Orlando Sicilian Cooking and Wines

In Prenzlauer Berg, Orlando is far more than just a cosy little Italian spot with a Sicilian kitchen. The place where owner Giulia Paolillo greets her guests like old friends is also a delicatessen, a small catering service and a fantastic location for events and family gatherings.

Five years ago Giulia moved to Berlin from Palermo. After working in marketing in Milan for several years, she launched her own food label Orlando in Sicily. She started making a name for herself at street food markets with Sicilian bites like arancine, panelle and rosticceria Siciliana.

Now, she has found a new home for Orlando. Using materials and furnishings from back home, her restaurant and shop has transformed into her home and a meeting place for people that are as fond of Sicilian specialties as she is.

Giulia raves about her hometown; every Monday, fresh fruit and vegetables are delivered straight out of Sicily. But you will only find real Sicilian food in Sicily, she emphasises. But these tiny nuances don’t make a difference to use: everything brought to the table out of the petite kitchen at Orlando just makes you happy.

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The arancine and the wonderfully fragrant caponata Siciliana would have already been enough for us. While the menu frequently changes, these two dishes are always on it. But the caramelised goats cheese atop Sicilian watermelon-almond gazpacho or the cheese and ham plate, didn’t excite us any less.

But the portions are also Italian, not leaving any room for one of the tempting pasta dishes or the octopus all’isolana. “Why not?” we say, and decide to bring a slice of Sicily in the form of wine, delicacies or catering back home. After all, at Orlando everything’s possible.

Constanze Hallensleben

Founder Creme Guides