Bye Bye Nelly's

The whole story started in 2017, when four gymnastics friends had the idea to open a coffeehouse in the city of Zurich. Because actions speak louder than words, we founded the company in 2018 and started looking for a suitable location. Why? We just wanted to do a cool project together. None of us had ever run a coffeehouse before. The result was Nelly’s Quartierkafi near Hardbrücke in the 4th district.

The coffeehouse was named after Nelly, Lukas’ grandmother. She was not only famous for her kindness, but also for her baking and cooking skills. Well, maybe not quite, but at least in a small village called Oberhasli. Nelly knew that the best way to a person’s heart was through food and drink, and there was always a place at her table. Our Nelly’s was representative of that hospitality.

We operated Nelly’s non-profit as a social project. Each person who worked at Nelly’s was called a Nelly. Together, the Nellys formed a community of energetic young and young-at-heart Nellys. We all worked at Nelly’s as a balance to our “normal lives” - to promote social interaction in the neighborhood, but also just to have a good time together. Our motto was “Praktisch e Familie”, inspired by the Swiss-German TV series Fascht e Familie.

We called the Nelly’s our “side project”, but it really took a lot of time and energy. Everything at Nelly’s was homemade, from the licensing, the interior, the furniture, to the food and drinks - mostly local products from the area where we grew up. It was a labor of love. It was a meeting place for everyone to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Customers liked it. We had a 5-star Google review and were featured as a HelloZurich Lieblingsort.

Nelly’s is now called Kafi Hardi. Although the new owners have added their own touches to the place, if you look closely, you can still see many of the details and features we built for Nelly’s. Overall, we have many fond memories. It was a unique experience that deepened our friendships and taught us new skills - from various trades, to restaurant licensing, to operational skills. Most importantly, it was a lot of fun. We will miss it, especially the community and friends who supported our vision of Nelly’s. Thank you all and bye bye Nelly’s.