The tireless Haya Molcho not only runs incredibly charming restaurants but has also brought a touch of Levantine joy to Vienna: when you visit Neni, you'll think you're on vacation.
It must have been quite a culture shock for Haya Molcho, who grew up in Tel Aviv, when she moved to Vienna in 1981—a city that was rather gray at the time. What she missed most was the “pleasant chaos” on the plates: everyone ate only what they had ordered, whereas in Israel and the Middle East, sharing was second nature. “Perfection stifles conviviality,” Molcho once said in an interview with the Kleine Zeitung. This perfectly captures her strength: she didn’t just bring exciting new restaurants to Vienna but also a touch of Levantine joie de vivre. Her goal was to bring people together; from the very beginning, relaxed sociability was as important as the food itself.
“In Vienna, people used to think hummus was compost. We introduced Levantine cuisine to Austria: fresh, vegan, vegetarian, healthy. We started a trend,” Molcho said in an interview with Studio! magazine. Interestingly, she’s a late bloomer and a career changer—she has no formal culinary training. Instead, she studied psychology, traveled extensively, and was always passionate about bringing back new recipes and spices. In 2003, a neighbor asked her if she could cater for a party, which reminded her how much she had loved working together in the kitchen as a child. In Israel, her father, originally from Romania, worked as a traveling dentist, going from village to village with his drill. He was often paid in vegetables and other food, which were then cooked into meals. “That’s how I learned to preserve food,” Molcho recalls. The children were allowed to stir the pots, and cooking was always a grand adventure.
This spirit is what she brought to Vienna. What started as a hobby—cooking for others—soon became a profession. In 2009, the first Neni restaurant opened at Vienna’s Naschmarkt. At the time, the concept was groundbreaking but is now found everywhere: food is shared, and vegetables play a starring role on the plate. Even the name Neni has a story behind it: it’s an acronym of her four sons’ names. “In order, it should actually be Nuriel, Elior, Ilan, and Nadiv—so ‘Nein’ (no)!” Molcho jokes. But that didn’t sound very inviting, so it became Neni—a picture-perfect family business. Despite its international reach, the family dynamic remains intact. Today, Neni has restaurants in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Zurich, Cologne, Paris, Mallorca, and Amsterdam. Additionally, Neni products are sold through several supermarket chains, and there’s a Europe-wide partnership with the 25hours Hotel chain. Work is divided based on passion and expertise: Nuriel, the eldest, photographs the regularly published cookbooks and manages social media; Elior is the general manager of all the restaurants and oversees catering; and Ilan, as CEO, keeps everything running smoothly.
The driving force and face of Neni is still the tireless 69-year-old Haya Molcho, who has an unerring sense for culinary trends. The latest addition to the lineup is C.O.P., known for its whole breaded mackerel and high-quality products sourced from local suppliers. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the Molchos do better than their competitors. There’s no doubt their restaurants are youthful and trendy, serving feel-good dishes that evoke sunshine, vacation, and a carefree vibe. Levantine cuisine is the perfect fusion of East and West, offering plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans. Guests can order healthy, meatless meals with multiple appetizers and a main course, mixing and matching to their heart’s content. The table is filled with an array of small delicacies, and the selection feels endless. What truly sets them apart is their refusal to stand still. The Molchos don’t rest on their laurels—they’re constantly evolving. Two years ago, Haya Molcho dreamed of a farm with a "farm-to-table" concept. The family still loves to travel as much as possible, drawing inspiration from other cities and restaurants, and infusing those ideas into their work in their own unique, authentic way.
"With us, it’s never just about the food. It’s about family, about feeling. That’s what defines us. In ‘emotion,’ there’s also ‘motion,’ meaning movement; we want to move people,” Haya Molcho said in an interview with Germany’s Stern magazine. It may sound lofty, but she has played a significant role in Vienna’s transformation into the celebrated, livable city it is today. As a restaurateur, she has made the Austrian capital more international, relaxed, and open. Her motto: “Cooking should know no boundaries, and certainly no nationalism.” Being open to new things—a beautiful philosophy, bearing fruit not just in the kitchen.
Read more: Vienna: a paradise for foodies and wine lovers
