Gaststätte Trattoria Libau

Ich war einige Male in dieser Trattoria und war immer begeistert. Habe dort immer nur Steinofenpizza bestellt - die Spezialität des Hauses. Am leckersten finde ich die Pizza Salciccia, deren Foto ich hier auch hochgeladen habe. Das Preis-Leistungsverhältnis stimmt, ich habe schon oft in anderen Restaurants mit italienischer Küche gegessen - nur selten fand ich das Essen genauso köstlich wie hier. Schön eingerichtet, ich finde es authentisch bei Libau. Die Pizza wird im selben Raum gebacken, wo auch die Gäste sitzen. Das hat den Vorteil, dass es schon beim reinkommen unglaublich toll riecht. Die Bedienung aufmerksam und freundlich, macht auch Empfehlungen, wenn man sich nicht leicht entscheiden kann. Es gibt von mir die volle Punktzahl, weil alles gestimmt hat, immer wenn ich dort essen war. Und natürlich 5 Punkte für die absolut leckere Pizza!

A lovely little restaurant that consistently produces high-quality authentic Italian food. They might not serve a huge variety of food, but what they do, they do brilliantly. You can tell this is a labour of love and passion. Highly reccommended!

Details:
The staff is all Italian, very attentive and friendly even during the busiest of times. The place is tiny and usually packed, so there is a lot of jostling and manoevering going on, but everyone keeps their good mood.
The decor is pretty much non-existent, which makes the place look deceptively plain. You may have to sit on a folding chair next to the till, but let’s be honest – who goes to a restaurant for the seats?
The menu (which has all dishes listed both in Italian/German and English – not standard in Berlin restaurants!) is a little pizza-heavy, but those are simply to die for – wafer-thin, baked in a proper wood-fired brick oven, with fresh and often home-made toppings. There is an additional weekly menue of slightly more upscale appetizers, primi and secondi. You’d best come with a really empty stomach, because there is so much good stuff to try – like the anchovy bruschetta I’ll be dreaming about for the next week or so. If you still have room after your main course, I recommend the dolce sampler, with a little tiramisu, panna cotta and mousse ciocolatta – very good to share, too. And have a cappuccino with that.
Oh, and I can only echo the call to RESERVE, preferably DAYS AHEAD! And be prepared to wait a bit between courses. There is a constant stream of take-away customers besides the table orders, and a pizza oven only has so much space. Freshly prepared food takes time and effort. It’s definitely worth the wait.

We had a very nice dinner at Trattoria Libau yesterday. We started of with mixed Antipasti (as other Qypers recommended) and then ate a pizza each. They are quite huge and very tasty. One of us didn’t finish the pizza so they made a doggy bag.
I would definitely return but unless you’re really hungry you shouldn’t take any starters as the pizzas have a diameter of about 35 cm.

Super, nur zu empfehlen! Meine Tip, Pizza Beppe Grillo, sehr gut und mal was anderes! Ansonsten ist die Küche durchgehend sehr gut und für die Qualität des Essens auch preiswert zu nennen. Bitte noch eine Filiale in Kreuzberg?

We had dinner here a couple of times and this one is a keeper. It's always completely packed so make sure you reserve a table.

On the normal menu you will find plenty of very good pizza's, and some pastas which are all around 7 - 8 euro.

On the wall they write the daily specials, which are usually a bit more exclusive and a bit more expensive, say 10 - 14 euro. f.e: pasta with mussels in tomato sauce, ravioli filled with dear with a white sauce, etc.

Be sure to try the mixed starter (we take one for one person which is plenty for two), which consists of some very nice vegetables, cheeses, olives, and more, all of high quality.

The house wines are not expensive at all and pretty good, but there's also an extensive wine menu with more exclusive wines.

Don't expect a fancy / modern restaurant, it's cosy though and looks and feels like a real Italian family restaurant, probably because it is one.

Service was very attentive and sweet.

Good for almost every occasion, whether it is a quick pizza with some friends or a romantic dinner with your loved one.

Trattoria Libau is a busy, relatively good Italian restaurant close to some of Berlin's hottest clubs and the aging 'Party-Meile' of the Simon-Dach Strasse.

