Osteria Caruso — Restaurant in Berlin

Quite awful. Based on the many positive reviews, we were hopeful of finding a nice traditional osteria amongst the culinary wasteland of Potsdamer Platz. What we had to conclude is that the positive reviewers are either related to the owners, or their dining experience has been restricted to (bad) high school cafeterias. First sign of trouble: The menu lists only sweet lambrusco wine, with a note that the rest of the selection is available on the separate wine menu. But when we asked for the wine menu, the waiter just reeled off three different wines by the bottle -- with no prices until prompted. We instead order a glass of white, which was terrible, and a rose, which was passable. As an appetizer, the calamari fritti. This was obvious frozen, lukewarm, as pale as the moment it came out of the bag, and tough. My bean soup was listed under the "fresh" (i.e., made on site) pasta section -- not a chance. It was "good," in the sense that if you had just warmed it up from a can that you bought at Aldi, you wouldn't be disappointed. My wife had the mussels with white wine sauce. About a quarter way in, she encountered one that was obviously "off," and declined to eat any more. When we reported this to the waiter, he just shrugged and took the bowl. A second waiter appeared -- to apologize, maybe? Don't be stupid -- he wanted to argue with us! He bothered to bring out a sample of the vacuum-packed plastic serving of mussels (yuk), with the absurd assertion that since all the mussels in her bowl came from the same package, none of them could be off! This betrays either stunning ignorance or simply mendacity. If you're visiting Potsdamer Platz, do yourself a favor and eat elsewhere first. (The farther away the better.) If you can't avoid a meal there, your best bet is...

TL;DR: if you trapped in Postdamerplatz area and you really want go for Italian food then it can be an option, their Pasta is not that great, maybe their Pizzas are better, Environment's good though!

Update: Recently we ended up to go this place with friends, this time for dinner. I ordered Carbonara again and surprisingly it was good. Maybe there is different between their lunch or dinner shifts. So I change my rating from 1 to 3 stars!

I have been to Osteria two times, both times I left the place disappointed. First time about a year ago I ordered Carbonara which is my benchmark for any new Italian restaurant I try. The dish was terrible, egg was overcooked and it was like having mix noodle with scramble egg and cream.

Second time today, I wanted give them another try and ordered Pappardella with Salmon, it was pretty pricey and I expected something good. the Food came after 20 min and after first bite I noticed Salmon was tasteless, almost like those cheap frozen salmon from Supermarket, Pasta was overcooked as well, Sause was alright though. Normally I try to finish my dish even when I don't like it but I really couldn't do that today and had to leave most of it.

Funny when waiter asked me about the food I replied not that great and he just brought back the dish without asking why. To be fair maybe they their Pizzas are good but I wouldn't recommend that either.

You can get pretty decent product with same or even less price in Berlin, their is no shortage of good places just that if you are working around or visiting Postdamerplatz you don't have...

Wonderful hardly describes this restaurant. Everything about it was great. Off the beaten path, away from the tourist traps, reasonable prices, good portion sizes, fresh ingredients, friendly and patient staff. Very popular with locals. Parking on the street is tough but it is located about 2 blocks from Potsdamer Platz metro station. Great traditional dishes from all regions of Italy. My wife and I liked it so much we went back the next night. We tried soups, pizza, beef and pasta dishes; all were as good or better than any of the touristy spots you'll find in Berlin. Reservations are strongly recommended. This place is so warm and inviting it's like your having dinner at a relative's house. If I'm ever back in Berlin, I will...