Nalu Diner, Berlin

We were hungry for some fluffy pancakes drizzled with maple syrup, crispy strips of bacon, and one or two cups of down-to-earth filtered coffee. So we headed to Nalu, an American diner on Dunckerstraße, and we were looking forward to its simplicity and straightforwardness: No James Dean posters on the wall, no Marilyn Monroe pics, no red leather booths, no maps of Route 66.
Or like my (American) husband loves to say: It doesn't try to be a diner. It just is a diner. A diner with an old-fashioned black board announcing the breakfast offers; free coffee refills and ice waters in brown plastic glasses; tables decorated with geographical maps of the U.S., photos of presidents and birds. White washed walls and simple wooden booths.

They mixed up some of our orders (hash browns instead of bacon) but were fast in replacing them. They are not chatty either. But we felt good and relaxed, and it didn't matter that the kids were a bit loud or that a water glass tumbled down. It seemed like the other families around us felt the same way.
They are starting to make dinner now too, so you'll know where to go if you get that craving for a good hamburger. 

If you go:
Nalu Diner
Dunckerstr. 80
10437 Berlin

il Giradschi

Later, after a Glühwein and a walk through rainy streets, we ended up with friends at il Giradschi in Oderbergerstraße; I have been a fan of their other pizza place,  I Due Forni, for a long time. When I  lived on Senefelder Platz, just around the corner from there, I had their "Incredibile" on a regular basis; in summer, on long wooden benches under the trees, in winter in their warm cantina-style restaurant, always busy, always a bit chaotic, with its revolutionary memorabilia and signatures scribbled all over the yellow walls.

Back to il Giradschi last night: Exposed brick and simple wooden tables; vinyl covers and music posters on the walls that reminded me of the room of a teenager (with a good taste of music, nonetheless)  Record sleeves double as menus. Our waiter was friendlier and more attentive than any waiter I ever had at I Due Forni, but I was still disappointed. il Giradschi to me was an uninspired version of the restaurant I liked so much; what looks so effortlessly and works so well at I Due Forni seems contrived at il Giradschi.

The food was good. Although the red wine was a bit chilly, the brick-oven pizzas with their paper-thin crust are as as crunchy as it gets in this corner of Prenzlauer Berg. And large - the plates are are too small for these pizzas, which are generously topped with a forest of arugula and crunchy slivers of walnuts, and served with a spicy oil that will make your lips burn.

Still, next time I will make my way down to I Due Forni again.

il Giradschi
Oderberger Str. 22, 10435 Berlin

I Due Forni
Schönhauser Allee 12, 10119 Berlin

My review of I Due Forni on about.com