1. The Food
Well-prepared Italian fare. Their famed pizzas are good, but not quite outstanding. The crust is thin, bubbly and chewy, with a pleasantly tangy tomato sauce. The cheese bit is overdone on most pies, making them a touch rubbery and greasy as they cool down. The toppings are fresh, with good quality salume, salsicca and prosciutto.

2. The Staff
Kind, quick and sometimes drop by for a chat. Children are also welcome here!

3. The atmosphere
Another local neighbourhood hang-out. A mixed crowd of club kids, students, young working people and families. It's a small restaurant and almost always busy, so reserve or come early! They also have some beer benches/picnic tables outside where you chill in the summer.

4. The damage
Most pizzas are 5-9 euros. Pasta about 6-10. Drinks are 2-5. Decent bottles of wine can be had for under 20 euros.

5. Useful tidbits
Reserve, reserve, reserve. Check their weekly menu for delectable in-season appetisers. Avoid coming by car, parking is a nightmare around there.

I've had the famous pizzas here about three times. They're good but not as impressive as the reviews here claim, and definitely not worth the price. It's simply not tasty enough, and the delicious tomato sauce is used extremely sparingly. I expect more from "best pizza in Berlin".

Good Italian food but a little expensive. Worth a visit!

DELICIOUS PIZZA!

I saw a snippet of the previous review citing the lackluster quality. I’d like to refute the previous review by stating that we went there for the pizza, so I’m posting a STELLAR review of this place. It’s a fascinating place since it’s one of these neighborhood’s best kept secrets. I have to admit, a look at the past dishes made me wonder how i could give it two pounds / euro marks. However, the pizzas are way more reasonable, tastier and much bigger than the other places.

I’ve been to Pape Pane and Il ritrovo / Due forni and measured these restaurants relative to each other. This time, this heavy weight Gaststätte Trattoria Libau gets my vote for an impressive Pizza.

The place is casual, you walk in and see the large benches decorating the outside. The inside are tightly packed, simple tables. The workers are italian, in the general scheme there seems to be some sort of managing person who guides and tries to make the restaurant more efficient.

The pizza in a possible / or only by façade brick oven is brought over and you only have to stare. The size is massive and the aroma is catching. I had the Taleggio e Olio Tartufi. My other two mates had the 4 Stagioni and this other one with capers and sardines. Well, let’s go back to mine, with slices of the delicious, but not too strong or too light Taleggio, it’s complemented by the aromatic and delicious truffle oil.

I couldn’t wait to eat my leftover pizza the next day at work. This is how much I was impressed with this place. Go without big expectations but a nice pizza and F’hainers who feel like they are part of a big secret pizzeria. (I’d choose this over il Ritrovo)

i went here with two other people and none of us were impressed. we all got pasta dishes and found all 3 of them to be quite bland. the pasta was homemade and the ingredients were quite fresh, but the dishes overall were lackluster. very nice staff and good service, however.

if i have another guest in town, maybe i’ll try the pizza as that’s what the other reviews have been geared towards.

I’ve been eating a lot of pizza in Berlin and in my days and this place has the best pizzas, that’s for sure. The other dishes are also awesome so check them out as well. The place is kind of posh but in case you have a problem with that you will forget all about it when they serve you the food.

It’s a very popular place so if you’re not going there on “odd hours” make sure you make a reservation, especially if you’re more than 2.

i’ve eaten here several times and tried everything including the pizza, pasta and several types of appetizers… the pizza is one of the best i’ve had in the area! especially for the price. i also had an alfredo pasta with chicken breast, which was killer! overall the place is very cozy and chill. the stein-oven makes is very authentic. a good place to go on a date but even better for take-out!

I’ve wanted to eat here for quite some time and last night I finally did it… Am I happy that I did it :D I cannot wait to go back again! You can tell it is a family business.

I had a brie with homemade sausage (the most tastily amazing sausage I have tried) pizza. I ate the whole thing and was only thinking about eating half when they brought it to me. I just couldn’t stop myself.

What’ll be next I wonder? Maybe the pizza with taleggio as I love this cheese!