In Short
Bolero in Hamburg is a interesting restaurant with American cuisine in Rotherbaum, Hamburg. The menu offers a huge selection of American dishes. And even if you “only” go there to sip a cocktail or two, you’re in the right place. We tried some Mexican dishes and can say that they are not necessarily authentic, but still very tasty! We had a nice evening and can recommend the Bolero.
Bolero in Hamburg
“Bolero Bar and Restaurant” is located in Hamburg directly at the Grand Prix tennis court. With the U1 you only have to go to Hallerstraße and you are directly there. If you see the restaurant from the outside, it seems rather dark and especially during the day, the place is not much visited.
Even on our early Monday evening, when we came to the restaurant at about 17:15, only a few tables were occupied. The later it got, the more guests came into the restaurant. If Bolero were completely full, the arrangement of the tables gives you enough privacy. In general, the restaurant is somewhat dark and has orange and red accents. You can choose between “normal” tables and high tables with comfortable benches. Here are some impressions for you:
The Best that America has to offer?
The menu at Bolero is huge! First of all, there is an exceptional selection of cocktails and drinks, everyone can find something. Homemade iced teas and lemonades are also part of the repertoire. We opted for a homemade raspberry-mint lemonade (5.70 €) and a large bottle of still water (6.50 €).
As the restaurant promises, there are all kinds of dishes from America on the menu. Whether super food salads, bowls, burgers, quesadillas and fajitas. Also, the selection of appetizers in exceptional. From nachos and various French fries dishes to classic bruschetta and soups, everyone can really find something for the small appetite here.
You want to see other authentic restaurants? Check out Picasso (Spanish), Ti Breizh (French) and Tschebull (Austrian)!
Our order on this evening:
- Nachos Carne (Homemade tortilla chips, salsa picante, spicy ground beef, corn, red beans, topped with cheese, 10.90 €)
- Quesadilla Carne (Stuffed wheat tortillas, spicy ground beef, red beans, corn, cheese, side salad, 14.50 €)
- Fajita Chicken (Tomato sauce, chicken strips, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, spring leeks, 17.50 €)
Service
The waiter was very nice the whole time. He didn’t seem stressed and it looked like he enjoyed his job very much. Also, both drinks and food were at the table very quickly. The raspberry mint lemonade was quite sweet for our taste. However, it actually tasted homemade and did not have a classic artificial taste that you sometimes get with these types of drinks. We waited about 10-15 minutes for our food. If the restaurant is a bit more crowded, it may take longer.
Testing the Mexican Dishes
Being well versed in authentic Mexican food, we decided to try Bolero’s Mexican food that night. First, our nachos and a small gas stove arrived at the table. Shortly after, the waiter brought a large plate of quesadilla. And then came my personal highlight. The fajita is served in a metal pan on the small stove. It comes with tortillas in a box, a plate of vegetables and cheese, and a separate plate for serving. When he brought the small plate of vegetables and cheese, the waiter told us that unfortunately they were out of corn so they were serving chickpeas. For me personally, this was great because I like chickpeas better.
When we had everything on the table, it looked like a feast. The dishes are beautifully arranged and look really appetizing. Especially the fajita is great for people like me who like to decide for themselves how much of which ingredients should be in the tortilla. The portions are also quite large, in our opinion the price-performance ratio is right.
Authentic American cuisine in Hamburg?
And now to the taste: All in all, the dishes were delicious! The nachos had the perfect mixture between chips, cheese and beans. With this dish, you could almost say it tasted like it came from Mexico. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with the other two dishes. They also tasted very delicious, but not authentic. The dishes have a very classic German-Mexican taste, which we have often experienced here. Also the dough of the tortillas does not make you remember the last vacation in Mexico. As I said, the food is still very tasty. After a while, the waiter recommended me to turn off the small stove so as not to overcook the chicken and vegetables in the pan.
We can’t say anything about the quality of the food, there is too little information about that. But we can say that all the ingredients seemed fresh and carefully selected to us.
So, what is our verdict?
All in all, Bolero is a good restaurant for American dishes. Since it is not too crowded during the week, you don’t have to worry about making a reservation. In our opinion, the ambience could use a little work, as it seems very gloomy and almost “pub-like”. Nevertheless, we had a nice evening there and can recommend it.
Overall Rating
Click here to get to the menu of this restaurant with American cuisine in Hamburg: Bolero.
