Phantom Bar - a modern day opium den
For the past two years the name Phantom has been mysteriously swirling around Berlin.
overview
The new Phantom Bar opened its doors in August 2023 but began hosting regular events only later. The first time I personally heard about it was in October 2024. However, there was an original Phantom Bar operated by the same owner(s) that got closed down around 2021. Unfortunately, public information is very sparse, and for a long time, it was not even possible to find the place on Google Maps. There is no Website, no Instagram page, nothing. I am also not feeling like poking around, because this way of operation feels very intentional, and in the following you will understand why.
Luckily, the new Phantom Bar didn’t need to rely too much on external advertising as it was located in a prime location. Torstraße 231 in the heart of Berlin Mitte - one of the most sought-after areas. Not only that, but the building itself was special. An abandoned mansion, classic Berlin architecture with high stucco ceilings and a very spacious courtyard. The place mostly operated on 2 floors, ground level and the first floor for dancing. Sometimes another floor was opened, but it was never operated as a permanent setup.
The whole operation was always planned as a temporary place. The mansion was, without exaggeration, at the brink of collapse. It was stabilized by multiple scaffolds, open pipes everywhere, and the bathrooms were barely functioning. When I was there, I often joked that this is a place that one day, after a long party, will just turn into dust. Even when talking to friends in the nightlife industry there were always baffled how Phantom even got a permit. Especially knowing Germany, there must have been some backhand deals involved, as every safety and sanitary inspection would have immediately closed down this place. Even with owners of other nightclubs, I talked to, it was clear that Phantom had a very shady standing in the city.
Before ending this brief intro, I want to mention one event that I think hugely boosted the popularity of Phantom in 2025, making it one of THE places in Berlin, to a point where people even started to compare it with Berghain. Said event was the temporary closure of Georgia Bar, which previously was one of the main scene bars. There was a fire in Ma,y which caused it to stay closed most of 2025. Since Phantom Bar is only a few minutes away from Georgia, a lot of the clientele who previously went there started to go to Phantom.
How it all started
While I was (half) jokingly mocking the bad building structure previously, it’s undeniable that it was a vibe and an incredibly stylish place. When thinking about the Berlin aesthetic, this was exactly what one would imagine. The perfect blend of rough, slightly disgusting, yet still chic in its very own way. The lighting and decor were minimal. But positioned very thoughtfully, and the elements worked well together. Be it a specific type of lamps, mirrors placed at the right angles, or bouquets of flowers on the bars.
I also struggle calling it a club, and hate that people started comparing it to some of Berlin's household names. Because in itself, this was a bar with a small dancefloor and some extended working hours. The definition of small: ~50 sqm with an unspectecular four point Martin Audio soundsystem that only had one subwoofer. There was probably 3-4 times the amount of chill space in relation to that.
Music also never really happened to be the main focus, as there was rarely a public announcement of who was playing. Sometimes, when labels and collectives hosted, they advertised it on their own channels, but at least in my perception, it was always more of a “just go” place. I personally experienced musically good evenings, with nice upbeat house music. But some were terrible with super generic, boring, sleep-inducing (k-hole like) minimal techno were the dancefloor stayed half-empty most of the night.
As for the rest of the club, it can be said that it was very comfortable. Lots of seating, partly cushioned, great for socialising in a dimly red lit environment. In summer, there was enough outdoor space in form of an atrium (kind of) that also included an additional bar. It was overall a nice place to chill, chat, drink, and occasionally hit the dancefloor
What it was all about
Looking neutrally at it, the whole place might have established itself as a cool bar in every other city. And probably even there it would have faded into obscurity, because what kind of bar charges 15-20 Euros entry? However, in Berlin, it is less about the overall setup, but about the people, and that’s what brought the buzz:
Welcome to Phantom Bar! Welcome to the most pretentious place on earth
In my other reviews, I try to stay away from judging the crowd because it’s highly subjective and can be derogatory. But in the case of Phantom, it’s such an essential piece to the whole concept that I need to share my (and a bunch of people I talked to) observations on it.
I’ve previously mentioned the prime location in Mitte. Right around the corner are rather posh places like Grill Royal, Torbar, Cara, Bar Tausend - you get the idea. However, that's only part of the story. This (wannabe-) rich, somewhat yuppie leaning clientel got mixed with its low-life twin. Young kids who moved to Berlin and got lost somewhere between the need to appear cool, clubbing, and drugs. Surprisingly often, with their roots in Ukraine, with an unclear occupation and their life revolving around taking drugs in Phantom. But this, of course, was not exclusive to a certain nationality.
