Gallo Nero Im Alten Zollhaus in Essen

"We had a wonderful evening at Gallo Nero! The food was excellent – ​​the Italian specialties were authentic and the ingredients fresh. The ambiance in the old customs house is particularly impressive; it's truly uniquely cozy and romantic. The service was very attentive and friendly without being intrusive. We highly recommend the wine selection! A real highlight in Essen-Kettwig. We will definitely be back!"

Great atmosphere, excellent service. I'm so glad they offered gluten-free pasta. Everything was delicious. The antipasti were perfect.

Excellent cuisine, meat or fish dishes, pasta or salad – everything is delicious. Very friendly owner, very friendly service. We have been coming to Gallo Nero for many years and always enjoy it. A crackling fireplace, a cozy atmosphere, and occasional live music – perfect for those Italian moments in life.

What can I say? Our absolute favorite restaurant🫶… first visited 6 years ago and have been coming back time and time again ever since. EVERYTHING is just right here🫶

The food is always great, but right now they're having pumpkin weeks, and that brings a whole new flair to the restaurant. We're really impressed; it remains one of the best restaurants in Kettwig. Halloween is coming!

A fantastic 2 star restaurant, with a lovely ambiance and a very polite owner. Very accommodating. Delicious starters, amazing main courses (served in Parmigiano), and the dessert is also very, very delicious. I highly recommend it to everyone!

Full marks. Two couples spontaneously decided to go out for dinner. Everyone was very satisfied; the service, food, and quantity were excellent. We'll be back.

I ate at your place again and had a very, very nice girls' night out, thanks to you. We received excellent service. The meal, with its starter and spaghetti from the Parmesan cheese, was excellent. We would love to come back. Please keep it up, and thank you.

A very nice restaurant. Run with love and cooked with love. Great food and wonderful service who love their job. 100% recommendation.

Spent a lovely evening with the family. Excellent food and service.

I've been a regular guest there for decades. Everything is never perfect, but that's what makes it authentic. Whether as a guest, for a casual meal, or for a planned dinner with friends, company, or confirmation, I've always been very satisfied. The quality is always very good, and I'm already looking forward to the next time. Best, Uli

Top-notch food, top-notch service. I was thrilled and will definitely be back!

Super-beautiful shop. Excellent food and Mario as the host. Bella Italia couldn't be more beautiful. I'd love to come back. ☺️

La dolce vita in Essen Kettwig. A relaxed, classic Italian restaurant. Good food; we tried antipasti and gnocchi. Both were delicious and highly recommended! After the meal, espresso and grappa are a must, of course 😉. Good service and a sensational chef. Greetings from here. More pictures and a video can be found on TikTok under "Einfach Ich Lagacy in Essen bei Gallo Nero."

It's so beautiful here. A little highlight for me.

A fantastic restaurant with a unique ambiance. The Italian brunch on Sundays is especially recommended. When the weather's nice, the terrace is a lovely place to sit. Here are a few impressions.

We didn't scream with excitement. The tagliatelle with fillet tips initially had to make do with three pieces until they corrected it after a complaint. At €38.00 per portion, that's quite a statement.

Mega service, steak was mega great, won't be the last time👌

We're visiting a friend from Bavaria. The three of us went out to eat and had a starter, main course, and dessert. We had rump steak, gnocchi, and lasagna. It was honestly the best Italian restaurant we've ever had; the starter alone was incredibly good in terms of quality and flavor. The main courses all blew us away; the gnocchi were super soft, the steak was cooked to perfection, and the lasagna tasted like an elderly Italian lady had kissed the tomatoes every day. Conclusion: If you want to experience truly excellent Italian cuisine, you have to come here. Cons: 1. We sat outside, and the traffic was far too heavy and noisy; the location isn't great. 2. It's relatively inexpensive. Considering the quality, the price was very good. However, it's a bit more expensive than other Italian restaurants. However, if you're going out to eat anyway, you can spend 10-15% more and have a truly delicious experience. Thank you for the good food

A very pleasant evening with incredibly good food and great service. A taste of vacation. We'd love to come back.

