Honor system wine-bars in Berlin: drink all night, pay what you think you owe

Jürgen Stumpf's Berlin wine-bars in the gentrifying neighborhoods of Prenzlauer Berg and Mitte run on the honor system: show up, drink wine, and pay what you think you owe on the way out the door.

Each of Mr. Stumpf’s three honor-system wine bars (a fourth, down some stairs on Kollwitzstrasse, is temporarily closed while it deals with licensing issues) carries a different assortment of red and white wines. Their owner hails from the north Bavarian region of Franconia, and more than half the wines are produced in Germany. Before you turn up your nose, German wines have been impressive of late, and the food is also good. The fare is mostly variations on German cuisine made with organic ingredients. Food prices, too, are on the honor system. Diners typically pay around 10 to 15 euros for an entree, salad and a few glasses of wine.

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[#1 posted by duskiboy , February 20, 2008 10:06 AM]

I've been there a few times and felt quite comfortable at the "weinerei", but not about the situation (do I pay too much, is the wine worth it, etc). most of the time you end up paying the same amount of money as in a normal pub.

dusk

[#2 posted by arkizzle , February 20, 2008 10:46 AM]

I went snowboarding in Austria last year, and the chalet we rented had an honour bar in the basement. The difference being, the drinks had prices (so, no pay-what-you-feel) but whether you paid or not was left in your hands.

We loved it and paid up at the end. It's nice to be able to take a drink when you want and settle up when u want (at your own discression).

[#3 posted by haileris , February 20, 2008 11:42 AM]

Terra Byte near Seattle, WA has a similar setup for coffee.

[#4 posted by zenhammond , February 20, 2008 2:18 PM]

"German wines have been impressive of late".

Ha ha! German wines have been impressive since ancient Roman times. Man, the New York Times really has nobody editing these days. Do they think the German wine industry is on the same trendy list as New Zealand?

[#5 posted by HuronBob , February 20, 2008 2:37 PM]

chain restaurants in the US have been doing this for years....

[#6 posted by cheekysquirrel , February 20, 2008 8:18 PM]

This is a similar system to lentil as Anything in Melbourne Australia.

You order your meal, drinks and alcohol, and you pay what you think it is worth. It has been around for about 5 years now. Interesting philosoophy.

http://www.lentilasanything.com/

[#7 posted by jennee , February 21, 2008 2:31 AM]

Hm, I wasn't expecting so many positive comments... Not that it's a bad idea, but if you get drunk I douby you can remember how many glasses you've had...

(maybe the above posters aren't lightweights like me :P)

[#8 posted by awesomedonald , February 21, 2008 3:25 AM]

this also creates a whole different level to the whine tasting experience because you never factor in the cost of the wine.
p.s. this article is wrecking the secret. the more people that know about this the more people i see their taking advantage of it.

[#9 posted by awesomedonald , February 21, 2008 5:14 AM]

also on a side note i have been a tour guide for a European walking tour company that works on the same premise. We give you the tour and you pay what you want. It actually guaranties a better tour, cause apposed to me getting paid up front and not giving a dam. I get to work my ass off in hopes that people are blown away and give me tones of money.
check it out at www.neweuropetours.eu