Qype User (dessa_…)
Yelp
I have to disagree with Darklight a bit, I find the service always, always pretentious here and have done for the four years I have lived in Berlin.
However, the location is not to be beat, when you're in Mitte and just want a nice coffee and smoke at the same time, to hear a myriad of foreign languages and be left alone at the same time. The best part about the aloof service (and this has been a trend, I have seen a lot of workers come and go out of this place) is that they tend not to pay attention to you no matter what you do. So when a friend and I played a noisy game of dominoes in the middle of the afternoon while we were among the only guests there, no one batted an eye. They didn't even mind that my friend chose not to purchase anything there. Would have meant more work for them and cut into their 80th smoke break of the day.
The drinks are not well-priced (average for what you get in Hackescher Markt, though, I suppose) and the menu is not expansive, but once you get something you find acceptable, the atmosphere is great, especially for solo reading or writing.
I live in Neukölln and leave my house with the express purpose of going to Cafe Cinema, so although I couldn't with any good conscience give it more than two stars, i will always come back.
Wait, does that even make sense?