Tapas and mezze: Here you can enjoy in small portions
Typical tapas and pinchos from Spain.
Photo: Getty Images / iStockphoto / LUNAMARINA
Especially with friends or family, appetizers are a tasty alternative. Where it tastes particularly good in Hamburg.
Hamburg. You know it at least from Vacation in Spain, but also in other Mediterranean countries diverse starters sometimes be a whole meal. These are the personal tips of the Abendblatt editors for an evening with Tapas or Mezze.
Satisfy your craving for tapas at Deseo
On Eppendorfer Landstrabe lies a small tapas paradise that many people don’t even know about. At Deseo, you’ll find super-tasty creations such as porcini ravioli, tuna in saffron sauce, lamb fillet with Roquefort sauce, mini quesadillas and much more, as well as Spanish classics such as chorizo sausage and pimientos de padron.
Three tapas are enough for the frugal; if you’re hungry, you can manage four. In addition, there is delicious bread with even more delicious aioli, great desserts and of course matching wines. By the way: "Deseo" means "desire", so why do you think this place is called that??
Eppendorfer Landstrasse 10, Tel. 49 20 16 70, deseo-hamburg.com
La Paz serves modern Spanish tapas
La Paz in Eimsbuttel has undergone a real transformation in the past year. Always popular with the neighborhood, the restaurant at the traffic circle has clearly gained in modernity and style after renovation and change of ownership. This applies equally to the menu and the interior design.
In times of Corona, the large terrace with enough heating pads is another argument for a visit to enjoy modern Spanish tapas: Meatballs in tomato sauce are just as good at Kemal ures as the braised duck leg with chili chocolate sauce. In addition, there is a wide selection of wines.
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Mazza: 24 appetizer variations
The name of the restaurant is program. If you eat at Mazza, you’ll be delighted with the appetizers of the same name. They are part of the menu (36 euros). Six small bowls with different delicacies are served per person. Ideally, therefore, you go to eat four, because there are a total of 24 variations, which then actually all come to the table.
These include beet with horseradish, baba ganoush with walnuts and pomegranate seeds, potatoes with lemon olive oil, hummus and spinach with braised onions. Note: There are two restaurants called Mazza, which have now separated their businesses, in Eimsbuttel and in Poppenbuttel. The restaurant at Moorkamp in Eimsbuttel will open on 6. Close February for three weeks because the kitchen is being remodeled. From summer on, the opulent hall will be used as a restaurant.
Moorkamp 5, Tel. 284 19 17, and Poppenbutteler Weg 236, Tel. 60 87 82 40, mazza-hamburg.com
Tapasbar La Pata Negra: Specialties from the Iberian Peninsula
La Pata Negra has become a meeting place in the Uhlenhorst area. That’s thanks to Jimmy Yassa Campos, a hamburger with Spanish roots, who offers specialties from the Iberian peninsula in solid and liquid form in his tapas bar. This includes selected wines, cava and Spanish beer as well as self-imported Jamon Iberico Bellota and other fine hams and sausages, an exquisite selection of cheeses and olives.
The covered terrace is particularly popular, with radiant heaters ensuring acceptable temperatures even in spring and fall. The menu also includes dishes such as fresh goat cheese with flamed and truffled fig mustard, walnut and chili threads, beef tartare and two kinds of carpaccio, potatoes baked in salt with herb sauce and dates, apricots, and figs wrapped in bacon.
Hoeg 45, Tel. 20 95 29 10, open again from 1. February, la-patanegra.de
Enjoy fine Lebanese cuisine at L’Orient restaurant
Fadi Marouk is the place to be if you want to escape Hamburg’s grim weather. In his restaurants L’Orient in Ottensen and in Eimsbuttel he offers Lebanese cuisine at its best. At lunch, the price-performance ratio is unbeatable for dishes such as lamb kebab balls, organic mangold leaves or grilled dorade fillet (all with side dishes for under ten euros). In the evening, the large Mazza platter with delicacies such as hummus, falafel or carrots pickled in rose petals is a tempting choice. A bottle of Lebanese wine – and you feel like a king or queen from the Orient.
Bahrenfelder Strasse 172, Tel. 60 785 747 and Osterstrasse 146 (reopened from 31. January), Tel. 43 28 16 51, restaurant-lorient.de
Madrigal: White Rioja goes well with the tapas
If you’re in the mood for tasty tapas at fair prices, you should stop by Madrigal. The service is friendly and competent, the ambience stylish. The aioli alone to start is already a treat. The choice of tapas is wide, with both fish and meat. We recommend the grilled octopus with garlic and oil or the meatballs in tomato sauce. Vegetarian tapas are also available. You should definitely try the Canarian potatoes in a salt coat. The white Rioja, which is available open or in bottles, goes well with the tapas. In the summer the terrace invites you to linger.
More than an insider tip: Pamboli sandwiches at Pamboli Tapas
With four cafes on 100 meters, the Imstedt in Barmbek-Sud is a mini shoulder blade. There are also tapas, but not in the classic way, but from the Balearic Islands. The small authentic "Pamboli Tapas – meson mallorquIn" is the life and love work of the Mallorcan Ricardo and his wife Christiane, and this passion is as precious as delicious to experience in selected tapas and flambe skewers for every taste.