It also felt like this mix of posh and lost was intentionally created by the bouncers. Yes, Phantom was not open to everyone, and they regularly denied entry. Maybe that’s why so many people drew the comparison to Berghain. Although Phantom’s door policy was far from being that random, it was rather clear: no big groups, no more than two (straight) males, be hot, dress slightly edgy, don’t arrive too late. Very simple, yet many even failed in that regard, giving the place an (imo undeserved) flair of exclusivity.
Personally, I was on good terms with the bouncers, except for one guy who unfortunatly tinted my experience. He couldn’t leave his ego at home, often left strange comments towards women and in general was just not someone I think should be working the door. Luckily, I could always somewhat maneuver around him and didn’t encounter any issues with entrance. Meaning everything I criticize doesn’t come from a place of bitterness about not being let in.
The Shift
Alright, a decent bar, drinks were usually ok. With an interesting crowd, certainly great for people watching. Maybe a bit overpriced and an unjustified entry fee. But why so much hate?
When I stayed until 2-3 am, I usually had a good time. But it always shifted when I stayed longer. Because by that time, the vibe noticeably shifted, mainly to the “open use” policy taking full effect. Meaning drugs could be consumed without hiding or going to the bathroom. Drug culture in general was an essential part of the Phantom Culture (tbf of Berlin in general). However, in the early evening, usually some bouncers patrolled and warned guests not to do it publicly. This sentiment went out the door after 3 am.
I’ve visited parties that run a similar policy, due to them only being every few months, and Phantom being a regular place, the intensity of that policy kicked in so hard. At some point, it was impossible to lock somewhere and not to see a phone with powder on it. Everything revolved around drugs. It was the only talking point. Random people came up to one and asked for a line. And suddenly the combination of people made sense: the young, lost crowd looking for free drugs, and the somewhat established scene people willing to provide them for a bit of company.
This is a vast overgeneralization, but I saw and experienced it on so many occasions in Phantom that it felt more like the norm rather than an exception (compared to other places). Additionally, I know from some (ex) employees being very involved with drugs.
If there was ever a modern-day optiom day dent, this is it. Branding it as an “open use policy” doesn’t make it better. In its true nature, it’s just a bunch of young people who battle with addiction and are not yet in the phase to take it fully private. The charm of the old building, the art on the walls, or on the ceiling. All exists till 3 am. Then the cravings take over. Phones, white powder, straws everywhere!
In all honesty, Phantom Bar was just a very hostile and unsafe environment. That's also why the opinions differ so much on that place. There were usually three kinds of people. The ones that left early and never experienced Phantom blowing up. The ones that recognized it and stayed away. Or the people who fully embraced it because no other place gave them this kind of experience that they were apparently craving.
Summary
I'm not sure in which category exactly I’m falling. I regularly was at Phantom in the summer of 25, however quickly realized its dark side. After that, I’ve mostly used it as an anchor point on a Friday when friends from out of town came. To show them how edgy, how dim, how drug infested berlin can truly be (and to people-watch).
Now that Phantom is closed, I feel as if a big tumor has been removed from the city. I’m sure that something new will come and will take its place. I hope that it will never get the publicity and success that Phantom did. Phantom heavily profited from a prime location and some lucky incidents. It became famous for the wrong reasons and projected terrible values coming from the open use concept into the already struggling Berlin scene.
Postscript
It turns out that the Phantom Bar is not fully closed yet. The place still exists, but in its origin it’s dead. I was there in mid january and talked to someone I know. Most of the original staff are not working anymore. The concept, the selection at the door, and the crowd are now clearly different (also upon instruction of the management). The bar itself is stripped down, without any interesting drinks, leaving you only with a very basic choice. Most of the lower floor is now closed, resulting in ~30% less capacity. Even the employee admitted to me that the place will only exist for a further 1-2 months with the goal of extracting as much money as possible. The 15 Euro cover charge stayed, of course, with Phantom Bar feeling like a rip-off more than ever before.
After the review one of the owners of Phantom Bar reached out to me. I am not fully convinced by his reasoning, yet I want to neutrally give you his explanation to the current state:
He agreed that lately the vibe was too drug induced and that it was not what they had in mind running that place. He puts a lot of responsibility on the crew, especially the night manager, who in his opinion let the place escalate in that sense. After NYE the old crew was mostly replaced and they want to bring the vibe of the original Phantom (pre Torstrasse) back to that place. Phantom 3.0 is planned for summer and he emphasized that they want to do things the right way straight from the beginning.