10/10 – Italian Delight on the Ruhr What an evening! From the very first moment, we felt truly at home. The service was warm, attentive, and simply personable; you could tell the love goes into making this place. The food was a hit: The pasta in a Parmesan loaf with beef tips and truffle sauce was a dream 🤩 Intense, creamy, and perfectly seasoned. The tiramisu to finish? Light, delicate, and simply perfect. The appetizers and drinks also absolutely won us over. All of this in a fantastic ambiance, somewhere between cozy and stylish. In short: Italian Delight on the Ruhr – we'll definitely be back!

The vitello tonato and the pinsa were excellent. Not yet on the menu, but recommended by the chef. Succulent ham and spicy tomatoes. A superb combination.

The three of us happened to be here by chance and were thrilled. A small appetizer was on the house, followed by a delicious vitello tonnato. Following the owner's recommendation, we each had a pinsa, which wasn't on the menu. Super delicious. 🤩

We've been to Gallo Nero several times and will definitely be back! The fish platter is an absolute highlight, and all the staff are very friendly!

Very tasty food and great atmosphere

We used a delivery service. The driver took the wrong route and was late, and the food was, of course, cold. They also failed to deliver our meals twice. Hot food in melted plastic containers 😡😤😳

Best Italian restaurant with a great atmosphere. ♥️

The Gallo Nero restaurant impresses us every time. Both the food and the service are always more than satisfactory. The wonderful Italian ambiance contributes to the feeling of being in Italy. I particularly recommend the New Zealand rack of lamb with a pistachio crust, which I've attached.

Always worth a visit if you're in the area. Super fresh food, beautifully presented, and very tasty. A great, friendly service team. Also suitable for corporate events.

My absolute favorite Italian restaurant! The ambiance, food, service, and hospitality are always consistently high. Last weekend, we hosted another fantastic event there—this time for business—and all of our guests were thrilled. No wish goes unfulfilled!

Very tasty food and great ambience. The Parmesan pasta is particularly recommended.

The food is good and tasty.The ambience is nice.The prices a bit higher. The service was good.

"La vera cucina italiana" If you want to experience “true Italian cuisine” you should definitely stop by here. The old customs house with its unique charm from many centuries, lovingly decorated with everything Italy has to offer... the special ambience is underlined by the many old photos with actors such as Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroanni and the unforgettable Don Camillo and Pepone. The kitchen, as I said, is the true Italian...starters from bruschetta to burrata di mozzarella...fantastic main courses and my favorite...spaghetti with fillet tips tossed in a cheese wheel...simply unique...desserts like creme brulee are a dream... Plus a top selection of excellent wines from Italy... The café and espresso are also unique...that's the only reason I come here... The owner and the staff are authentically nice and always courteous... We have been going to Tuscany for over thirty years... and the Gallo Nero definitely deserves the title that the "little black rooster" represents... The prices are high but completely appropriate given the quality and ambience... We have been here many times....not just eating....but always enjoying.... The Italian doesn't just eat...he also just sits there and lives the meal.... Always happy again....the right place to spend time with family or friends... Thanks to the Gallo Nero team

Great discovery! We'll be happy to come back :) Very tasty food for the correct price. Good wine selection and very pleasant atmosphere. Hard to beat!

I had brunch here with my family. Very cozy atmosphere and idyllic. Large selection of food and super tasty. Very good and fast service.

Absolutely loved this place! The ambiance is so warm and welcoming — The food was incredible; every dish was full of flavor and made with care. And don’t even get me started on the dessert — simply perfect! To top it all off, there’s a sweet older gentleman who works there and adds such a lovely charm to the experience. Highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for authentic Italian food and genuine hospitality.

Pure Italian ambience. A culinary delight. The staff very attentive. The menu offers everything your heart desires.

Nice restaurant with Italian cuisine. Very tasty, good service and nice atmosphere. All dishes were very tasty.

Cozy atmosphere, very friendly service & the food is amazing! Always my pleasure!

Very cozy restaurant with a fireplace. Absolutely amazing on a November evening. Courteous service and delicious food. Thank you very much for the pleasant stay.

...great food. Here you feel like you are in Italy.

Such an illusion. If you're looking for truly authentic Italian cuisine and ingredients, you've come to the wrong place here in my opinion. Good cuisine doesn't need a show.

