• 5
• **** This. Is. Delicious.

Like, I've been preaching for Il Ritrovo my entire time in Berlin. It was the best pizza I'd had. The Ritrovo guys topped the pizzas I've eaten in Italy, and that's saying something. That restaurant became a sort of comforting oasis of peace in a [censored] 9-to-5 day of meetings. It's really, really good. But white boy, you're thinking, this is La Stella Nera! Right. I'm getting there. La Stella Nera (LSN) tops Il Ritrovo, spits on its face, and laughs mockingly as it runs afoot into the night. Or something like that. As I'd rank Il Ritrovo a 9/10 in terms of food, LSN can only be fairly graded with a 10. It *is* perfect. Both places could do better in other areas. But LSN can't do much to improve its food. The pizza dough ferments for over 24 hours, if I recall correctly. It becomes soft and chewy, the stuff of dreams and romance books ridden with tales of clouds. The tomato sauce is just right. I'd throw in a bit of extra garlic, but that says more about me than them. (Garlic on all the things!) The toppings are generous and tasty. As I bite into this baby, my brain goes blank on all the bad stuff that's going on in the world. I'm reminded of an early morning when I read The Importance of Being Ernest. Pure, calm bliss. That's LSN. The olive bruschetta is darn good too, as is the tiramisu. As far as vegan tiramisu goes, only Viasko has topped this one. I could go on and on about my new favorite place in Berlin, but we all have other [censored] to do. Just try it. It might not be your favorite type of pizza. Maybe you're into four cheeses (ugh). But this will be good, I promise. Fast forward a few years, you'll remember LSN and quietly whisper "good times." TL;DR: Stellar! Updated from previous review on 2016-07-23