Interviews |September 27, 2022

"Gastronomy is the soul of a city"

Hardly anyone has shaped Düsseldorf's bar culture in recent years like Walid El Sheikh. And he is still bursting with ideas. After opening his fifth establishment in 2021 with The Paradise Now in the MedienHafen, he followed up with his sixth venture a few weeks ago. Mezcaleria Rojo is a bar whose concept revolves exclusively around tequila, mezcal and pisco. We met the exceptional restaurateur in the small but exquisite restaurant on Hunsrückenstraße, where the Mexican theme is reflected in every last (interior) detail. And the seventh prank is coming up: In this interview, Walid El Sheikh not only gives a comprehensive insight into his understanding of bar culture and reveals a few of his favorite places in Düsseldorf, but also unveils his latest plans. This month, the doors of the wine bar "Fett" will open, right next to the Mezcaleria, which will pay homage to the juice of the vine.

Walid, what does a good bar need?

First and foremost, a strong vision. It's always about the combination of drinks on offer and atmosphere. And this combination should be new and surprising, because it determines the character of a bar and defines its soul. If, as a restaurateur, I only look to the right and left to find new ideas, I end up with a clone. There's a nice saying that goes something like this: Some people see things as they are and ask: why? Others dream things that were never there and ask: Why not?

What does bar culture mean to you?

Well, bar culture has developed a lot in the last ten years. Guests are more informed than ever. In my eyes, it's not just bars, but gastronomy that creates a sense of identity. People from the local area meet people who come from far away. This has a huge social and cultural impact. An established, authentic gastronomy is the soul of a city. Places that don't have this, that have only been created on the drawing board, are like zombies to me. I can't stay there for very long.

Is there a Düsseldorf bar culture?

Yes, it exists, and it has many good minds. These are people who have partly learned from each other, who are in contact with each other. Nic Shanker, for example, is already very well known. But I'm also thinking of David Rippen from the Square Bar and Marvin Meese from the 20° Restobar. And of course Robert Potthoff. I got to know him twenty years ago in the Malkasten Bar, today he runs the Ellington Bar and is a nucleus of bar culture in Düsseldorf.

What makes a good cocktail?

Tastes are different. Cocktails impress with their complexity, their multi-dimensionality in taste, the combination of acidity and sweetness, for example, which are the basis for a sour. My favorite cocktail is the New York Sour, which gains dimension and depth with a dash of Bordeaux. Drinking cocktails is also about fantasizing and drifting off into a new world of taste - you perceive smells, colors and temperatures. When a mixed drink succeeds in creating space for these fantasies, then I'm talking about a good cocktail.

Do you go to hotel bars? Can you recommend one?

I do this now and again when I'm traveling, if I know that an experienced bartender is at work. In Düsseldorf, I like to go to the bar in the Breidenbacher Hof. It's very authentic and rounds off the whole place wonderfully.

What role do bars play in Düsseldorf's nightlife - are they taking over from clubs?

I think I have helped to change the disco and club culture in Düsseldorf with my establishments. We offer more than a classic bar and are more broadly based than a club. In this way, we fulfill different needs and desires.

The Mezcaleria Rojo that you opened last has a manageable size. How big is the ideal bar?

There is no ideal size for a bar. There is only ever one vision, one concept. The size necessarily results from this concept.

What motivated you to do this project?

The idea is two years old and came about when the former owner wanted to give up the restaurant here on Hunsrückenstraße. Next door is the Boston Bar, which I also founded. So from an organizational point of view alone, it was an obvious choice. The core theme of Mezcaleria Rojo is tequila, mezcal and pisco. We have noticed in our other bars that there is often a demand for special varieties and that there are guests who want to experience even more in this particular area. We make that possible here. Now, focusing on a single spirit may seem a little cerebral at first - a mezcaleria is perhaps not a designated party venue. But after the first or second drink, the guests let go, the focus is on sensual enjoyment and it can happen that one or two couples start dancing in the small area in front of the bar.

How did you come up with the idea of this sharply contoured concept? Was there a role model? An inspiration?

There are mezcal bars in South America in particular, but also in North America. But there it's often like this: you eat tacos or nachos and maybe watch a sports show at the same time. We deliberately wanted to do things differently. We focus entirely on the drinks and have 65 types of tequila mezcal and pisco on offer, some of which are hard to come by. As far as the interior design concept is concerned, I did a lot of research into Mexican art and culture beforehand. What you see here, the plants, the tiles, the brass elements, the wooden floor, the beams, the technique with which the walls are plastered, including the small niches for idols - you could find all of this in Mexico too. Our aim was to create an ambience that takes you away from everyday life.

In a few weeks, you will also be opening a wine bar - right next to Mezcaleria Rojo. What will be special about it?

Wine is experiencing tremendous progress. Just think of the new natural wines or the "young and wild" winemakers who are currently revitalizing the scene. What's more, drinking wine is not just about acidity and taste; wine conviviality is a very special form of shared enjoyment. We want to create a place that conveys this lightness.

We can already reveal that the wine bar will be called "Fett". How did you come up with this name?

In wine jargon, "fat" is an attribute for a balanced content of alcohol and acidity, a full-bodied taste. It also has a consistently positive connotation in contemporary language. If I describe an experience as "bold", then it was particularly great.

Your two new restaurants are located in the old town - just like Sir Walter, the Elephant Bar, Oh Baby Anna and the Boston Bar, all of which are also part of the Walid El Sheikh cosmos and some of which are just a few steps away from each other.

The old town is a place with great gastronomic diversity, and I'm always happy to introduce new concepts here. I also love disproving prejudices and breaking down clichés. A place like Mezcaleria Rojo, for example, would be more likely to be found in Pempelfort or Unterbilk. So the surprise effect is great for some guests. The only thing I ask of my guests is a certain curiosity and openness.

Who do you think of when you are fine-tuning and formulating such ideas?

I am thinking less of a specific target group and more of an attitude to life. After all, the guests' wishes are as diverse as the offerings in the old town.

Five locations that you have created are located in the shadow of the Kunsthalle, a few steps away are the Kunstsammlung and the Kunstakademie. Around the corner is the Schmela-Haus with the galleries of Hans and Max Mayer. Are there any influences from the art city of Düsseldorf in your projects?

Yes, absolutely. We work with local artists in almost all the bars. Photographs by Ruff student Ralf Brueck hang in Sir Walter and three pictures by Markus Luigs in the Elephant Bar. Here in the Mezcaleria, Florentin Evest was involved in the wall design. I would go so far as to say that art not only has a great influence on me. Rather, it is an inseparable part of it and cannot be excluded. It would be unthinkable for me to create a gastronomic setting that didn't include art in some form.

What was the last exhibition you visited? Which artist impressed you?

The exhibition "From Kraftwerk to Techno - 100 Years of Electronic Music" showed in an impressive way that what was considered rebellious and subcultural has now conquered a place in the museum. I spent a lot of time looking at Andreas Gursky's photographs in particular; his works about the Maydays of the techno era never fail to captivate me.

What are you drinking in the old town right now?

Pisco is the secret star. The pisco sour is going through the roof.

What should not be missing in a bar under any circumstances?

Water! (laughs)

What is your favorite drink at the moment?

I like to drink white wine or rosé. A light, drinkable Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, for example.

Thank you very much for the interview! We are looking forward to the new location and will see you there next time.