Behind every great bar and restaurant is a collection of features that makes it distinctive and keeps people coming back. For some, it’s the aesthetically memorable space, for others the refined drink selection, while for others it may be the clientele itself.
Based in Berlin, Kink Bar’s founders have not only mastered the usual “musts”—but it is clearly evident how their varied and unique backgrounds have led to the creation of a spot that has stood the test of time.
In this interview, DrinksWorld sat down with Oliver Mansaray and Daniel Scheppan, co-founders of Kink Bar, to draw out the unlikely story behind this unusual bar + restaurant.
Kink Bar’s Origin Story
“Well, it all started in 1983,” begins Oliver with a laugh. Part of what Kink Bar’s uniqueness–which permeates every part of this interview–is the incredible fact that Daniel and Oliver have been friends since kindergarten.
While they carved their own paths throughout their life–Oliver embarking on architectural studies in London while working as a bartender at innovative bars, Daniel pursuing his own studies in carpentry while also working as a professional tour guide throughout europe–they remained close and even kept certain themes in their life. Notably both of them studied carpentry and pursued love of travel and the culinary world as a common thread.
This link later brought them back together, as they ventured to Berlin and dove into the hospitality industry there, starting a curated pop-up dinner series called FoodBoogieBerlin Supper Club. This opportunity to experiment and feel out the Berlin scene ultimately gave them the inspiration and know-how to found Kink Bar.
The Space
While originally planning on a small neighborhood location, they came upon the more spacious, warehouse-like location where Kink Bar now operates by luck and decided to go for it.
A testament to both Daniel and Oliver’s former experiences in carpentry and architecture, they managed to transform the venue into a buzzy, tastefully-designed, chic space that manages to be both pleasing to the eye while cozy enough to feel invited in.
But it didn’t start that way. Both founders put in dedicated time to making sure the space felt livable, not sterile or impersonal. “When we got the first draft, it was like, ‘oh my God,” Oliver reflects, “this doesn’t look at all like what we were talking about to each other.’ It looked so much like, I don’t know, any random hotel lobby in a big city.”
The result after several iterations is what we see today: upon walking in, guests are transported into an eclectic and stylish open space with high ceilings, complemented by a warmly-lit open terrasse with swinging trees.
An electric neon custom designed light hangs above the bar, swirling its pink glow into the space. Behind the bar, “the lab,” the area where the ingredients and food magic happen, are viewable by guests–a facet they were intent on making transparent in their space.
You can feel the Berlin elements with its exposed brick walls and warehouse-like feel infused into the posh interior, all tied together by carefully-chosen furniture.
The Name
Eliciting an immediate reaction, the word ‘kink’ is not without its connotations. For the founders, though, they took this word and fashioned it for the world they are trying to create within their establishment.
“For us means kink means, ‘we do it our own way.’ We don’t do stuff because people think we should do it this way or because we want to be special. It is so short and energetic. It has a direct impact and reaction on everybody.
And also holds us accountable, to say, ‘okay, it’s not perfect, but it’s okay, let’s keep this. It holds us accountable to not get boring over the years.”
The Menu + Creation Process
The approach in creating the menu could best be described as both experimental and democratic. Each team member is encouraged to test and have fun coming up with new flavors and ideas–which are then pitched and reviewed by the team.
Part of what makes this process particularly effective for Kink Bar is that their staff is intentionally hired for their diverse backgrounds and with an experimentation-first mindset. One of their bar keepers, for instance, formerly worked as a pâtissière, and they look to her for cocktail flavor profiles creation, as there’s much overlap.
Having worked with many people, including an array of chefs, over their careers, they realized that working with open-minded people was key.
“Sometimes, I’d go to the kitchen and ask, ‘Hey, can we try this?,’ and there’d be the wrong chef and I was like, ‘okay today’s the wrong day to ask the kitchen.’ So when Daniel and I were sitting over our business plan and our concept, how we want to do things. I was like, Oh my God, now finally I’m in a position to say no this is not anymore happening that someone has to kind of tiptoe and ask maybe, can we work together?”
Creativity is encouraged and expected, which is why they created their “laboratory” a space with every imaginable tool and toy to play with culinary innovations.
From there, the bar manager helps steer experimentation into creation, deciding which ingredients make most sense to source from vendors versus what creations to put into production in-house.
Within Berlin
So how does Kink Bar—which, by name, naturally fits into Berlin’s notorious nightlife scene—fit into its hospitality scene?
“I was very happy that some guests like a lot of our first guests told us, this doesn’t feel like Berlin,” Oliver says with a slight smile. While known for its lively going-out scene, Berlin isn’t particularly known for its warmth.
At Kink Bar, staff is trained with empathy in mind. They want guests to feel welcomed and at home, not judged or like they don’t belong. This is emphasized in little details, for example, the staff has no specific uniform, to elicit the feeling of being taken care of by a familiar face rather than formal waiter.
While some statement pieces were chosen in decor and furniture to give it the aesthetic appeal, just as many pieces were sourced from vintage stores for a fraction of a cost. What you end up with is a place that could be your living room–with immaculate food and mixed drinks of course.
Memorializing Moments
When asked what feeling they’d like guests to leave with, Daniel and Oliver had an immediate response:
“Walking out they should feel like, ‘I would love to stay a little bit longer in this moment. I’m here with my friends. Why would I leave?’”
Perhaps it all comes back to their friendship. A lifetime of friendship has created this bar, and it seems the optimism and support they draw from each other has helped create this space that gives you the same feeling of warmth and familiarity.
“Our friendship is different from other friendships. Things can go south, you never know, but our thought was not what happens when things go wrong. Our thought was always like, what if it works out?”
And it seems it will for this unique spot in the city of Berlin, where you can find them in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood.
