For years, great pizza was hard to come by in Berlin. In the recent past, however, it seems as though there’s a new pizza place on every corner. So which ones are the real deal? From pizzas with organic local produce from Berlin and Brandenburg to those with only the best ingredients from Italy, from Neapolitan style to Roman style and everything in between, here are some of the finest pizzas in Berlin's restaurants.
Tip 1: Zola in Kreuzberg
There aren’t many better locations for a restaurant than at the canal in Kreuzberg, and there aren’t many places on earth that do a Neapolitan pizza as well as Zola. The pizzeria opened in 2015 and within weeks it had revolutionised the pizza scene in Berlin thanks to its wood-fired oven that churns out steaming hot pizzas with a gorgeously charred crust in under two minutes. Since then, it has opened two more restaurants – both on the banks of the Spree – and both are just as good as the original.
Where: Paul-Lincke-Ufer 39-40, Kreuzberg
Tip 2: Sironi La Pizza
The good people at Sironi are here to cater for all of your Italian bread kneads needs. If, for some inexplicable reason, you don’t fancy pizza, their focaccia and pastries are to die for. But we’re here to talk pizza, so let’s talk pizza. Their spelt-flour pizzas are a unique element on their menu, and there’s also the delicious vegan variation too. Don’t forget a scoop of their home-made ice-cream to finish off your meal.
Where: Goltzstraße 36, Schöneberg
Tip 3: Gazzo
Gazzo pizzeria in Neukölln has broken with tradition to make pizza just the way they like it. The result is something so good that you’re certain to love it too. Their sourdough crust is thinner than the near-ubiquitous Neapolitan-style pizzas, and it comes with a bit more of a crispy crunch. Gazzo also cares about ethical sourcing of ingredients and thus prioritises the use of local produce where possible. It’s therefore not surprising that they have vegan variations for four of their classic pizzas at no extra cost.
Where: Hobrechtstrasse 57, Neukölln
Tip 4: Malafemmena
Malafemmena is one of the few Berlin pizzerias certified by the ‘Associazione Verace Pizza napoletana’ (AVPN), an association for promoting the true Neapolitan style of pizza-making. You know what that means. It means you’re going to get one of the best pizzas of your life at Malafemmena. It’s run by real-life Neapolitans, and they’re not just dedicated to great pizza, but to the entirety of Neapolitan food culture. Try their meats, fish and home-made pasta if you’ve any room left after your life-changing pizza.
Where:
- Hauptstraße 85, Schöneberg
- Danziger Str. 16, Prenzlauer Berg
Tip 5: Pepe Nero
Pepe Nero is a trattoria in Prenzlauer Berg specialising in a more traditional Italian menu, so it isn’t the place to come for a vegan or gluten-free pizza. But what they do, they do very well indeed. The Nocciolina pizza stands out – walnuts, spicy salami, bresaola (dried salted beef) – and the tiramisu, that classic Italian dessert, will round off your pizza feast very nicely.
Where: Bötzowstraße 30, Prenzlauer Berg
Tip 6: Trattoria Boccacelli
If there’s anyone you can trust when it comes to great pizza, it’s an Italian grandma, right? Celeste Vicedomini, the Neapolitan owner of Boccacelli, goes even one step further – he learned everything he knows about great pizza from his great-grandmother. His pizzas are charmingly named after iconic Italians through the ages – the Pizza Gina Lollobrigida is really a Quattro Formaggio and the Pavarotti is a calzone – and all come with an option for a spelt flour base.
Where: Winterfeldtstraße 34, Schöneberg
More about Trattoria Boccacelli
Tip 7: Marina Blu
The flour is from an old mill in Parma. The tomatoes for the sauce are a special type that only grow in the national park around Vesuvius. Other ingredients are sourced depending on the season and availability – and almost all of them come from Italy. The dough is prepped 48 hours in advance and creates a pizza that is somewhere between the thin crunchy dough of the Roman style, and the chewy, thicker Neapolitan. Marina Blue does a tight menu of just eight pizzas, and they’re all fantastic.
Where: Weinbergsweg 8a, Mitte
Tip 8: Parma di Vinibenedetti
If you’re looking for organic pizza in Berlin, you can call off the search. Parma di Vinibenedetti is the best place in town when it comes to outstanding pizza made exclusively with organic ingredients. This fine establishment began life in Wedding in 2014 and has since located to a prime Kreuzberg spot just north of Görlitzer Park. Parma di Vinibenedetti like to keep their menu simple. Most pizzas have just three or four high-quality ingredients to create an affordable and memorable experience for their guests, but there are also options for splurging on pizzas with more decadent toppings.
Where: Wrangelstraße 90, Kreuzberg
More about Parma di Vinibenedetti
Tip 9: Capvin
In the pizza world, Vincenzo Capuano is the go-to chef for combining traditional Neapolitan craftmanship with revolutionary pizza ideas. Capvin uses Capuano’s specially designed flour, called ‘nuvola’ – the Italian for ‘cloud’. You can guess what kind of pizzas it produces. Capvin’s pizzas come with an almost intimidatingly large outer crust, but with one bite you’ll realise that it is indeed perfectly cloud-like and fluffy. Alongside a couple of classics on the menu, you can also try pizzas with unusual twists like purple potato or a ricotta-filled crust.
Where: Weinbergsweg 24, Mitte
Tip 10: Zerostress Pizza
This pizza joint with branches in Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain started out as a food truck that toured around Europe before eventually finding a home with brick-and-mortar outlets. The name clues you in to their laid-back style, but the Zerostress guys take no shortcuts when it comes to the quality of their pizzas. The pumpkin and gorgonzola pizza has quickly become a favourite and they also offer plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.
Where:
- Colbestraße 3, Friedrichshain
- Lausitzer Platz 10, Kreuzberg
Tip 11: Futura
Futura Pizza is a Neapolitan pizzeria that perfectly combines tradition with creativity. Their dough is made from both liquid and solid sourdough, which they claim makes it particularly easy to digest – and delicious too, of course. The pizzaiolo is AVPN-certified and Futura has raked in plenty of awards since opening in February 2019. Their ingredients all come from Italy and their Norma pizza, with smoked scamorza cheese and aubergines, is the hardest one to resist on their eye-catching menu.
Where: Bänschstraße 91, Friedrichshain
