Restaurant in Hamburg, Germany
Serious cooking, no tasting-menu tax.
Nil holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) and a 4.7 Google rating from nearly a thousand reviews — at the €€ price point, that combination is hard to beat in Hamburg. Chefs Yap Hock Kee and Tan Ah Khim run an international kitchen in Schanzenviertel that delivers consistent quality without the formality or spend of the city's tasting-menu circuit. Booking is easy; the value case is straightforward.
Nil earns its back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024 and 2025) recognition and deserves a return visit if you've already been once. At the €€ price point, this is one of the few places in Hamburg where the cooking quality outpaces what the bill suggests — and the service style is warm enough to make the room feel genuinely welcoming rather than transactionally efficient. If you dined here before the 2024 recognition landed and haven't been back, the sustained Bib Gourmand status signals consistency rather than a flash-in-the-pan moment. Book it again.
Neuer Pferdemarkt 5 puts Nil in the Schanzenviertel, one of Hamburg's most lived-in neighbourhoods: independent shops, evening foot traffic, the kind of streets where a restaurant has to earn regulars rather than coast on tourist overflow. The address matters because it shapes the room's atmosphere — this is not a formal dining destination designed to intimidate, but a compact space that rewards proximity. Seating is close enough that the room feels full even at moderate occupancy, which generates energy without tipping into noise that kills conversation. If you are returning for a second visit, ask for a table away from the entrance to get the most out of the spatial layout.
Chefs Yap Hock Kee and Tan Ah Khim run an international menu that sits at an interesting intersection: the cooking does not belong to a single culinary tradition, which means the kitchen has genuine flexibility in what it puts on the plate. For a returning diner, that is a meaningful consideration , the menu is not locked into a single repertoire that you will exhaust on two visits. The Bib Gourmand designation, awarded by Michelin for quality at a reasonable price rather than for haute technique alone, is the clearest independent signal that the kitchen delivers value without sacrificing execution. Two consecutive years of that recognition, 2024 and 2025, suggests the team is not overreaching or coasting.
The international framing can mean many things, and without published menus to cite specifically, the safest read from the available data is that the kitchen draws on Southeast Asian culinary knowledge , given the chefs' backgrounds , while composing dishes that sit comfortably within a European dining context. That combination, when done well, produces food that feels considered rather than eclectic for its own sake. The 4.7 rating across 945 Google reviews backs up the Michelin verdict: this is not a restaurant with a small, devoted audience masking broader mediocrity. That volume of reviews at that score indicates broad satisfaction.
At €€, Nil is not asking you to spend like a Michelin-starred tasting menu venue. But the service question still matters because attentive, well-paced service at an accessible price point is harder to sustain than it looks , margin pressure tends to show up in front-of-house staffing first. The available signals here are encouraging. A Bib Gourmand restaurant with nearly a thousand Google reviews averaging 4.7 is being judged, implicitly, on the full experience rather than just the food. Hamburg diners are not shy about distinguishing between cooking quality and the overall experience, and this score suggests both are landing well. For a returning visitor, the practical implication is that you are unlikely to feel rushed or undersupported, even on a busy evening. That is not guaranteed at every Bib Gourmand address in Germany , compare the approach here with busier, higher-turnover venues in the same price bracket, and Nil's consistency becomes a differentiating factor rather than a baseline expectation.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy. For a Bib Gourmand venue in a popular Hamburg neighbourhood, that is genuinely useful information: you do not need to plan weeks ahead to get a table, which makes Nil a realistic option for a trip where you are building an itinerary closer to the date. That said, Friday and Saturday evenings at a well-reviewed neighbourhood restaurant will fill faster than midweek slots, so if your dates are fixed, do not leave it entirely to chance. No phone number or booking link is listed in the current venue data , check the restaurant directly via search or walk-in confirmation if needed.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Awards | Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nil | €€ | Easy | Michelin Bib Gourmand (2024, 2025) | International |
| Heimatjuwel | €€€ | Moderate | Michelin recognised | German, Creative |
| The Table Kevin Fehling | €€€€ | Hard | Michelin starred | Creative |
| bianc | €€€€ | Moderate | Michelin recognised | Modern Mediterranean |
Nil works well for couples or small groups of two to four who want a dinner that delivers genuine cooking quality without the formality or price of Hamburg's tasting-menu circuit. It is a strong choice if you are pairing a night out in Schanzenviertel with drinks elsewhere , the neighbourhood has enough around it that dinner here slots naturally into a wider evening. It is less suited to large group celebrations where you need a private room or a venue structured around special-occasion theatre. For that kind of night, the options at the €€€€ end of the Hamburg market are better configured.
If you are building a Hamburg dining itinerary, Nil pairs well with a broader sweep of the city's restaurants. Hamburg's mid-range scene also includes Cox, Brook, and Henriks for variety across an extended trip. For a different register entirely , drinks and views rather than focused dining , Clouds - Heaven's Bar & Kitchen covers that ground. And if you are comparing Nil's international approach with other kitchens working similar territory elsewhere in Germany, Loumi in Berlin is a useful reference point at a comparable price tier.
