What is a Späti?
"Spätkauf" means "late purchase"; in everyday speech people say "Späti". These shops were born in former East Berlin, where they helped residents out after the shops closed, and today they are part of the landscape of almost every shopping street. The owners are often independent, hence very varied ranges. In a word: a corner shop with a bar corner.
What you can buy
- Drinks: beer, soft drinks, water, cold coffee, spirits, the famous Club-Mate and other maté drinks.
- Snacks: crisps, chocolate, packaged sandwiches, sometimes ready meals.
- Emergency items: batteries, chargers, condoms, sanitary products, basic necessities, phone top-up cards.
- Tobacco: cigarettes and rolling tobacco (sold to adults).
- Newspapers and postcards, depending on the shop.
Opening hours
Berlin shops may open 24 hours a day from Monday to Saturday: many Spätis take advantage of this and close late at night, some stay open until morning. Hours are shown on the window or on online maps, but they change often: check before you go. On Sundays and public holidays, Spätis are subject to the same closure as other shops, with tolerance that varies by district; do not count on a particular Späti that day (details in Berlin on Sundays and in our guide to shop hours and sales).
Prices: a little dearer than the supermarket
A Späti is dearer than a supermarket: you pay for late service and proximity. As an example, a Berlin Späti listed on a delivery platform in 2026 a 33 cl beer at between €2.30 and €3.80 depending on the brand (mass-market or craft beer). Prices depend on the district, the Späti and the brand; there is no price scale, so compare with the nearest supermarket if you are buying for a group.
Deposit (Pfand) and payment
Bottles and cans of most drinks carry a deposit of 8 or 25 cents, added to the price. You can return deposit bottles to a shop that sells the same type of container, or leave them next to a public bin so that collectors pick them up: see the bottle deposit in Berlin.
As for payment, many Spätis accept cards and contactless, but some require a minimum purchase or refuse cards for small amounts. Keep some change, see paying in Berlin.
Drinking outside the Späti: what is allowed
The Späti is also a social spot: people settle on a bench or on the pavement. Drinking alcohol in the street is tolerated in Berlin, but German law forbids selling alcohol to under-16s (beer, wine) and under-18s (spirits): you may be asked for ID. See the rules in alcohol in the street in Berlin. Do not leave broken glass behind and keep the noise down in the evening in residential streets, see the rules of etiquette.
Finding a Späti
Rather than recommend a particular shop, find one by searching "Späti" on an online map: in Neukölln, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain or Prenzlauer Berg, you find them on almost every street. Stations such as Alexanderplatz also have late-opening kiosks. To go further with evenings out, see Berlin at night, the club door rules and the guide Is Berlin safe at night?.
