Sfogliatelle, Ragout and Much More. Barettino Bar is all about girl power, it’s the perfect place for all times, from breakfast to dinner! It’s an Italian bar founded by two friends and today it is home of the tastiest recipes: we have been there and we still dream about its amazing food until now!
Maria and Djamila don’t have time to chit chat. Barettino, that opened its door in 2013 and has become a gastronomic institution, is always full. With the support of their employees (among them also Luciano Sanfilippo, a real force of nature), Maria and Djamila always treat their clients in a unique and special way.
It’s January. Monday. 11.30 am. At the bar, a cup of cappuccino with a pasta says it all, it’s perfect for early birds. The smell of Ragout creates a scent that makes you want to follow it, just like in the Tom and Jerry episode; when Jerry while sleeping, gets carried by an ethereal smell of cheese in the the shape of a hand and lead him straight to the source: big wooden boxes full of cheese put on a boat, ready to sail (I’m talking about this episode). Maria is indeed from Cattolica, a town in the Emilia Romagna region, which is home of the Bolognese. «We use only beef meat, it’s a very thick ragout. We serve it with fresh homemade spaghettoni. Our kitchen, as written on the menu, is similar to the kitchen of Italian mums. You can only find fresh pasta in our menu. Cause you should feel happy and satisfied after every meal».
Barettino; The Savory Menu
Barettino is open every day, from morning till night. And guess what? The perfect Aperitivo is found there. Imagine being seated on a nice big terrace facing Reuterplatz, with a very nice cocktail in hand, made out of high quality liquors only (Cynar spritz sells itself) alongside bruschettas and Ischia olives for free.
The dinner is a news. «Our closing time used to be at 8 p.m. but lots of clients where requesting to stay longer and to order dishes we serve at lunchtime. And that made us reorganize our business, but I like the idea of having the door of our Bar always open to people who look for great food and atmosphere».
Apart from spaghettoni (served also with burrata and flavored with ginger and lemon), they also have fresh fusilloni with sausage ragout, lasagna and two types of ravioli (the green one with spinach, butter and sage; and the truffle one with boletus and walnuts cream). When you feel like having something else, there is also a seasonal soup; caponata, eggplants parmigiana, gilthead bream fillet, shrimps with cognac and pink salt or a typical Berlin recipe that consists of beetroots carpaccio with guacamole and cipriani sauce. «Our menu is small, but with very high quality dishes. The secret is to use only fresh ingredients and meet our clients’ expectations».
The prices are moderate. You can get a spaghetti with burrata for only 7€. «Milk and eggs are bio and lots of products come from Italy. Maybe we should be more careful with the prices since the rents have increased by 150%, but we like to keep our bar affordable to everyone».
Barettino for breakfast, quick lunch break, or aperitivo
Barettino serves also rich sandwiches for a quick lunch break. «We call it panoni (from the italian term for sandwich “panini” ) because they are huge. My two of my favorites are the carciocrudo with roman archikoch, mozzarella and fresh sliced dark ham and the one we serve only on Tuesdays with sicilian sausage, Swiss cheese and sweet and sour onions. «I’m just mentioning two of them with a heavy heart, because we make them all with love».explains to us Maria. Djamila, who represents the german side, explains to us about the focacce « We make different types of them: from the easiest one with rosemary, to the one full of veggies. We always have a vegan option for all the dishes we make, also for the cakes that we make in the lab».
We ordered for lunch fresh spaghettoni with ragout (ps: every wednesday is ragout day, and the price of the spaghetti is less on this day), followed by a super tasty carrot cake. Sfogliatelle were already over. «Our bar has an Italian name, but for breakfast we offer not only sweet meals, but also omelets, for those who want to start the day with something salty.».
The Barettino history
A year before opening Barettino together, Maria and Djamila met each other in a bar in Kreuzberg. They both had a background of the culinary world since the age of 15: Maria was a seasonal chef in the Adriatic coast, while Djamila worked in a relative’s restaurant in Freiburg. «Maria convinced me, or better, obliged me to open a bar together. Back then I had already a child and it was like having another one. In the beginning we wanted to have an Italian-German menu, but after a while the Italian soul became prominent and I’ve started focusing on the bureaucratic side». Djamila plays also in a Band, while Maria, that has a degree in Languages and Literatures, teaches Italian at the Volksschule and has just finished writing her first German book. «I’ve been in berlin since 2005, and in Germany for over 20 years. I like to face new challenges, either through my bar or something else. Maybe the truth is that I can’t stay calm.
The energy and the good vibes you get from their stories is the same as one gets in Barettino. If you are around, just stop by. At any time, it will be worth it.
Barettino
Reuterstraße 59, 12047 Berlino
Opening times: everyday from 9 AM till midnight
Telefon: +49 (0)30 25563034
E-Mail: barettinoberlin@gmail.com
* Translation edited by Anna Fasolato
