Italian food with punk flair
Situated on the Landwehrkanal a short walk from the Kottbusser Tor U-bahn station (U8), Il Casolare is a great Italian restaurant. Checked table cloths and heavy-duty water glasses for wine give it a real trattoria feel, which is only slightly at odds with the other decorations. Punk posters cover the walls, along with graffiti happily added by guests throughout the years. One of the waiters has a mo-hawk to complete the picture and he's been there for a few years now, so probably won't be disappearing in a hurry.
Honestly, I've only ever had the pizza there. It's large, reasonably priced, and very tasty. I have heard good things about their other dishes - and the menu makes for an amusing read, with instructions on how to use it included - but would not recommend trying the red wine. Really, just skip the house red and order a beer. That works well with pizza anyway. Also, don't forget that these are European pizzas. There is no such thing as deep pan, cheese soaked pizza on this continent. Toppings are added sparingly and crusts are thin and crunchy. Flavours are more important than mass.
Il Casolare does get busy. The place is popular and, on a warm summer night, you may be fighting for a table outside. A cold winter night will see you fighting for a table inside, and there's less of those, so it's a really good idea to try and reserve one. There is quite a high turnover of diners, so hanging around and waiting usually does work, but you may have to wait a while if you decide for that route. Service can at times be slightly harried - on really busy evenings the waiters may take a while to get to your table - but for a popular, lively restaurant, you couldn't ask for much more.