Sahila

Languages are best learned in the country - immersively. This way, you encounter peculiarities, nuances, culture, history, and people who shape the language - your experience becomes more authentic and impressive. And there's more to experience in the country itself for an even more intensive experience. This refers to the cuisine of a country.

Julia Komp, star chef and head chef of Sahila in Cologne, realized the same thing when it comes to cooking and set off on a journey: to numerous countries, to learn traditional flavors and bring home original recipes to inspire her culinary art, with which she takes you on a culinary world tour with 6 or 7 "stations" at Sahila.

One dish = one country

Since 2022, Sahila in Cologne has offered a multi-course menu, personally designed by Julia Komp and her team, inspired by traditional dishes from family restaurants, street food, or gourmet cuisine from around the world. From course to course, you travel culinary to a different country and taste Korea, France, or Italy, then Sweden and Morocco or the Caribbean and Thailand. The transitions are pleasantly smooth - imagining a boundlessness - despite all the differences in flavors and cooking styles. Exceptional wines travel with you and complement the culinary circumnavigation, which is also a visual journey highlight for your senses.

International cuisine meets regionality

The menu changes every few weeks - along with the countries - and thus adapts to the seasons and the availability of regional products. Because a large part of the vegetables comes from within a 30-kilometer radius around Cologne. Ethical husbandry, high-quality products, knowledge of the producers, own olive oil, and coffee blends are as much a part of the cooking philosophy as predominantly vegetarian dishes and nose-to-tail, where possible. As a vegetarian, you can also choose 100% vegetarian creations as a menu. A personal conversation with her guests completes the circle for Julia Komp, which the passion for cuisines, countries, and people of our earth opened.

Julia Komp: Star chef, world traveler, and host

Looking at Julia Komp's path to becoming a star chef, it runs straightforward - from childhood: Born in the region around Cologne, in the Bergisches Land, the desire to become a chef was already set at the age of 14. Also, the goal of earning a star one day was an early goal. Julia Komp completed her training at Zur Tant, switched to the executive casino of TÜV Rheinland as Chef de Partie, and worked at La Poêle d’Or as Sous Chef. In 2016, she earned her first star at Schloss Loersfeld and embarked on a journey around the world in 2018 - traveling as an intern and guest chef to over 30 countries in 14 months, she learned to know and appreciate cuisines, teams, aromas, flavors, and manufacturing methods in their original form.

Sahila and Mezzebar Yu*lia: two restaurant concepts side by side

After her world tour and a stint at the pop-up restaurant Lokschuppen, she opened Sahila in downtown Cologne, not far from the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, as well as the adjoining Mezzebar Yu*lia, which offers small oriental dishes and Mediterranean classics as a mezze platter or mezze menu.

The ambiance of Sahila

White walls, golden lamps, wickerwork, earth tones, pistachio green, brass accessories - an intimate, puristic, and warm atmosphere with smaller tables awaits you and other guests. The furniture and crockery were made in Morocco, which fits harmoniously into the overall concept of the "leader of the stars" - the rough translation for Sahila.