il ritrovo - berlin, germany

Rating:  7 / 10

Over the course of the past seven years I've probably told 100 people about this pizzeria. The first time I went there they served up some excellent pizza with real snotty service. Crust was taken far and nicely burnt, the sauce was good, the cheese sparce and not overpowering. I literally went back the next day and ate there again.

Now, pandemic times are different so take this review as the most recent one, but also the most restricted one. The restaurant was not open, but for a ticket system with a window pick-up. I ordered, waited almost 45 minutes, grabbed my pizza and ate it round the corner so that travel-time wasn't a factor in the decision.

There is a good chance they rushed the pizza due to the insane lines outside. Where a chef would probably have waited another minute or two to take the pie out, he figured "That'll do" and shoved it in a take-away box for someone to eat in their own home and out of earshot for a reprimand.

Well, the internet has vocal chords too, and in the future, if and when things ever go back to normal, they need to up their game and resume where they left off before Covid. I will hesitate to recommend it to anyone until I've eaten there again and seen that they are back on track. 

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG  and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.