Trattoria Paparazzi

Trattoria Paparazzi: Berlin’s Culinary Pioneer

As an unpretentious trendsetter and inventor of the GDR-Italian, Doris Burneleit wrote Berlin restaurant history. Already in 1987, she opened her “Fioretto”, the first and only Italian restaurant in the GDR. After the fall of the Wall, a detour via Charlottenburg, and over 20 years in Prenzlauer Berg, she finally opened her new Trattoria Paparazzi – this time in Friedrichshain, on Lehmbruckstraße in Oberbaumcity. With this, Burneleit returned to where Berlin is most vibrant: the East.

The restaurant is open in the evenings and thrives on an atmosphere that doesn’t sound like a show stage yet attracts celebrities. Author Wladimir Kaminer regularly comes with his family, and TV presenter Maybrit Illner is considered a regular. Celebrities dine here side-by-side with scene-goers and older couples who still remember Burneleit’s pasta from GDR times.

Malfatti, Carpaccio, and the Art of Consistency

What distinguishes Trattoria Paparazzi from many other upscale Italian restaurants in Berlin is its consistent signature style. Legendary are the Malfatti – spinach pasta with Parmesan in roll form – as well as the tuna carpaccio with fried capers, the recipe for which is simply not revealed. Both are dishes that have been on the menu for decades and keep bringing regulars back. It’s also worth looking at the daily recommendations, as classics like Strangolapretti – pasta with cheese, spinach, and ham – are on the menu, as are changing daily specials.

If you want a table, you should book in advance. Even in Friedrichshain, Paparazzi remains what it always has been: a restaurant that doesn’t need to explain itself.