Estelle Dining Exceptional pizzas in Prenzlauer Berg

The nice thing about Berlin is (how many sentences you could start like that...) that every time you leave your own neighbourhood, it feels a bit like being on holiday in another city. Especially since on this evening at Estelle Dining in Prenzlauer Berg, we could just as easily be somewhere not far from the Mediterranean Sea in high summer temperatures.

And since holidays are ideally associated with good food and a fine aperitif, nice acquaintances and a secluded spot, we immediately feel at home on the pastel terrace, where chic people regularly stroll by. The restaurant itself was recently named one of the most beautiful restaurants of the year in Berlin. Not surprisingly, the eclectic décor shows a lot of attention to detail and is both modern and cosy at the same time.

Here at Estelle Dining you can have a good time and this first impression is also conveyed to us by a look at the no less eclectic menu. This is apart from the realisation: next time we'll come with at least four people as the sharing plates and pizzas with a twist from the hand of Jared Basoff, who has already cooked in several top restaurants around the world, sound so tempting.

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But first, the promised aperitivo, because not only the pizzas, but also the drinks at Estelle Dining already have a certain reputation among capital city foodies. It's summer, so there's a refreshing, not-too-sweet spritz variation with Rinomato, a classic Italian bitter liqueur, with cream and olive, as well as an invigorating Melonhunter with herb liqueur.

These are joined on our bistro table by crunchy radishes with fresh labneh. Fresh, uncomplicated, somehow smart and thus already a good foretaste of what awaits us from the kitchen of Estelle Dining. It is one of those places you thought of a little over a year ago with a strange mixture of sympathy, goodwill and hope.

Great cuisine, magical place, but it opened just as the pandemic began. We know: even in spite of Corona, there are success stories. So far, they've rocked through here, initially mainly with pizza - and it's really excellent.

But the menu of Estelle Dining is now being gradually expanded again, which we very much welcome in view of the delicious Ceasar Salad and the ingenious dish with roasted oyster mushrooms, oats and white bean mustard! And as I said, dishes like asparagus, bacon, mozzarella, breadcrumbs or pork shoulder, rhubarb, turnips, buttermilk, the focaccia at the next table, all indicate that this is not the last time we'll be here.

For the main course we choose a wonderfully dry rosé of a different kind from Baden. Matthias Wörner is one of the few "young savages" in this corner. He does everything a little differently and likes to move the harvest forward, explains co-owner Rebecca Bassoff. In the glass, this makes for a slender and puristic wine. Great wine is given at Estelle Dining.

And, of course, we're served pizza made from homemade sourdough - a matter of honour. And despite the sourdough pizza, Estelle Dining doesn't make it like the typical (admittedly delicious) pizzeria monotony of marinara, salami, margherita. It can be a little more unusual here. And so two pizzas with roasted and pickled carrot, sweet carrot cream, lemon and nut crumble, and one with various roasted, charred and pickled onions and mozzarella find their way to our table.

They're served at Estelle Dining on a nifty metal rack that also ensures we don't knock over our rosé glasses, despite the chic but somewhat small-format bistro tables. Crispy, chewy and full of flavour they both are, that's how we love it.

Pizza that dares to do something and doesn't forget that it's actually just really good topped bread, as Jon from Magic John's once suggested. In other words: the dough is amazing and tastes good - we were able to convince ourselves the next day due to the lack of capacity in our stomachs - even cold. That's how it has to be.

That said, we'd like to note that a dessert was still in there, of course: yoghurt sundae with rhubarb and greatest buckwheat, to be more precise, again with twist, again super delicious. Regardless of all efforts we have to share it. And this despite the fact that there is another Sundae with salted caramel, pretzel and peanut brittle on the menu, as well as a coconut-based one with dark chocolate and almonds tempting us. Next time! Prenzlauer Berg and Estelle Dining are not that far apart after all.

Ronja C. Kolls

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