Restaurant Review: Café Nasch in Hamburg

The historical „Gängeviertel“, an ensemble of buildings in the city centre of  Hamburg, provides space for alternative art and culture since 2009. Ever since the vegan/vegetarian Café Nasch has become part of it, we are constant guests – because its culinary culture never fails to make us happy.

A common view at Café Nasch: Neatly dressed sales people and office workers (and also the staff of notorious tabloid publisher Axel Springer Verlag next door) are picking up take-away lunchboxes, paint-sprinkled alternative craftsmen from the Gängeviertel are ordering coffee and sandwiches, students are working with their laptops, somebody is rolling a cigarette (no worries, smoking is not allowed), and Skandinavian backpackers and tourist families complete the wild mix.

This is a great place for people watching. But we have also spent a lot of empirical effort (more than 100 visits!) to research the more important aspect, which is the food offered here. The result, in short: sensationally good.

Lunch changes daily. It is often quite ambitious and elaborate, sometimes it is a delicate version of a simple home-made dish. But always, there is a great amount of love and creativity to be felt with each bite, the dishes are always perfect and delicious. It is hard to find a lunch option at this culinary quality in Hamburg, and you will surely find nothing at the Nasch’s price of 6,90 Euro. It is obvious: Nasch does not care about its turnover, it cares about taste, fun of cooking and eating. This is culture in its pure meaning.

In addition to the delicious lunch, you can have great sandwiches, Vörek (vegan Börek), Quiches and the most legendary wraps with salad and soy yoghurt and peanut sauce. These are offered warm or cold, with or without a large side salad. Prices, again, are boldly crossing the line towards price-dumping, at 3 to 5 Euro.

There is also sweet stuff to be found: The cookies are huge, soft and juicy and simply great – „dark side“ is our favorite, after extensive research. We don’t like the cakes as much – they would be okay everywhere else, but here, they seem a bit common and less spectacular than everything else.

More below the gallery…

Café Nasch is not entirely vegan: Those who think they have to can replace soy and oat with milk from cow breasts. Everything else is 100% vegan.

By the way, Café Nasch originated in the „breakfast club“, a monthly vegan Brunch at the Gängeviertel. The Nasch founders Julia and Nele were the chief organisers of the club. Now, they are making the world a much better and much more delicious place, six days a week.

So, Café nasch is giving you a great package of the most delicious food, a charming ambiance, interesting people watching. It’s our absolute top pick for lunch and snacks in Hamburg.

PS: The Gängeviertel has been occupied in 2009, when an investor was planning to demolish one of the last remaining historical building ensembles of Hamburg. The occupation was meant to preserve the buildings and create a community-organized space for everybody, to be used for cultural and social activities. The occupation was a great success, and within a few months it became unthinkable to proceed with the demolishing. Meanhile, a non-profit cooperative manages the project, and numerous groups and organisations are actively providing culture and space for social interaction without commerce or forced consumption.