We were hopping with happiness after our first meal at Muret la Barba: a simple, autenthic, delicious Italian restaurant and wine bar near the Miniloft apartments, with a huge wine selection, most of which can also be ordered by the glass. It's in a chic Mitte location but is saved from pretention by its design - clean lines, spare but warm, walls of wine bottles - and the friendly, relaxed staff (all Italians! an Italian restaurant actually owned and run by Italians is actually a rarity in Berlin. And they're all gorgeous.) Lunch is wonderfully affordable, with salads around 7 EUR and a selection of two pastas around 9 EUR. We split a huge fennel, beet and arugula salad, and had homemade pasta with veal ragout and spaghetti carbonara. Delicious. Dinner brings out succulent meat dishes in addition to lunch's pasta and salad choices. It's a good idea to reserve in advance for dinner, as it's small and understandably very popular.

Muret la Barba
Rosenthaler Str. 61, Mitte
Mon-Fri 10-24:00, Sat 12-24:00, Sun 16-24:00
Tel +49 30 280 97 212