The Bar/Lounge at SO/ Berlin Das Stue

"Michelin-starred Catalonian chef Paco Perez oversees two on-site eateries—one casual, one fine dining—that draw upon the Mediterranean flavors of his homeland, while the zoo-view bar-and-tapas lounge serves everything from cocktails of the 1920s and '30s to a list of 400 German and Spanish wines"

"Lodge in luxury at the severely stylish prewar Danish embassy, where views of the zoo’s antelopes and ostriches from the elegant 1920s-themed bar add to the charm"

"A crocodile sculpture flanked by sweeping staircases fluidly leads the way to a hip bar, a Michelin-starred restaurant and sleekly furnished and spacious rooms (some with terrace or balcony)"

"Patricia Urquiola’s public spaces are full of dramatic splashes of colour, and feature a collection of black-and-white fashion photographs from the likes of Irving Penn and Richard Avedon, while Barcelona-based LVG Arquitectura has designed the 78 generous rooms in a more subdued palette of browns, ochres and greens"

"Both the bar and pair of dining rooms are open to the public, so the pair of upstairs lounges, one a remarkable library, provide a privileged spot for guests to enjoy a drink, catch up on emails or page through the extensive selection of reading material and coffee-table books"

"Adjacent to the bar is the main restaurant, one of Berlin’s best, called ‘5 – cinco by Paco Pérez’ which is overseen by the four-times Michelin-starred Catalan chef and protégé of Ferran Adria"

"The Casual serves up a menu of Mediterranean-inspired mains that can be taken in the light-filled, wedge-shaped dining room (where breakfast is also served), in the funky bar lounge or, in nice weather, on the small terrace, which looks out to the ostrich enclosure at the zoo"