Advice on opening a cafe in Berlin

Hello all,

I'm planning on opening a cafe with some friends here in Berlin, concentrating mainly on speciality tea from around the world. I was wondering if anyone could advise me on what I'm likely to need in terms of licences and accreditations and the like, or at least on where I might be able to find such information. How much does this vary according to what you're serving e.g. what extra licences are required if you want to do food or shisha pipes? What's the minimum amount of money you reckon one could get a cafe up and running for, bearing in mind that we're not too fussy about what we use for furniture, decorations, etc. as long as we can create a comfortable atmosphere? Are there places where we could find second-hand equipment (fridges, stoves, kitchen apparatus) and furniture for cheap? How harsh are Health and Safety rules here?

We also would ideally like to find a venue large enough to fit our cafe (which doesn't necessarily have to be huge) and also provide living space for at least 3 people, possibly a couple more. Does anyone know of anywhere that fits this description, preferably in Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg or perhaps even north Neukoelln?

Oh, and one last thing. Does anyone know what the status of shisha pipes will be when the smoking ban is introduced?

So many questions! I look forward to reading your answers.

Hey all! I noticed this was a really old topic with no replies, but I would like to 're-ask' all those questions again... There must be someone out there who knows the answers to some of these problems for aspiring entrepreneurs! ANY advice would be most welcome!