Les Pâtisseries de Sébastien, Mitte

Attention to all my Francophiles: Les Pâtisseries de Sébastien (Invalidenstraße 157, 10115 Berlin) has the best croissant in all of Berlin. It's owned by a fiery French baker and despite his French-attitude, I would gladly solely visit this cafe for the rest of my time in Berlin. The fresh sourdough loaves are just as good as the pastries, and if you're looking for a celebratory French tart this is the place to go. My regular order is an apricot tart (sold on a first-come, first serve basis and usually sold out by 9am on any given day) or an espresso with a madeleine cookie for dipping.

Their seating leaves much to be desired (a patio table on Invalidenstraße barely qualifies as seating during corona times) so I recommend getting a pastry here and hiking uphill towards Weinerei Forum (Fehrbelliner Str. 57, 10119 Berlin) for a large latte and better seating. This corner cafe draws all sorts of Berliners and is fun to spend hours chatting with friends, writing postcards, or people watching.

Sébastien's is only open Wednesday through Sunday, which is probably for the greater good of all Berliners' health; I shudder thinking about the amount of butter that goes into each croissant. Go early for the best selection of pastries and don't forget to say "bonjour" to the infamous Sébastien if you see him.