Das Nest Café/Bistro/Afterwork — Restaurant in Mainz

Nice and cozy place that surprised with the superb quality of the food!

I made a reservation only two days prior our Sunday brunch very easily over the phone and picked a 10 AM to 12 PM time slot (yes, you have to pick a time slot to visit). When we arrived shortly after 10 AM the place was already jam packed so naturally it took some time to get our orders in. Unfortunately we waited nearly 50 minutes for our brunch to arrive and had only 30 minutes to eat and leave. This time constraint was not considered by the staff and right after the 12 PM, check was brought to us and we were asked, not exactly in a nice way, to leave the establishment. Apparently it took us long time to order. Nevertheless, the staff was generally nice and shared recipe of some of the the home made food when asked.

Drinks and hot beverages were okay, not so special. I had Chai latte and Aperol Spritz, both of them were missing something, the taste was just not there and needed to be refined a bit. On the other hand, the food here was exquisite and probably one of the best brunches I have had in Germany! All super tasty and you cannot go wrong with any of choices of the menu.

I have to especially point out the carrot salmon which was off the hook and the home made pepper dip that worked perfectly with the cheese/sausage selection. Scrambled eggs with bacon were so soft and fluffy. Absolute delight!

Nest Cafe has a hipster vibe and attracts mixed crowds. They offer a lot of indoor seating, a small patio in the yard and a couple of tables at the curb (that can be quite noisy due to car and tram traffic nearby). Paying with card was not an issue.

Visited...

This restaurant is close my hotel, and the online menu is very enticing. The food is fresh and delicious, and it’s presented very well.

I am very conflicted about the service because, upon entering the restaurant, I saw no host or waiting area. I wandered to the bar and was shown the nearest table, but smokers directly outside made this a poor choice. After waiting a while, someone directed their attention to me. I placed my order and located another table, but no one cleaned it (or even offered to) until I directly asked. The order took quite a while to arrive, but I was able to enjoy my meal without disruption. My table was cleared after finishing, but 10 or so servers passed by without offering the check. It was only after I stopped a server that my check was processed immediately. I felt very ignored, but maybe this is the German way?

I would eat here again, knowing what to expect (being proactive and direct), because the food is delicious and the atmosphere is very...

The place had a cozy and welcoming atmosphere, but it seemed like they were understaffed, as it took a bit of time for the service. This wasn’t an issue for us, but it’s worth noting for others.

By 11:00, the oatmeal was already sold out, which was a bit surprising.

We ordered a dinner plate for two, but it felt more like a portion for one. The plate included one slice of cucumber, two small tomatoes, a few leaves, and two slices of salami… etc

I have ordered a ginger tea - which was hot water and 2 slices of ginger inside of it… no lemon or honey… well It was a bit underwhelming in terms of quantity.

Perhaps we were just unlucky this time, but I would have to think twice about visiting again.

P.S : place is...