Paradise right next door

Walid El Sheikh has shaped the city's gastronomy like no other in recent years. His stylistically sophisticated establishments such as Sir Walter, the Elephant Bar, the Boston Bar and Oh Baby Anna! are attracting a new clientele to the old town. And the restaurateur is still bursting with ideas, and already has two new irons in the fire following the opening of The Paradise Now, a triad of bistro, bar and club in the MedienHafen in 2021. 

What inspires El Sheikh to constantly come up with new concepts? How does he sense the zeitgeist? Does he perhaps even shape it? Which of his gastronomic concepts most closely reflects his own preferences? We spoke to the 43-year-old about longings and self-reflection, about arriving and slowing down in his own city, rethinking after the pandemic - and about his plans for the future.  

You have now realized a whole series of spectacular gastronomy projects. In which of your establishments do you feel most at home?  

I feel very comfortable in all of them. However, the most recent concept, The Paradise Now, actually satisfies my holistic needs the most. I am developing myself and the new restaurants out of a personal concern. And out of the conviction that something is missing in my city. We have an incredible amount of outstanding gastronomy that is characteristic of Düsseldorf. That's a good thing, because restaurants like that create identity. However, I was missing a place of longing in my home city. I created it here together with my partners(Moritz von Schrötter and Charles Bals, editor's note).  

Your output of new restaurant concepts is remarkable. You've opened five restaurants in six years. What drives you? 

My driving force is precisely this desire. In the early stages, I don't even judge whether a concept would work economically. It's more about: is the idea useful or not? And if I realize that yes, it could offer the city added value, then I start to look more closely at this desire. What do I need to satisfy it? With this in mind, I start looking for the right space. When I think I have found it, I feel my way into the room and from then on it becomes sensual. What look and feel would be right here? How can I touch the guest visually and emotionally in this place? With the right employees, an idea then becomes a holistic, coherent concept.  

You call The Paradise Now a place of longing. How do you translate an elusive, diffuse sensation and a very personal feeling into a gastronomic experience? Have your desires changed in recent years?  

My longings used to be satisfied by traveling. Today, the definition of a place of longing has changed, especially through social media. At the end of the day, the place of longing is just an image, it represents a feeling I have, a desire to escape my everyday life. So my idea was to depict the distance, to create an authentic setting that takes me away from the here and now.  

You bring the distance into the neighborhood ...  

Yes, we all realize that we can't always have Mexico when we feel like Mexico. But I can immerse myself in the feeling that Mexico triggers in me. The light, the surfaces, the colors, the smells and sounds, even the humidity - the combination of it all can make me forget that I'm in Düsseldorf. This paradise is right next door.  

Your restaurants are very different in terms of their concepts and interior design. What inspires you?  

There is no blueprint. I get my inspiration from films, from art, from the theater. When I go traveling, other pieces of the puzzle are added. Smells, materials and colors. That's how a big whole is created in my head.   

Do you have ideals as a host? What is important to you? 

My greatest need is diversity, tolerance and social breadth. I want to create spaces where people from a wide variety of backgrounds, professions, lifestyles and beliefs can engage in conversation. Guests often tell me that they expected to have to wear evening dress in my bars. My appearance alone, in jeans and sneakers, should disprove this prejudice.  

When you're not looking after your guests, where and how do you refuel?  

By switching off the phone and knowing that my employees will manage. I also like to go skiing in the mountains for a few days or take a week's vacation by the sea. Not feeling any pressure, just being a father for 24 hours - that's how I recharge my batteries.  

And in Düsseldorf?  

I do one hour of Crossfit training a week. It's so physically demanding that I'm fully focused on my body and my mind frees up in no time.   

And if you want to take it a little easier? Which is your favorite beach in Düsseldorf?  

I like walking along the Rhine, but my favorite swimming spot is at the Rochusclub. There's a tiny outdoor pool there. When the kids are splashing around and I can eat my ice cream - that's my favorite beach situation in Düsseldorf.  

Where do you go when you want to go out?  

There are so many wonderful places. I love going to Saitta and Brasserie Hülsmann. Or to Em Brasse on Moltkestraße to get a Berlin vibe.  

Can you tell us your favorite food? 

I'm crazy about our pasta vongole at The Paradise Now. One fork of it and you're on the Amalfi Coast. It's really great. 

You have new projects in the works again. Will you tell us about them?   

I can't reveal everything yet, but this much: there will be two more bars in the old town. You may be familiar with the concept of easy drinking, the uncomplicated enjoyment of wine and spirits. I want to develop an easy-eating gastronomy. The whole thing has nothing to do with fast food. Rather, it will be a place where you concentrate on one specialty, where you devote all your attention to one thing. Just as we might know it from a Portuguese cevicheria. All of this will take place in a special place where you wouldn't expect to find such a specialty. I don't want to say any more about it yet.  

When will you reveal the secret?  

I'll give you the details in two months' time. 

Thank you very much! We are very excited and will see you again.

Our author

Art, fashion, design, architecture, gastronomy - Ilona Marx, who has lived in Düsseldorf for 25 years, has many passions. In her constant search for new inspiration, she has created city guides for 50 major cities, from Helsinki to Hong Kong, for the fashion magazine J'N'C, which she co-founded. After almost two decades as editor-in-chief, she now works freelance for Konfekt, Monocle, Vogue, GEO Saison, DB mobil, Wallpaper, The Weekender, Architektur & Wohnen and NZZ, among others. 

Cover picture & gallery: Düsseldorf Tourismus
Portrait Ilona Marx: Maria Gibert