Sourdough bread with herb butter, portobello steak mushroom, fried cauliflower, patatas, prawns and halloumi cheese were the six shared plates my friend and I sampled at Mesa, a Mediterranean restaurant in Nuremberg. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
I tend to underestimate dishes that arrive in small portions, but sometimes a little bit of everything adds up to more than enough.
That’s a lesson I was reminded of midway through a Friday night dinner at Mesa, a Mediterranean-inspired shared-plate restaurant in Nuremberg, where a steady stream of small a la carte dishes transformed what looked like a light meal into an unexpectedly filling flight.
The restaurant, which is situated on the corner of a residential area of the city, felt less like an eatery and more like someone’s home.
Mesa's outdoor patio expands the restaurant's limited indoor seating, offering diners a quiet place to enjoy a shared-plate meal in a residential corner of Nuremberg. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Mesa's cozy dining room features fewer than 15 tables, warm-colored decor and a small bar where staff prepare drinks in full view of diners. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Mesa’s intimate dining area was accented by Persian rugs and warm lighting, giving me that familiar feeling of gathering in a relative’s living room for a holiday meal.
The restaurant’s compact, open-concept layout had fewer than 15 tables inside, but even for a Friday evening, the space never felt cramped. On days when the weather is more accommodating than the rainy evening I arrived on, the restaurant also offers outdoor seating under a string-lit patio.
The menu recommended three to four dishes per person, so my friend and I settled on six plates total: sourdough bread with butter, portobello steak mushrooms, prawns, patatas, halloumi cheese and fried cauliflower.
The prawns at Mesa in Nuremberg are served in olive oil and herbs as one of the restaurant's Mediterranean-inspired shared plates. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
My plate at Mesa in Nuremberg features small portions of herb butter-topped sourdough, a slice of portobello steak mushroom, patatas, breaded cauliflower and prawns. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Quickly, the food arrived at our table for us to dive in and I started by taking bits of everything, except the shrimp, which I stole in its entirety.
A slice of herb-buttery sourdough here, a bite of the tangy portobello mushroom there and a forkful of saucy, well-seasoned patatas everywhere, I was slowly making my way through the meal.
But my friend wasn’t about to let me take it easy.
I should preface this by saying I’m no stranger to multiplate meals. However, I never seem to learn my lesson when it comes to my eyes and my stomach not being the same size because by the time I got to the crispy cauliflower, I felt like my stomach was about to explode.
The halloumi cheese at Mesa, a Mediterranean shared-plate restaurant in Nuremberg, is served kebab-style with green peppers and drizzled with an oil-based sauce. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
The portobello steak mushroom at Mesa, a Mediterranean shared-plate restaurant in Nuremberg, is served atop a tangy sauce. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
I kept hearing taunts of “You can’t take breaks” from across the table, and while I would never admit defeat, I also had a tactic in mind: save room for dessert.
Even after all the trash talking, my friend was the first to throw in the proverbial towel for the self-induced food challenge, but the second I suggested ordering the chocolate mousse, all complaints about being full disappeared.
The chocolate mousse, topped with orange slices, is one of a handful of desserts offered at Mesa, a Mediterranean shared-plate restaurant in Nuremberg. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
Mesa occupies the ground floor of a home in a quiet residential neighborhood of Nuremberg, complementing its warm atmosphere and shared-plate dining style. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)
The mousse was rich yet light, making it the perfect way to end the meal and, just like the rest of the menu, easy to share.
If you’re looking for a massive, stick-to-your-ribs meal, the tapas-style restaurant is probably not the place you have in mind. But if you enjoy sharing dishes and trying a variety of Mediterranean flavors, Mesa delivers a meal that feels light, fresh and surprisingly satisfying.
Mesa
Address: Tafelfeldstrasse 73, Nuremberg, Germany
Hours: 5:30-10 p.m. seven days a week
Prices: shared Plates: 5 to 10 euros; drinks 3 to 7 euros
Information: hello@mesa-nue.de, mesa-nue.de