We have eaten there several times in the past but probably won't come again in the future. Unfortunately, the service and portions have deteriorated greatly. The second time we were there, we were literally thrown out of the restaurant because the table was reserved elsewhere. I had, say, 7 gnocchi and left the restaurant hungry. It's a shame... it used to be a 10/10, but today it's more like a 5/10

If I could, I would even give more stars!!! That says it all. Very tasty food. Perfect service. 1A

We were just passing through, but we loved it!! Very friendly staff, great atmosphere, wonderful interior, fantastic food! We would like to give at least 6 stars! Mille Gracie!

Very nice atmosphere. Food very unusual and tasty. Greetings Reiner

We had brunch today with two families. If you like Italian starters and then a warm pasta, then Gallo Nero in Essen Kettwig is the right place for you. It was an unforgettable day. As a large family traveling with children, we rarely found a location like this where everything was perfect, nothing was missing. Great! We'd love to come back 🫶

I can recommend that anyone who likes an “old” atmosphere and black and white photos and good Italian food is in good hands here. We'll be back

Simply great! This is how you imagine authentic Italian food :) I can only recommend it! Thanks

A great restaurant. Perfect service and very nice ambience Recommended 👍

Today he was here with my husband and his family, we ate delicious, the staff was also very friendly and respectful, you can enjoy a very nice day on the terrace. The food was very delicious 😋, I ordered the fettuccine dish with meat 🥩 and a good beer, there was pasta with truffles 🤤. I would surely go again on my next visit.

My food tasted good, but unfortunately the service wasn't really warm or accommodating. In addition, the map on site did not match the map online. Overall, the slightly higher prices unfortunately didn't feel justified.

Service was friendly and nice, sitting outside wasn't so nice. It was my birthday. At the next table there was a free schnapps after the meal. Not with us. OK...

Visually and qualitatively very outdated. The food wasn't worth the long journey, no more than average at best.

Very nice little restaurant with a cozy and family atmosphere. The fish platter for 2 people was excellent and so plentiful that it would have been enough for 3-4 people. The service was super friendly and accommodating. It was our first time in this restaurant but from now on we will come regularly. Thank you for the lovely evening.

The best Italian restaurant I know. :-) Fantastic cuisine, very friendly service and a cozy atmosphere!

There were 4 of us here and we ate something from all categories, every dish was really seasoned and didn't taste like anything. However, the bruscetta was very tasty. However, as compensation there was a tiramisu which was very nice. The service was quick but was a bit unmotivated. We wouldn't go here again.

We felt very comfortable there, service and cuisine excellent! We'll definitely be back there soon! Thank you very much for the lovely evening!

We ate here for my birthday - great cozy restaurant, very tasty food and great service! We felt very comfortable and welcome. Thanks for the great short vacation in Italy!

Cozy, rustic, delicious, Frutti di Mare with fresh and rich ingredients, delicious oil, and much more. Thank you for the lovely evening!

For years, the restaurant has been a guarantee for a special visit with excellent food! Mario and his team have built something really great! See you next time. Christin & Dean

The food was delicious, but the place was a bit small and old. The chairs are e.g. B. all scratched.

Authentic Italian cuisine, highly recommended mixed starters

An extraordinary location with great attention to detail, plus delicious food with great service. Absolutely great!

Small but nice restaurant. It's all true

We ended up there by chance and it was a stroke of luck. Small and extremely cozy. The food was fresh and super tasty. The service was top. The prices are completely okay If I'm ever in the area again, I'm already looking forward to it.

Cozy restaurant, friendly staff and super delicious food :). We enjoyed it very much and the dessert was also a dream.

With 8 people been there for dinner. It was cozy and tight, but also comfortable. Everyone had chosen different dishes from the “table” and everyone enjoyed it. There was no drinks menu. So ask beforehand! Friendly service and also reasonable waiting time for the food. (The place was full). We had a positive experience. The offer is a bit more expensive but we found the price-performance ratio to be ok. We will be back.

Very tasty food and great service. We are gluten-free, which wasn't a problem with pasta and all other dishes.

We love Italian food and good wine! A small but fine seasonal menu and excellent wine recommendations have turned each of our visits into a special evening. By the way, the boss personally convinces himself of this when he leaves the kitchen at an late hour, receives applause from his guests and you can feel - it was an honor for him! Perfetto

Cozy restaurant, delicious food, nice staff, highly recommended. We celebrated our birthday here and received dessert as a gift!!