More than an insider tip, however, are the namesake pamboli sandwiches. This specialty may look like an unspectacular snack, but more than a few regulars swear by an entire evening based only on pambolis – and wine.
Imstedt 36, Tel. 24 89 90 09, pamboli.de
Well-known and new creations at Tapas y Mas
An absolute classic when it comes to Spanish appetizers is Tapas y Mas, located in the middle of Schanze. The corona-related closures were used for renovation work, in which the rustic ambience was given a more modern coat of paint. While kitchen graters now dangle above the counter, converted into lamps fit for a ski jump, the authentic Spanish feel remains.
The menu leaves no tapas wishes unfulfilled and brings together familiar dishes such as Spanish peppers, dates wrapped in bacon or grilled squid as well as new creations of tuna, pineapple, avocado and cashew. A highlight is the chorizo, which is flambeed at the table on request. Besides tapas, there are also main dishes with fish or meat.
Imara: "Euro-oriental fusion cuisine"
Dreaming of Mallorca or Marrakesh, fortunately that’s always possible. Even in times of corona. And probably best with specialties like those offered by Imara on Eppendorfer Weg. "Euro-Oriental fusion cuisine," is how general manager Ina Grawert calls the concept. So served are Spanish tapas with oriental ingredients. For example, crispy rolls filled with spinach, feta cheese, strips of vegetables and fresh herbs, or the fantastic "Moroccan Cigars," minced lamb and beef in a crispy coating with a mint-yogurt dip that even non-smokers simply love. Delicious menus are also on the menu.
Eppendorfer Weg 186, Tel. 42 91 80 80, restaurant-imara.de
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Spanish tapas and fiesta atmosphere at Cafe Altamira
Who would like to experience Fiesta mood in the grey winter everyday life, gets itself in Ottensen with Altamira the Spain vacation back. In the large conservatory, you can put together your own menu from 70 genuine Spanish tapas. Whether meat, fish, seafood or vegetarian, everything is freshly prepared and served. It tastes like in Spain, the prices are moderate.
The staff speaks Spanish with each other, of course. Sometimes a little louder, to drown out the Iberian-Latin American rhythms in the background. This atmosphere may seem a bit chaotic to some, but that’s part of the southern charm of this place.
Thomasstrabe 4 (corner of Bahrenfelder Strabe), Tel. 85 37 16 00, cafealtamira.de
Mezze at Hala awaken longings
"And when does your fairy tale begin?", asks the team from Hala. In fact, what is served in the Lebanese restaurant is fairytale-like from the Orient. Mark Riad Lambert has been running the restaurant at Beselerplatz near the Othmarschen S-Bahn station for a good twelve years, and a branch of the same name in the Grindelviertel has been part of it for a few years now. On the menu you will find cold and hot mezza, which are also available as assemblage (as a compilation by the kitchen). But beware: once you’ve tried Jawaneh in chili, garlic and coriander, you’ll never be able to eat chicken wings again without thinking (longingly) of Hala.
Beselerplatz 112, Tel. 88 16 77 87 and slide 17, Tel. 21 99 69 00, restaurant-hala.de
A change of pace: try Nordic tapas at Heemann’s
Heemann on Eppendorfer Weg serves tapas only. However, not from the home country of the small bites, but in a deliberately Nordic version. But the concept is similar to the Spanish original. Small delicacies like poached halibut with baked pumpkin or spinach dumplings with macadamia nut are served in bowls and are clearly also meant to be shared with your dining partner at the table.
The offer is seasonal and regional and the map changes depending upon season. From 4. to 5. February one can enjoy in addition to the offer also still another special menu at home. For the Chinese New Year, the team at Heemann is offering an Asian-inspired cooking box.
Eppendorfer Weg 159, Tel. 88 35 70 97, heemann.hamburg
Here you can also get tapas at home: Zur Flottbeker Schmiede
Natural stone walls, open fires and lots of antiques from homes and farm barns: here it’s as cozy and rustic as if you were sitting in an old finca somewhere in the south. Add to that the charm, humor and friendliness of the operators, Helena and Joao Gouveia, who revise their tapas menu weekly. In addition to delicious classics such as goat cheese au gratin and dates in bacon, this means that there are always less familiar dishes, such as wild broccoli with peanut sauce.
Seats are hard to get on some days, early reservation is recommended. If you wish, you can order the tapas out of the house (self-collection) or use the catering for the party organization.
Vacation in the mouth: homemade tapas of the Casa del Sabor
In the Portuguese quarter between Michel and uberseebrucke, it smells like vacation in the south all year round – this is also due to the homemade tapas of Casa del Sabor. The small potatoes with coarse salt and Mojo sauce taste like on the Canary Islands, the fried small anchovies and squids remind of carefree vacations in Andalusia.
The homemade bread with aioli (garlic cream), Serrano ham or Manchego cheese with honey round off the varied tapas offer. For the big appetite we recommend the Paella – and a number of Spanish-Portuguese meat and fish dishes (also in the clay pot). All dishes can also be ordered to go or via Lieferando.
Reimarus Street 9, Tel. 31 76 88 73, casa-del-sabor.de
Tapas and mezze in Hamburg: further tips
Tapas, mezze& Co. there are also u. a. also here: Le Golden Hedgehog, Amaranto, Tasquinha Galego, Aqui Espana, Claudio’s, Mareas, El Toro, Fardi, Neni.