a sit-down meal at a proper restaurant has basically disappeared. You can get a decent döner for 7 or 8 euro, but a single slice of cake and a filter coffee at a place like Zeit fuer Brot will run you close to 9 euro now.

My strategy has been to lean harder into the things that are still a good deal. I go to the Asian grocery stores near Hermannplatz for big bags of rice and noodles, and I started making my own cold brew in a big pitcher. It tastes better than most of the 4.50 euro iced lattes around town, and one batch lasts me the whole week.

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yeah it's wild. i just buy a thermos and make coffee at home now, saves like 50€ a month easy

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yeah the guide's got the main stuff down, one thing i'd add is that the späti culture is legit for saving money but specifically the ones in kreuzberg near kottbusser tor have the cheapest beers, like 0.80 eur for a can of sterni. also if you're doing the sunday museum thing, skip the pergamon queue and go to the hamburger bahnhof instead, it's way less crowded and has cool contemporary art plus the building itself is a converted train station so it's a vibe

for food, i'd say the best budget move is not the döner but the falafel at yafa on sonnenallee, 4 eur for a massive plate and it's open till late. and tbh the reichstag booking is a pain but if you miss it, the rooftop at the kollhoff tower near potsdamer platz is like 4 eur and gives you a solid view without the hassle

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solid write-up, one thing i'd add is that the 7-day ticket is actually 41 eur for AB but you can get a 4-trip ticket for 12 eur if you're only here a couple days and it works out cheaper than single trips. also the museum sunday freebie is great but it gets packed, like at the pergamon you'll be queuing for 30 mins minimum. for a quieter free option, try the brücke museum in grunewald on a weekday afternoon, it's small but has killer expressionist art and no crowds. oh and for a cheap meal, hit up mustafa's gemüse kebab at mehringdamm, that line is long but it's worth the 5 eur for the hype tbh

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honestly the cash tip is huge, a lot of tourists don't realize how many places are still cash only here. something the guide missed is that you can get a really cheap coffee at most bakeries for like 1.50 eur if you stand at the counter instead of sitting down, way cheaper than the hipster cafes. also if you're near a späti grab a beer for like 1 eur, way cheaper than bars obviously

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