Rustic restaurant with an open fireplace, very tasty dishes and always friendly service. We have been here several times and always enjoy coming back.

From the outside it seemed inviting to us. How deceptive first impressions can be. We made a reservation and were shown to our table with sullen indifference, where we felt like Sardinia in a can. We were just a hand's width away from guests at the next table. The entire ambience was overloaded with dust collectors, on which it had already collected quite a lot. We ordered drinks, which then took forever. My wine wasn't tasty, but at 7 euros per glass (as I only found out when I got the bill because there was no drinks menu) it wasn't cheap either. Although the food was reasonably nicely prepared, the ingredients (I had 5 tortellini) were very reminiscent in shape and taste of those from a discount store with a blue logo. This should probably suggest fine dining, at a corresponding price. By the way, the plate for the meal and the wine were handed to me across the table or poured. This is where it becomes clear that this is not an upscale restaurant at all. I am generally more inclined to see the positive and give appropriate reviews. But with the best will in the world, I can't find any aspect of Gallo Nero that speaks for the store.

Drinks menu not available, long waiting times, my salmon wasn't cooked through, food was passed across the table

A quaint, cozy restaurant for adults. A large blackboard is presented to you as a menu (like on First Dates on VOX). The dishes are fresh and perfectly seasoned. The place is perfect for a date.

What was positive was: Very quaint, iconic shop, delicious food, small but nice menu. Prices are still ok. What's not much: The dust is probably as old as the shop itself and finding parking is difficult.

It was very crowded and therefore quite loud but also fun. Large menu and very tasty menus. A successful birthday party.

My wife and I have been enthusiastic guests since 2017 and have always enjoyed the great food and great service. Even in stressful situations, the Gallo Nero team always keeps an overview. Big thanks again for the last wine recommendation, the Merlot was a culinary delight👍

Wer einen schönen Abend mit gutem Essen in netten Ambiente verbringen möchte, ist hier genau richtig.

Es war wieder ein netter Abend bei tollem Essen im Alten Zollhaus in Essen Kettwig. Das Kalbsfilet mit Pommery-Senfsoße mit Spaghetti und Parmesan einfach ein Genuss.

Amazing place. Great food.. Tiramisu was amazing

Urgemütliche Einkehr mit der Wandergruppe: Rund ums Jahr finden wir hier unsere Lieblingsgerichte. Beim Stammtisch nach der Tagestour schlemmen wir uns durch die authentischen Italia Leckereien. Es reicht ein kurzer Anruf am Wandertag und unser Tisch ist reserviert, ganz gleich ob für 10 oder für 4 hungrige SportlerInnen. Der Wirt verwöhnt uns mit kleinen Aufmerksamkeiten zwischen den Gängen... Dankeschön für diese aussergewöhnliche Gastlichkeit... und die Kulanz wegen der dreckigen Wanderstiefel ;-) . Sehr zu empfehlen!

Ein wunderschönes liebevolles gemütliches Restaurant mit einer tollen Ambiente! Der Restaurantbesitzer ist sehr herzlich und aufmerksam man fühlt sehr wohl -super Service-! Das Essen schmeckt sehr köstlich die Spaghetti in Trüffelsoße mit hausgemachtem Tiramisu kann ich nur von ganzen Herzen weiter empfehlen! Das Aroma hmm einfach nur italienisch! 🤌🏽 Wir werden definitiv nochmal kommen! ❤️

Authentischer Italiener, hervorragendes Essen. Preis Leistungs Verhältnis total fair.

Seit neustem auch Pinsa im Angebot die echt lecker ist👍🏼 hingehen lohnt sich!

Gallo Nero ist immer wieder einen Besuch wert! Traditionelle italienische Küche mit neuen kulinarischen Impulsen (zB Pinsa) und sehr guter Qualität sind hier zu erwarten. Ich hatte hier erneut die Spaghetti in Trüffelsoße aus dem Paremegiano-Laib und wurde nicht enttäuscht. Unser Hund wurde auch willkommen geheißen :)

Das Essen ist sehr gut und lecker und liebevoll angerichtet! Das Bruchangebot Sonn- und Feiertags ist auch sehr gut!

