Berlin, Germany (Gastrosofie). At Berlins “Pincho Nation“ a guest who dines does not only feel like a king – or queen, he apparently is king at his own app court of merrymakers who jostled us into a new prime location restaurant on Meinekestraße off Ku’damm.
A colourfully costumed lady stretches her long leg to the side and makes a grimace. „I can’t stand it anymore“, she moans after a felt hour that probably lasted only a few seconds. You can’t blame her – after all, she struggles on stilts. Quickly now, relieve the artist of her suffering, as acute appetite hurries the hungry visitors inside the restaurant they was invited to for the opening.
There a bright red welcome drink, vodka with strawberry, as well as that vivid circus atmosphere gives you the thrills. But instead of animal tamers, clowns and acrobats, lots of several small dishes in tapas style are at your service just waiting for you to devour them. Fully international is the array, from Fish and Chips to Quesadillas to Dim Sum and Edamame. Menu? Waiter? Not here, at least not in the classical sense. Instead, it’s necessary to grab your mobile and download the local app, in case it hasn’t already been done. At the bottom of the menu you’ll find the current “Pincho Nation” menu with the categories: drinks, food, order, pay. Convenient and clear as it should be!
Whether it’s „Fizzy Bubblizz“, as the squeaky colourful cocktail is aptly called, or „Seafood Paella“, whether draft beer or chips with ketchup, everything is provided with a corresponding photo. Then simply tap on the green plus next to it, once or several times, and the number of items ordered will pop up. Are eight cheeseburgers maybe a bit much? No problem, the amount can be reduced with a red minus on the left of the display. Payment is also made by app. And, by the way, you can reserve seats from home with this app!
Once your order has been processed, a message appears on the mobile. Then off to the bar or kitchen, in „Pincho Nation“ it’s self-service. On top of a narrow wooden board balance your choice of first food to your table – rather wobbly, the whole thing. Should you have chosen other items to prepare the „trays“ accordingly, to prevent the risk of slipping? Luckily, things are going smoothly. Apart from that, everything is going well. Consistently perfect the food, extreme fair value for money. The meat „Steak a la Pinchos“ is tender and as asked medium-rare. Duchesse potatoes and chilli sauce come as a side dish. It’s delicious – and costs less than five euros, same as all other delights. During the waiting time, friendly waiters come as “subservient spirits” in Roncalli look to the tables, juggle, pull faces or make you wonder with their magic tricks. A permanent dinner show takes place at „Pincho Nation“, on a much smaller scale as Pomp, Duck and Co. and for a much better value.
Now Pinchos, a sort of skewers, come from the Basque Country, being a bit more elaborate than the usual tapas. Neither nor, the “app restaurants” are not of Spanish origin. It started to swing in Sweden, now a Pincho Nation with more than 60 branches. After Finland, Norway and Denmark they now venture to hop over from Scandinavia to Germany. The concept is especially appealing to young people, but also to families with small children, although mainly women up to the age of 35 are the target group. Anyway, it could work in Germany as well. Where else do service personnel rush to the table without any giving them a shout? Simply place the napkin with the appropriate side on the table: Red with „Help“ or green with and for „Happy“. If the phone does not have enough juice, a power bank is ready. Not happy, forgotten the “Handy” or mobile or cell phone? Then the “subservient spirits” help out with a tablet. For the comfort of guests I guess they continue to make or shape some of the most glorious contortions.
Pincho Nation
Adresse: Meinekestraße 22, 10719 Berlin
Kontakt: Telefon: 0173 3788900
Heimatseite im Weltnetz: https://pinchonation.de
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinchonationde/?brand_redir=335195450536184
Remarks:
Christopher Prescott based on a text by Fritz Hermann Köser.
