Café Nil

Review

Solace on the Nile

Café Nil on Siebensterngasse was one of those places that seemed to have always been there and would be there forever. Lulled into a sense of security, you don't go there for ages and suddenly it's closed, the Nil. Café Nil dates back to a time when there were still rusty Renault 4s parked in the seventh district, not Aston Martins. From a time when the apartments around Siebensternplatz were populated by shared apartments, not Airbnb apartments. That was a long time ago, which is why this wonderful restaurant with its unique design, which conveyed a sense of the Orient without being Oriental, was allowed to simply pass away after 32 years. What would follow? Something colorful with sourdough pizza or bowls, probably. Oh great, and suddenly you could see the light again behind the covered windows. And it said something about Café Nil new. And about interculturality. And coming soon ... Two weeks ago, the time had come. The new Nil opened and at first glance looked almost like the old one. That's exactly what Mina Yaney - architect and co-founder of the great Oriental Sandwich Bar on Billrothstraße - wanted: change and continuity, consistency and renewal. Which is why there is a completely new bar, a new lighting system and new (cool) furniture, which may be classic mid-century designer goods, but here looks just as delicately oriental as the Thonet armchairs used to. The red leather benches and parts of the floor have remained. Mina and his brother Bischoy have taken a similar approach to the menu, "Levantine, open to the west", he says, "we don't want to be an Egyptian restaurant". Which is why there are dishes from Morocco, Lebanon, Asia Minor and, of course, Egypt - one sounds better than the next: handmade kibbeh with roasted almonds and chimichurri, okra stew, calamari fritti with cumin aioli ... Muhammara, the sauce made from red peppers and walnuts, was great (€ 6.50), the "Moroccan cigars" with organic beef, almond and onion filling were the best Böreks I've had recently (€ 7.80) and the Moroccan ragout of saffron-marinated chicken pieces with peppers, onions and hummus was a revelation (€ 16.90).
It's not just about the food here, says Mina Yaney, but also about sharing, about a feeling of openness. Great! Incidentally, Mrs. Salwa Ghobiral, Mina and Bischoy's mother, makes sure that the food is still so good. One of the most pleasing new openings this year. Summary: Reopening a cult restaurant is a very difficult task. The new Café Nil succeeds with its great design and extremely good food.

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