I have such a crush on the Berlin, Germany, department store called Kaufhaus des Westens. More popularly called KaDeWe, it is analogous to Harrods in its completeness and elegance.
What makes KaDeWe special is that, for expats, it offers quite a few American brands — things you can never find in Germany — as well as the kind of customer service that we expect from Nordstrom in the US.
What makes KaDeWe one of my favorite places in the world is the top floor of the old world, majestic, building, called, rightfully, the KaDeWe Gourmet Floor:
“The delicatessen department high above the roofs of Berlin is a real customer magnet. More than 30 gourmet stalls and an oyster bar make it a mecca for gourmets. Here connoisseurs can choose between around 34,000 different items including around 3,400 wines from all continents and more than 1,300 types of cheese. A further highlight is the fish & seafood department which, as well as domestic fish, also offers some exotic specialities. International names like Paul Bocuse, Lenôtre or Leysieffer also have stalls in the delicatessen department at the KaDeWe, Europe’s largest in Europe.”
