Nerello

Nerello, owned and hosted by Roberto Barbagallo and located on the Oostzeedijk in Rotterdam’s Kralingen district, has long been a popular Italian restaurant in the city. Dining here follows the traditional Italian format, progressing through courses such as antipasti (starters), pasta (middle course), secondi (mains), and dolci (sweet finish). The menu offers à la carte selections. Guests enjoy comfortable seating in the lightly chic interior, which exudes an unmistakably Italian ambiance. We start with a refreshing Millesimato Rosato rosé prosecco from Bosco del Merlo as an aperitif. Alongside it, we order a plate of San Daniele ham that melts in the mouth. For the next course, we have an exceptionally tender 'beaten' Black Angus beef with spring onions, truffle, and Parmesan shavings, accompanied by smoked duck breast with an orange-rosemary dressing and fennel salad. This is followed by cannelloni stuffed with ham, ricotta, and fennel seeds, served with béchamel sauce and a cherry tomato cream. To accompany the meal, we enjoy a delightful red Passitivo Appassimento Primitivo from Puglia, featuring notes of ripe dark fruits such as plums and black cherries. The grilled swordfish steak, served thinly sliced with parsley and capers, falls a bit short due to its flat flavor. We round off the meal with the classic tiramisu, which has a light, airy texture and a rich chocolate flavor. One area for improvement is the seasoning of the dishes; they could certainly use a bit more punch.

Nerello has been a popular Italian restaurant in Rotterdam Kralingen for four years now. We are among the first guests to arrive at Roberto Barbagallo’s eatery, but within fifteen minutes nearly every table is filled. We kick things off with a white and a rosé prosecco from Bosco del Merlo. The rosé is rather flat-tasting, but the white is delightful and nicely dry. The menu offers à la carte selections arranged according to a classic Italian structure. For our starter, we have burrata served on thick slices of beef tomato and thinly sliced Black Angus. The burrata is pure and buttery soft, creating a flavor explosion with the tomato, but the Black Angus is horribly salty. It feels almost like a kitchen mishap, as it’s hard to imagine they intended to serve it this way. A rare misstep for a restaurant known for its consistently high standards. For the main course, we enjoy what is arguably Nerello’s finest dish: truffle pasta, prepared tableside with shaved Parmesan, alongside a classic parmigiana melanzana. The comforting warmth of this classic Italian dish, layered with eggplant and mozzarella, never fails to satisfy. We pair it with a fantastic Pinot Grigio from Cantine Paololeo. Unsure which white wine to choose, we’re delighted when the owner brings three different bottles to the table for us to sample. Simply excellent. We round off the meal with a generous slice of tiramisu and two spoons that transport us straight to Italy. Bellissimo.

You will never be disappointed at Nerello on Rotterdam's Oostzeedijk. For years, this Italian restaurant owned by Roberto Barbagallo has been an excellent spot where you can enjoy a great meal for a very reasonable price. The establishment spans two floors, and on the ground floor you can catch glimpses into the open kitchen. There are no pizzas on the menu, only dishes of Sicilian origin prepared with day-fresh ingredients. We are warmly welcomed and soon served crispy sourdough bread with olive oil and tapenade. The recommended prosciutto bite is hand-sliced and buttery in flavor. For the starter, served simply on a white plate, comes a generous portion of pounded and thinly sliced tender raw Black Angus on lamb's lettuce, topped with coarse parmesan flakes, truffle oil with lemon, and sprinkled with chives. The San Vincenzo Anselmi white wine pairs perfectly with it. Naturally, we want to try the house specialty, and the pasta cooked al dente tableside with great ceremony, featuring butter, sage, and truffle in a large Parmesan cheese wheel, disappears completely. Bellissimo! There is still room for the oven-roasted medium-rare lamb rack served with mixed vegetables and a rich, sticky red wine sauce that is truly delightful. The service features friendly, spontaneous young staff with strong Italian roots, and we can only conclude that lovers of Sicilian cuisine will be completely satisfied here.

Nestled in a slightly sunken dining enclave with terraces along Rotterdam’s Oostzeedijk, we find this Italian restaurant by Roberto Barbagallo, spanning two long, high-ceilinged dining rooms with wooden floors and artwork on the walls. The chef aims to carve out his place among the extensive restaurant offerings in the Maasstad region, and he succeeds brilliantly through a combination of quality, originality, friendliness, and a pleasant location. The foundational cuisine is Sicilian, but Barbagallo experiments with presentation, particularly with the starters. For instance, we taste a carpaccio-style dish built from flattened Black Angus beef with spring onions, parmesan, olive oil, lemon, and truffles shaved tableside. Delicious! Just like the vitello tonnato-inspired gamberato: paper-thin slices of veal with a mayonnaise and shrimp sauce. We pair it with a pleasant Vermentino di Gallura, Brino 2020. The main courses are slightly more standard. Thinly sliced swordfish rolled with lemon sauce and crushed pistachios into a trio of spring-roll-like parcels is tasty, as is the sea bass with gratinated potato slices and lemon thyme sauce, though neither is mind-blowing. But that steaming hot pasta with butter, sage, and truffle being scooped from a large Parmesan wheel at neighboring tables is exactly what we want to come back for. To finish, we succumb to cannoli (crispy pastry rolls) filled with ricotta cream: delicious!

There are no pizzas on the menu at the Italian restaurant Nerello. Owner Roberto Barbagallo, originally from Sicily, spoils his guests with the very best that his island has to offer culinarily. No complicated fuss, just pure preparations of high-quality ingredients at reasonable prices. Nerello is located on the Beneden Oostzeedijk, a popular nightlife area in the heart of Kralingen. The acoustics are not fantastic, so the restaurant is less suitable for quiet conversations. Besides enormous photos of Sicilian landscapes on the walls, the sleek interior feels un-Italian. The steel doors, wooden floor, black-and-white tones, and spotlights create a calm yet cozy ambiance. The menu offers à la carte choices, the chef's menu, and multi-course menus. The list is divided into antipasti, pastas, second courses, and dolci. On the wine list, you will find exclusively Italian wines, including those made from the Nerello Mascalese grape variety, which the restaurant is named after. The prices are reasonable. We start with the eggplant and goat cheese tartlet, accompanied by a tomato cream and a basil gel—a beautiful symphony. Refreshingly creamy, and the crispy fried eggplant provides a pleasant mouthfeel. The grilled octopus is also expertly handled by the chef. The octopus is tender, soft, and full of flavor. It is garnished with confit tomatoes, dried black olives, and a creamy potato cream. The fresh, full-bodied Bianco Pozzi Nero d'Avola from Sicily proves to be an excellent match. For the main course, we have swordfish involtini with a lime sauce and chopped pistachios. The fish rolls are buttery soft, and the nuts provide a fine crunch. Finished with a delightful lime sauce, this is a dish worth going through hoops for. The complimentary, full-bodied, creamy Chardonnay Paladin from the Veneto leaves us satisfied. The male waitstaff are charming, elegant, and highly professional. Until next time! Welcome to Lekker.