If we could only choose one place to eat with friends this summer, it might just be the backyard at Ari’s in Kreuzberg: a refreshingly unpretentious spot with monobloc chairs under striped awnings. Arianna Plevisani and her team welcome you like old friends, whether it’s your first visit or your fiftieth. That sense of home is intentional. When planning her restaurant, Ari wanted a place people come to alone or with a group, on a whim — no reservations, no fuss. After a long night out, during a lunch break, or right after school. Ari grew up in her parents’ restaurants in Lima and cooked in Berlin for Jaja, Château Royal, and Ólafur Elíasson’s studio. At Ari’s, she blends her Peruvian, Italian, Greek, and fine dining background with the laid-back energy of an American diner. When she moved from New York to Berlin, it was comfort food she missed most, so now she serves it herself: thoughtful, simple, and with a Latin American influence.
Start with the chips and aji verde (that’s the green Peruvian sauce made from cilantro and jalapeños). Come by on the weekend for ceviche, and split churros for dessert. Our plan is to try something new every Sunday, maybe the vegan Spicy Green Goddess salad, the “Lima Kreuzburger” with shoestring fries, or the pancakes with salty syrup. Sip a mezcalita in the sun, and by autumn, settle into the dining room. Ari’s might be our favorite place this summer, but it’s the thought of a slice of Tres Leches cake while snow falls on Glogauer Straße that already has us looking forward to winter.
Text: Laura Storfner & Milena Kalojanov / Photos: Mishka Kornai & Najaaraq Vestbirk
Ari’s, Glogauer Str.2, 10999 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
@aris__berlin