Hab hier sehr leckere hausgemachte Linguine mit frischen Steinpilzen zu Abend gegessen. Der Beilagensalat war ebenfalls lecker. Danke für den guten Service!

Wir waren nun einige Male in diesem netten Lokal essen und das Preis-Leistungsverhältniss war hervorragend. Unserer Meinung nach besonders zu empfehlen sind die Vorspeisen wie das Thunfisch Carpaccio oder das Fritto Misto. Abgerundet wurden die leckeren Vorspeisen von super leckeren Nudeln aus dem Parmesanleib, wahlweise mit Rinderfiletspitzen oder frischem Trüffel (zur Saison). Auch die Wein- und Dessertauswahl lassen keine Wünsche offen. Absolut zu empfehlen.

Wir waren hier zum italienischen Brunch. Heute waren wir die einzige Gäste zum Brunch, aber völlig zu Unrecht!!! 18 90 € für den Brunch, Getränke extra. Und was haben wir dafür bekommen? Service am Tisch! Angefangen hat es mit noch warmem Brot, Oliven und Kräuterquark. Danach kamen zwei tolle Antipasti- Platten, mit allem, was Italiens Küche zu bieten hst: Vitello Tonato, Schinken, Salami, Tomate- Mozzarella, eingelegte Paprika, Zucchini, Aubergine, Zwiebeln, Artischocke, Pimiento, Thunfisch-Bohnen Salat, Crevetten, Flusskrebsbällchen. Dann kam Rührei mit Trüffelöl und zum Abschluss Penne mit Kalbfiletspitzen im Parmesanlaib geschwenkt. Es war alles lecker - ein Brunch der anderen Art. Der Service war prima. Die Inneneinrichtung ist nicht jedermanns Geschmack, dunkle Holzbalken, viele Fotos und Stehrümchen... Aber wer's mag... Alles in allem: mir hats gefallen.

Tolles Restaurant mit perfektem Service und wirklich leckerem Essen. Vielen Dank ans Team für den wunderbaren Abend bei Euch.

Seit Jahren gehe ich dort mit meiner Familie und Freunden essen und ich wurde noch nie enttäuscht. Alle Gerichte haben wir schon gefühlt durchgekostet und es war immer ein Gaumenschmaus. Mein absolutes Highlight und Lieblingsessen werden immer die Trüffelpasta sein. Da kann keiner mithalten ✨

Sehr zu empfehlen. Sowohl wenn man dort Essen abholt als auch vor Ort. Die Pasta aus dem Parmesan mit Trüffel sind hervorragend

Jedes Mal , wir kommen seit 15 Jahren, ein kulinarisches Highlight! Vielen lieben Dank

Wenn man etwas besonderes mit Freunden oder für sich selbst auch etwas romantisches erleben möchte, dann immer gerne hier.

Ein kleines, sehr gemütlich eingerichtetes Restaurant mit toller italienischer Küche! Das Restaurant ist ein Ort zum Wohlfühlen. Wir hatten als Hauptspeise den Wolfsbarsch und die Nudeln im Parmesanlaib mit Trüffeln. Beides war sehr lecker! Wir kommen bestimmt wieder.

Kleine, feine Karte mit leckeren Köstlichkeiten. Mir persönlich war die Bestuhlung etwas zu eng und etwas weniger Deko an den Wänden/ vor den Fenstern wäre auch völlig okay gewesen. Bei meinem Besuch war die Servicekraft wohl noch sehr neu, daher lief nicht alles ganz reibungslos. Trotzdem sehr freundlich.

Total leckere Vorspeise,geniale Pasta und leckere Nachspeise 😉

Ich bin dort schon seit vielen Jahren Gast, insbesondere mit Kunden. Heute war ich mit meinen Patenkindern im Gallo Nero. Herzzerreißend wie sich die Italiener um die Kinder kümmern! Jeder "Elternwunsch" für die Kinder wird einem von den Lippen abgelesen....

Sehr gemütliches Restaurant, mit speziellem und gemütlichen Flair. Die Speisekarte ist klein aber fein. Vorspeise Gallo Nero und Nudeln im Parmesanlaib mit Trüffel, haben uns voll überzeugt. Ein gelungener Abend mit tollem Service. Vielen Dank wir kommen wieder!