REWE — Supermarket in Kreuzberg, Berlin

This is a branch of REWE on Skalitzer Straße in Kreuzberg, a short walk from Prinzenstraße station, and the first thing you notice is the scale: a large shop split over two levels, the lower one reached by escalator. The layout takes some reading, and signs are thin on the ground, so give yourself a minute at the top before heading down.

The pastry counter is the thing to buy. Come mid-morning rather than at opening, when the baked goods may not yet be out on display. The rest of the shelves carry the broad selection a large REWE branch runs to, and the self-checkout lanes at the front make a quick basket quicker.

How the shop works is mostly about the two floors: you enter at street level, and the escalator takes you down to the second level for a fuller search. The bottle return machine sits by the entrance, and it is the one piece of equipment here that regularly lets you down, so plan to carry deposit bottles home rather than count on returning them.

Spend is modest for a shop this size, typically €10–30 for a basket. The practical timing tip is the long evening window: midnight closing Monday to Friday and 11:30 pm on Saturday make it a genuine late option, so do not leave it to the last ten minutes.

The entrance area gets crowded, and the layout is confusing enough that a quick shop turns into a search. It suits anyone staying nearby who wants a large supermarket with late hours and a proper bakery counter.