Restaurant Macionga — Restaurant in Berlin

Let me start from the beginning

We made a reservation by phone and showed up at the appointed time. We were the first guests, and the restaurant was completely empty. We were shown to a table without being given the opportunity to choose where we wanted to sit (usually this is normal, but other guests who came after us were all given the opportunity to choose which table they wanted to sit at).

A waiter came up to us and asked us to order drinks first, despite the fact that we did not have a menu in hand, and as it turned out later - there were no drinks on the menu at all. Having no idea what drinks they had, we simply ordered water (not knowing what kind and how much it cost).

They brought us water, and then a minute later, a menu.

The atmosphere was very strange. We were the only guests in this small restaurant, but there were 2 waiters serving us.

One of them said that if we were hungry, it was worth ordering 4 dishes per person to get full. (As it turned out, to leave this place at least a little full, you need to eat all 8 or even 10 dishes at once).

My girlfriend ordered 3 dishes (salad, main course, dessert). I ordered 2 main courses.

Food: The portions are small. Just like they pour you a sip of wine in a glass so you can try it, that's how the portions are. Overall, it's tasty, but not exactly "wow." Interesting, beautiful, tasty, but not amazing, given that the prices are not cheap at all. The salad was just disappointing.

By the way, there is no wine list either, or they didn't offer it to us, so I just skip the wine part. There was a board with some wines on the wall at the entrance, but it was in another room, and I didn't want to run around.

Guests started arriving, and it became a little more comfortable since we were sitting alone in an empty restaurant, and the interior there was, to put it mildly, not very fancy. White walls, a couple of strange colored paintings, and that's it. In general, it's pretty dull.

Different waiters brought and took away food and dishes from the table, again. Since there is no drink card, we ordered beer (yes, beer in such a place, because we were not offered wine, and beer is a sure bet).

There was no coaster for a glass of beer, and the entire table was in wet "mugs" from a cold glass of beer.

The bill was about 140€ including a 10% tip.

We left disappointed. A very specific place, far from for everyone.

We had been to other "similar" restaurants of the same level before, and it was always good. Unfortunately, not this time.

not an unimportant factor: we were offered bread and butter, which we happily agreed to. In the end, it was never brought to us, and it was sad to see how everyone was eating delicious bread and butter, but...

Excellent food prepared by an ambitious kitchen, exceptional selection of great wines, mostly appropriately priced, though there are some at the lower end of the price spectrum and a large number in which the restaurant owner has taken a personal interest in its production; attentive and polite service. The atmosphere is ideally suited to invite people for long winter evenings.

There aren't that many restaurants in the world that offer this range of wines, and for connoisseurs, who want to enjoy the wine over and above the food, this is a clear reason to come here. That is not to diminish the food, just to say, that wine lovers' eyes will glaze over with anticipation when they consult the wine list, and they would wish that both their lives and their pecuniary resources would last long enough to enjoy a small part of what...

The dining experience at Macionga is distinguished by the brilliance of its approach to flavor. Each of its small dishes offers something new and different; together they add up to a balanced, refreshing meal that left us more than satisfied but not overfull. The price points are extremely reasonable; the service friendly, helpful and informative; the pace of the meal leisurely without being too slow. Highlights of our dinner included an extraordinary beef tartare and an unparalleled confit of iberico pork, both supplemented perfectly with fresh, seasonal ingredients. We highly...