NANA Mezze & Wine A Piece of Tel Aviv in the Middle of München

There are scenic restaurants, hyped up through weeks of advertising before their opening, which then comes with much ado and a handful of B-list celebrities as VIP guests. And then there are restaurants that, all of a sudden, are there and you get the feeling they always have been. NANA belongs to the latter. "We thought we'd give it a small, unofficial test run before the real opening, just to see how everything runs and what we still need to optimise," explains Jörg, one of two owners. As far as the guests were concerned, this test run was completely unnecessary. Since June- and the previsionary opening- the lovingly decorated tables in and in front of Haidhauser Metzstraße 15 are occupied around the clock.

No wonder. As I enter NANA, I feel as if I'm on holiday, but also as if I've been invited to a friend's for dinner. A friend with excellent taste in decor and the ability to seemingly effortlessly conjure a few small delicacies at the table, mind you! The principle of 'enjoying together' is reflected in the menu as well: diverse mezze– such as Baba Ghanoush, eggplant in spicy tomato sauce and small salads– encourage ordering a large selection and trying a little of everything. Oven-fresh bread is served on the side, packaged in lovely paper bags and ready to be torn and shared. The fluffy pita bread is perfect for scooping out every last bit of the somewhat larger portions of various hummus dishes, or making sure that not a spoon of Shakshuka, served in a sizzling hot pan, goes to waste.

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Shakshuka is a typical Israeli vegetable ragout with fried eggs. Originally intended as a breakfast, it’s now prepared all day long- and so it is in NANA, where it is one of the specialties. There's a reason for this: David, Jörgs counterpart and the other owner of the restaurant, came from Tel Aviv with cooking spoon swinging, bringing the flavours of his hometown to München. The two friends have long had a plan to create a place for all joy, no stress. They found the perfect location in their venue- right in the middle of the most beautiful Haidhausen.

Imminent good vibes is the goal here. "We get immense joy seeing a guest here or there intuitively nab some sauce with their finger, or stretch out their legs on a chair on the terrace," Jörg laughs. As we finish off the last sips of the unbelievably tasty, house made lemon-mint-lemonade, the newly arrived family next to us moves their chairs around to make space for everyone– just as you’d do in your own living room.

And what is with the opening? … It took care of itself. But perhaps there will be a festival for fans of relaxed dining. I'll let you know!