Restaurants
Neni Hamburg Israeli soul food at the Old Port Authority
Opening Times
Daily: noon - 11:00pm
Address
NENI Hamburg
Osakaallee 12
20457 Hamburg-Hafencity
.How to get there
Contact
NENI stands for Nuriel, Elior, Nadiv and Ilan - the four sons of Israeli chef Haya Molcho. Here in the cosy restaurant in the Hafencity, Molcho takes us on a journey to her native Tel Aviv. Hummus in different variations, falafel, baba ganoush and knafeh are on the menu. The location is also exciting: Neni Hamburg is located in the historic Altes Hafenamt, a beautiful brick building in between the modern architecture of Hafencity.
Middle East meets Northern Europe: the Hanseatic brick walls blend perfectly with the oriental large wicker lamps on the ceiling and the brass-coloured tables. An exciting look that is rounded off with lots of plants, oriental carpets and rustic wooden furniture. The Neni also has a lovely green terrace, where holiday feelings are guaranteed to arise.
However, it is not the interior that is the focus of the Neni, but family. Drawings by the sons, for example, adorn the menus - ours features Nuriel, who offers insights into his favourite dishes. A nice personal touch. Although it is chef Moritz Mundschau and restaurant managers Dominik Leutz and Marcel Zechner, who are serving the guests here in Hamburg, you still feel very close to the Molcho family.
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A clever brand with which the Molchos are very successful: In 2009, Haya Molcho founded the first Neni in Vienna; she now has restaurants in Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Cologne and Mallorca. Her path into gastronomy is inspiring but would unfortunatley go beyond the scope of this text.
So back to the food: As it is difficult to choose from the large selection, we make it easy for ourselves and order the menu "Best of Neni" - various vegetarian dishes in mezze style, followed by dishes that are typical for Neni and part of Tel Aviv's table culture. It is fitting that all dishes are shared; eating together literally screams "family".
After the amuse-bouche, bread with the delicious yoghurt dip labneh, a beautiful etagere with three mezze plates: roasted cauliflower, curried mango hummus and baba ghanoush, a puree of aubergine and sesame paste - served with pita bread, of course, is brought to us.
To accompany the food, the friendly sommelier recommends an Israeli wine: Mount Hermon White (2021). The winery and vineyards of the Golan Heights Winery are located in the Golan Heights. Wine has been grown there since 1976. The Mount Hermon White is a composition of the grape varieties Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Muscat Canelli. It offers refreshing yet fruity notes of melon, guava, citrus fruits and green apples - very fitting for our holiday feeling and the following dishes.
The next course also comes piled high in an etagere: aubergine with tahini and a soft-boiled egg, caramelised aubergine with roasted sesame seeds and rice, and a lentil salad with yoghurt sauce. We also have a mushroom shawarma with grilled laffa bread and sweet potato fries with mango aioli. The portions are really generous.
With the dessert étagère comes another real highlight: Knafeh - a speciality from the Old City of Jerusalem. Baked kadayif (thread dough) with Greek yoghurt ice cream, mozzarella and ricotta, refined with orange blossom syrup and pistachios. Cheese as a dessert - sounds crazy, but it's delicious!
Whether you're a tourist or a real Hamburg citizen, Neni is the place for anyone who wants to experiment and spend a convivial evening with family and friends in a great location.