For diners who want to explore Michelin-recognised cooking across Germany more broadly, the full range runs from Aqua in Wolfsburg and Schwarzwaldstube in Baiersbronn at the starred end, to JAN in Munich, CODA Dessert Dining in Berlin, Vendôme in Bergisch Gladbach, ES:SENZ in Grassau, and Haubentaucher in Rottach-Egern across the regions. Hamburg's own mid-range offers plenty of options alongside Nil; see philipps restaurant for another neighbourhood-scale option. Browse the full Hamburg restaurants guide, the Hamburg hotels guide, the Hamburg bars guide, the Hamburg wineries guide, or the Hamburg experiences guide to round out your trip planning.
Yes, clearly. Two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands and a 4.7 Google rating across nearly a thousand reviews at the €€ price point makes Nil one of the stronger value propositions in Hamburg's mid-range. You are getting independently verified cooking quality at a price tier that most Michelin-recognised restaurants in the city do not operate at.
No confirmed tasting menu format is listed in the venue data. Given the Bib Gourmand positioning and the €€ price range, Nil likely operates as a carte or set-menu format rather than a long tasting format. If a tasting menu matters to you specifically, The Table Kevin Fehling is the Hamburg address to consider, though you are moving to €€€€ territory.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so you are not dealing with a weeks-long wait list. That said, Friday and Saturday evenings at a well-reviewed Schanzenviertel restaurant will fill before midweek slots. For a flexible trip, a few days' notice should be sufficient. For fixed weekend dates, book as soon as your itinerary is confirmed.
For an intimate dinner for two or a small group, yes. The Bib Gourmand recognition and strong guest ratings make it a credible choice for a birthday or anniversary where the priority is good food in a relaxed setting rather than formal ceremony. For a celebration that needs private dining, event service, or a more theatrical setting, venues in the €€€€ bracket , Landhaus Scherrer or bianc , are better configured for that.
At a similar price point with Michelin recognition, Heimatjuwel offers German-creative cooking at €€€ , one step up in spend. For a step down in formality with solid neighbourhood cooking, Cox and Brook are both worth considering. If your budget extends to €€€€, The Table Kevin Fehling is Hamburg's most ambitious creative kitchen, though booking is considerably harder.
No confirmed group capacity or private dining data is available. Given the compact room typical of Schanzenviertel neighbourhood restaurants, large groups of six or more may find seating logistics tighter than at purpose-built event venues. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm before booking for a party.
No specific dietary policy is listed in the venue data. For an international kitchen with two chefs running the menu, flexibility for common dietary requirements is usually manageable, but confirm directly before your visit if you have specific needs. No phone number is currently listed , check the restaurant's own channels for the most current contact details.
No bar seating configuration is confirmed in the venue data. The restaurant's compact layout in Schanzenviertel suggests it is primarily a table-service operation rather than a bar-dining venue. If walk-in bar seating is important to your evening, venues like Clouds - Heaven's Bar & Kitchen are explicitly set up for that format.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nil | €€ | Easy | — |
| The Table Kevin Fehling | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| bianc | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Lakeside | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Heimatjuwel | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| Landhaus Scherrer | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in available venue data for Nil. The safest approach is to book a table directly — booking difficulty is rated Easy, so securing a spot at Neuer Pferdemarkt 5 should not require weeks of lead time.
Nil's international menu format, run by chefs Yap Hock Kee and Tan Ah Khim, suggests flexibility across cooking styles, which typically makes dietary accommodation more feasible than at single-cuisine venues. check the venue's official channels before your visit to confirm specific requirements, as no dietary policy is published in current venue data.
Nil works well for small groups of two to four based on its format and neighbourhood setting. For larger parties, check the venue's official channels — no private dining or large-group policy is confirmed in current data, and Schanzenviertel restaurant spaces tend to run compact.
For a step up in formality and price, The Table Kevin Fehling is Hamburg's three-Michelin-star reference point — a different category entirely. Heimatjuwel covers similar neighbourhood-dinner territory if you want a more rooted German focus. Landhaus Scherrer suits groups or occasions requiring a more classic, traditional Hamburg dining room.
Yes, with the right expectations. Nil's back-to-back Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) signals genuine cooking quality at €€ pricing, which makes it a strong call for a birthday or anniversary where you want substance without a tasting-menu format or fine-dining bill. If the occasion demands theatre and ceremony, The Table Kevin Fehling is the Hamburg answer instead.
No tasting menu is confirmed in current venue data for Nil. The restaurant holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand — an award specifically for quality cooking at moderate prices — which suggests the value case sits in the à la carte or set-menu format rather than a premium tasting progression.
At €€ pricing with back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, Nil is among the clearer value cases in Hamburg. The Bib Gourmand is awarded explicitly for good cooking at a price that does not hurt — by that measure, Nil is delivering. If you want comparable neighbourhood quality at a similar price point, Heimatjuwel is the main alternative to weigh.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
