The history in seven scenes

• 1907, South Sea fruit and a lending library: on 27 March 1907 Adolf Jandorf opened the Kaufhaus des Westens on five floors and 24,000 square metres. According to KaDeWe there was fashion from the Paris catwalks, exotic fruit from the South Seas, a lending library and almost two dozen passenger lifts.
• 1933, expropriated: the Hertie group took over the store in 1927, and in 1933 the Nazi regime forced Hertie to sell.
• 1943, a plane in the roof: during the war an American aircraft crashed into the roof and started a major fire.
• 1950, 180,000 guests: according to KaDeWe, 180,000 Berliners came to the reopening of the first two floors in July 1950. Reconstruction was completed in 1956, and the gourmet floor opened for the first time.
• 1989, 200,000 in a single day: after the fall of the Wall, on some days 200,000 people poured into the store, according to KaDeWe the busiest days in its history.
• 1996, the glass vault: from 1991 to 1996 the glass vault with a restaurant on the seventh floor was built on the roof.
• Every morning at 10 am: according to KaDeWe, the original iron grille from 1907 still lowers in front of the entrance. Over 50,000 people come every day, up to 100,000 at Christmas. Since 2016 the practice of architect Rem Koolhaas has been redesigning the interior step by step.

The sixth floor: what is where

The sixth floor is half market hall, half nightlife district. According to KaDeWe there are over 30 restaurants, bars and food counters here, plus the counters for fish, fruit and vegetables, cheese, sweets and, according to the store, Berlin's largest selection of wines and sparkling wines. Since 2019 some bars and restaurants stay open late and can be reached by a separate lift when the department store has already closed.

01 Oyster bar, caviar and champagne · 6. Etage

about 2 minutes on foot from Wittenbergplatz U-Bahn station to the entrance

Directions in Google Maps · Official site

The oyster bar pours champagne from Ruinart and Krug, and next door there is a caviar bar, a counter for salmon and caviar, the champagne bar with eight brands in three styles each, and bars from Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot. On Wednesdays from 3 pm to 9:30 pm, members of the customer programme get Fines de Claire oysters two for one, with a DJ from 5 pm; the offer pauses in December until 6 January.

02 Sushi, ramen, phở and Thai · 6. Etage

Sumosan serves sushi and sashimi, such as the tartare of tuna, avocado and black caviar. Food Technique Berlin cooks ramen with hand-made noodles, Wednesday to Saturday. There is also Feinste Phở for Vietnamese noodle soup and Papaya Royal with Thai cooking from Isan and Bangkok.

03 Wine bar, steak and white sausage · 6. Etage

According to KaDeWe, the wine bar stocks châteaux such as Latour and Margaux alongside Sassicaia and Ornellaia and wines from small producers. According to the store, Casa Beef is the only restaurant open until midnight, with weekly evenings with a DJ. Early birds get a white sausage breakfast every day from 11 am to noon at the Laggner Wirtshaus.

04 Patisserie, chocolates and donuts · 6. Etage

According to KaDeWe, the in-house patisserie bakes over 75 different pastries and over 1,280 baked goods every day. The Berlin manufacturer Sawade has been making chocolates since 1880, Ladurée brings macarons from Paris, and Brammibal's sells its vegan donuts here.

05 Winter garden under the glass vault · 7. Etage

At the very top, under the 1996 glass vault, is a restaurant overlooking Wittenbergplatz. On grey days it is one of the nicest places in the building.

The weekly evenings

• Tuesday, 6 to 9 pm: at the champagne bar, every glass of the champagne of the month comes with a second one.
• Wednesday, 3 to 9:30 pm: oysters two for one for customer programme members, DJ from 5 pm, break in December.
• Thursday, 6 to 9 pm: jazz and apéritif at the wine bar, with live music by Donna Brown and a free snack with your drink. Cancelled on 24 and 31 December.

Advent dates 2026

• Mulled wine on the terrace: from 23 November to 24 December 2026, the Fischkutter serves mulled wine on its sixth-floor terrace daily from 4 pm until closing, no reservation needed.
• Wine evenings: top wines from Argentina on 18 November (230 euros), prestige champagne on 2 December (500 euros) and rarities from Bordeaux on 16 December (750 euros), each from 7 pm at the wine bar with a set menu. According to KaDeWe, tickets are sold directly at the wine bar, first come, first served.

Good to know

• What to wear? KaDeWe does not state a dress code, neither for the store nor for the bars.
• Opening hours: according to KaDeWe, the store is open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm, with some bars on the sixth floor open later; it is closed on 25 and 26 December and closes early on 24 and 31 December.
• The best time: weekday mornings are quietest; Advent and Saturday afternoons are busiest.
• Getting there: the KaDeWe car park is being rebuilt, so take the U-Bahn to Wittenbergplatz.
• Prefer local? An alternative to the food hall is in Skip X, try Y.