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I'm drinking ouzo – what are you up to?… I hope you're thinking about where to eat… So, if you're in the mood for Greek food, I have a tip for you – namely, Nefeli. Nefeli, or rather the Greek taverna Nefeli, is located in the Ramersdorf district of Munich and borders Altperlach, which is relatively unspectacular for city dwellers. It's neither particularly central nor brimming with culinary highlights, but definitely worth the trip – provided you like Greek food, have plenty of time and patience, and don't need any fancy frills. As a vegetarian, I'm not usually in the best position at a Greek restaurant, but this one offers enough variety for vegetarians as well. Unfortunately, there's no menu online – so I've taken a picture of the entire menu for you so you can get an overview.
From the outside, the place looks rather unattractive, and you might drive right past Nefeli without giving it much thought. Inside, the restaurant initially appears chaotic, relatively simple, and overcrowded. Tables are everywhere, waiters bustle about, loud conversations fill the air, and there are simply lots of people – depending on the time of day and day of the week. On weekend evenings, Nefeli is usually packed, as is the very spacious outdoor seating area, which easily accommodates as many guests as the restaurant itself – if not more. The later it gets, the more lively and noisy it becomes. Nefeli also regularly hosts bachelorette parties and larger celebrations.
Nefeli's menu offers typical Greek specialties. After finally receiving the menus, which took a good 10-15 minutes, we decided on an appetizer: Greek bread (skordopsomo) with garlic sauce (for a very reasonable €1.75). For our main course, we chose a fish platter for two (also available for one) for €37.60, featuring a variety of fish such as salmon, pike-perch, calamari, scampi, and more. This was accompanied by a large bowl of vegetables and two side salads. We also received small, deliciously dressed side salads with the Greek bread. We were practically bursting at the seams when we were then offered a complimentary dessert: Greek yogurt with three small profiteroles, pieces of fruit, and walnuts. Along with our ordered drinks – still water and a Diet Coke (which turned out to be Pepsi Light) – we received two unidentifiable schnapps/wine mixtures that tasted very sweet, like plums. I drank everything, tried to eat everything, and then practically rolled out of the restaurant. 🙂 We couldn't quite finish the vegetables. We did, however, finish the fish. It was excellent – there was absolutely nothing to criticize about the entire fish platter. The portion was perfectly adequate for the price, and we were delighted with the taste.
Those who don't like fish can, of course, choose from the numerous other dishes. These include, for example, spit-roasted pork, gyros prepared in countless ways, lamb chops, moussaka – a minced meat, potato, and eggplant casserole topped with béchamel sauce and mountain cheese, various Greek salads, and much more. For younger guests, there are also schnitzel with fries or tagliatelle with sauce. So, in terms of the selection, there's definitely nothing to complain about.
We ended up paying €45 including tip for the fish platter, an appetizer, and two non-alcoholic drinks. It felt like we also got four small bowls of salad, two shots of schnapps, and a delicious dessert on top of that. :-). Now for the difficult part: the service. If you don't have a lot of patience and a lot of time, then this is definitely not the place for you. The menu took 15 minutes to arrive, over 30 minutes passed before the appetizer arrived, and we were definitely sitting there for over an hour before the fish platter came. The restaurant wasn't even full – quite the opposite, in fact – not even half full – and we waited and waited and waited. Even when we said we wanted to pay, the Greek waiter nodded in agreement but let another 15 minutes go by, leaning against the bar, chatting with his female colleagues, and only when we got up after about 20 minutes, went to the front, and wanted to pay, did a young Greek woman come with the card reader. When we arrived at the front, we were even offered another complimentary dessert! We laughed, declined it, and thanked them warmly. So, the service was terrible, but the owners were very warm, friendly, and genuinely good-hearted. The owner even came to our table, lit a candle, and cracked some jokes. In my opinion, Nefeli definitely chalks up the rather sluggish and slow service to Greek charm. 🙂
As mentioned, the ambiance is too much, too crowded, too loud, and somewhat simply furnished. Red columns, white walls, low ceilings in some areas, a very high sloping roof in the dining area, simple wooden furniture, a small bar without seating behind which the kitchen is located, where the Greek waiters lounge and the main focus of the service takes place. So, if you're in the mood for Greek food, the restaurant definitely won't disappoint in terms of the food itself. I recommend making a reservation, as it's difficult to gauge how busy it will be.
The restaurant is open Monday to Saturday from 5 pm to 1 am, and on Sunday from 11:30 am to 1 am. It can be reached by public transport either via the Michaelibad subway station (U5 line) and a roughly 10-minute walk, or by taking the city bus (line 155 – Krumbadstraße stop), which stops relatively close to the restaurant. Give it a try, enjoy your meal, and be sure to allow plenty of time.
I'll be back: Definitely for good Greek food at fair prices. Not if I'm in a hurry.
Place visited: Nefeli
Address: Berger-Kreuz-Straße 26, 81735 Munich
Website
Pictures:
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[…] the fish platter, which after serving resembled more of a small portion of fish than a platter. (For comparison: Nefeli – fish platter). There were three small pieces of fish on each plate, sprinkled with a little parsley, one […]