Neontoaster

First time somebody said «let’s go for the vegetarian brunch at Neontoaster» I was less than enthusiastic about the idea. The name, to me, sounded like a crap nightclub with cheap drinks and a DJ who’d try to compensate for a lack of skill by pushing the volume to the max, and in my experience the word ‘vegetarian’ far too often equates to ‘bland.’ Second time, I thought it was an excellent idea.
It’s a small café/​restaurant run by a friendly Italian couple, and both times I’ve been there it’s been nearly empty. This may be because I’ve only gone there for brunch — they serve aperitivo later in the day and through the evening, and I guess more people will be there at other times.
The décor is somewhat eclectic — besides the cheeses, cakes, wines and other goodies on display in and on the counter the most prominent (to this old geek) item on display is a pre-​64 era Commodore computer standing by the door, and a few other curious items are on display around the room. As you might have guessed, tables and chairs are not all alike, and were probably sourced at antique stores or flea markets.
The brunch menu is ever-​changing. Coffee seems to hold a permanent place on the menu, as does bread, and in addition you may find any or all of the following: home made chocolate spread, home made jam, cheeses, pancakes, some kind of salad, some preparation of eggs (at least around Easter), pies, pastes, cakes, and an assortment of things I wouldn’t know what to call but that does not make them any less delicious. This is the kind of place where pride is taken in only serving the best of the best, and at a very affordable price at that.

Italian cheese and wine in a retro living room.
The good:
No smoking! Yes! I hate smokers! They are truly the pest of summer!
Free Wi-​Fi! I know, not a requirement, but if it weren’t for it, I wouldn’t be writing this review now, would I?
Atmosphere: Cozy! So far the hipster and tourist pests of Berlin haven’t discovered this place yet, and I probably shouldn’t be letting you all know how nice it is down here, but hey, if this puts more money in the hands of the nice Italian lady that just served me this amazing red wine with thin slices of Italian cheese to go along with it, so be it!
The bad:
No meat! Damn you vegetarians! Damn you all to hell! I wave my fist at you in anger! Luckily the place is in Wedding so I only need to walk a few steps in any direction to find a decent Schwarma. So it’s not the end of the world, but still, damn you vegetarians! *waves fist*

I know Neontoaster –and the 2 lovely Italians behind it– since it opened its doors back in 2014 (official opening was 2015-​01-​04). It has a menu with both vegetarian and vegan options, and brunch on weekends which alternate between vegan/​vegetarian (so if you’re 100% vegan, just look for the right weekend). The food is amazing, delicate and carefully crafted, and yet not pretentious, rather humble actually. The Neapolitan coffee is very good as a very good Italian coffee is expected to be, a good selection of bio wines (ask for the unfiltered version if they have it).
The décor is vintage but not overdone, and I cannot finish without mentioning the personalized attention you’ll get there. If you’re in a hurry, don’t go to Neontoaster, because there you go to enjoy food properly, with time and as laidback as you can.
The portions are sometimes small, but I’m happy to have quality over quantity. My favourite spot in Wedding.

Sehr netter Laden mit zwei sehr freundlichen Besitzern. Leider ist mittlerweile nur noch ab 15 Uhr geöffnet. Das Essen ist vegan/​vegetarisch, aber so lecker, dass man auch als Fleischesser nichts vermisst. Am besten ist der Brunch am Sonntag.

Neon toaster looks like a living room and the owner invites you to have your lunch with her. While I really emjoyed the atmosphere and the taste of the food I was a bit disappointed by the small plates.
We had the daily special which was eggplant lasagne with a salad. While everything tasted great I felt a bit hungry soon after. Maybe this spot is better for tea time since their tea is some dope shit. Instead of picking a tea you can mix your own! Choose between several ingredients such as hibiskus, pommegranate or cardamon and create your very own blend.
Really like this place but it seems my stomach is too big for their delicious but small plates.

Lecker lecker.
Nicht nur der Brunch ist sehr zu empfehlen.
Und die Ecke der Seestraße ist auch schön!
Immer wieder gern.

Waren am Sonntag zum Brunch dort (Vegetarisch)
Unglaublich lecker, vor allem der Käse und die selbstgemachten Marmeladen!
Für Freunde italienischen Essens eine absolute Empfehlung!

Eine Location der besonderen Art. Wir waren schon ein paar Mal da und sind jedes Mal von Neuem begeistert. Ich kann mich nur anschließen. Der Sonntagsbruch ist schon etwas Besonderes. Alle Gerichte sind vegan u./o. vegetarisch und mit ganz viel Liebe selbstgemacht. Der Brunch wird in mehreren Gängen serviert. Die Besitzer sind sehr freundlich und serviceorientiert.
Auf alle Fälle sehr empfehlenswert. Immer wieder gerne.

Wundervoller Brunch, der in mehreren Gängen liebevoll von der Besitzerin (bzw. auch dem Besitzer) persönlich serviert wird. Sie geht gerne auf persönliche Vorlieben ein, alles gibts auch immer in veganer Ausführung (oder mit einem anderen Gang, der der regulären Variante um nichts nachsteht), und das Café selbst ist angenehm hell und interessant eingerichtet. Ich fühle mich willkommen, aber auch nicht vereinnahmt. Besonders zu empfehlen: die Haselnusscreme und der Kaffee aus der neapolitanischen Kanne. Und der Spargelsalat. Und die Minipfannküchlein. Und der Räuchertofu. Und die Polentaschnitten. Und was es sonst noch so gibt.

This place is definitely a great addition to Wedding as a whole.
So tastefully decorated and cool without being hip, it’s chic and homey at the same time. There’s a vibe here that rarely you can experience in Berlin, there’s no rudeness, there’s not a bit of gritty in this place, the owners just excel in the art of Hospitality in every which way.
The menu brings together the «true» Italian artisanal flavors of craft cheese and wine with some light and elegant Hors d’oeuvres that are absolutely exquisite.
I found myself sitting down for an apéritif and then stay for dinner, this place conquers you dish after dish, you just don’t want to leave.
If you are a vegetarian their Sunday Brunch it’s a Wedding Must.

Neontoaster is one of my favorite cafés in the world, one of those places I’d love to give more than 5 stars, if that was allowed! Truth be told, it’s not only a café, but rather a «Café /​Guest House /​Design Heaven /​Salon /​Wine-​and-​Cheese-​Bar /​Eco-​Organic-​Tasting Room.» This place doesn’t fit any of the standard categories, because it’s really a category all to itself! The coffee (prepared in a special way from Naples) is very reasonably priced and among the best I’ve had in Berlin. The cheese and wine are delicious. The Sunday brunch was like two full meals. So the place gets high marks for the food and drink.
The space is beautiful, almost like an Italian design showroom, complete with funky vintage elements and new, neat plant-​thingies. So high marks for that, too. I haven’t seen their guestrooms (they have 2), but the pictures online make them look similarly well-​furnished, and I plan to recommend staying here to all my friends who visit Berlin and don’t want my couch.
Wifi. Comes in handy. Nice mix of music including some hip-​sounding contemporary Italian stuff, not too loud.
Plus, to top it off, the owners/​baristas of this place, Barbara and Alessandro, are a very charming Italian couple! Just while I’ve sat in here working over the 10 or so times I’ve come, I’ve heard Barbara speak English, French, German and Italian to customers, and they now know what I usually order and seem to be getting to know a lot of people in the neighborhood. This is a local café with human character, folks!
Two thumbs up!