Sisal — Restaurant in Berlin

As someone who has worked there, I am providing you with an insider’s perspective. The hygiene practices in this establishment are highly questionable. For instance, food is checked by dipping fingers into it. The pasta, which should be freshly cooked upon order, is actually prepared in bulk long in advance and left sitting for hours. Boiled pasta is cooled on a dirty countertop before being served later. Employees are explicitly instructed not to let customers see this process.

A single cloth is used to clean everything—the countertop, cabinets, cutting boards, and even the workers’ hands. There are no dedicated utensils or separate preparation areas for vegetarian or vegan meals.

Instead of replacing the metal food containers each evening, they simply wipe the lids and use the same cloth to “clean” them. The containers themselves are never properly washed or changed.

Dropping food on the floor is not considered a problem here—it is simply put back on the plate and served. I am not sure if all food establishments operate this way, but after witnessing these practices firsthand, I no longer feel comfortable eating out.

The owner is an appalling individual who exploits his workers under harsh conditions, only to fire them after a short period. He constantly yells at employees over trivial matters. The only worker who remains is an Afghan refugee, who doesn’t work there by choice but out of sheer necessity. It is heartbreaking to witness such treatment in what is supposed to be a civilized society.

Adding to the absurdity, the owner—who does not even speak his native language (Turkish) properly—walks around pretending to be “Italian,” throwing in random Italian words like bella to fit the so-called theme of an “Italian” restaurant. However, the way he operates the business is completely devoid of ethics and professionalism.

Customers should also be aware that employees are instructed to leave fake positive reviews on Google and respond to negative feedback with misleading comments.

I have done my duty by sharing this information. Complaints will be filed with the relevant authorities, supported by photographic evidence. While you may believe you are dining in Europe, in reality, you are paying for a standard of hygiene that belongs elsewhere. Your health and judgment are in...

I arrived 21.50 at Thursday with my girlfriend looking for a cozy restaurant. We stood outside scrolling the menu, when the waiter passed us by heading for a table. When returning, he in a very rude tone claimed the place was closing (online they say 24.00) and, without further notice, just ripped the menu out of my girlfriends hands. I have never experienced this this rude behaviour by a waiter before. Whatever was going on with this person, he sure was not shy of sharing his bad mood. We went around the corner to find a (probably) much better restaurant happy to have customers. When walking back, Sisal still seemed to serve people.... But all in all, happy this waiter kind of warned ut this was not the right place to spend...

Great food at decent prices. I brought my parents here as they were visiting Berlin. With Pizza, Pasta, and an oven dish we had an order with good variety and all of us thought the food was excellent. The lunch menu (10.50€ at the time of this writing) for any Pizza, Pasta or Risotto includes a salad and a soft drink and seems like a pretty good deal considering quality of the food and location. The only criticism I might have is that the details of the lunch offer could be more transparent on the menu itself.

Nevertheless, definitely recommended and I will...