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Hamburg has plenty of chic restaurants to satisfy the fashion-conscious local professionals, as well as the authentically salty taverns typical of a harbor town. There may not be a huge range of restaurants, but what they serve is delicious.
A proud owner of a Michelin star since it opened its doors in 1978, Landhaus Scherrer continues to be one of the city's best-known and most celebrated restaurants. The focus is on the use of organic, sustainable ingredients to produce classic and modern German cuisine with international touches, and unsurprisingly, the accompanying wine list is exceptional.
Somewhat ironically, for a long time it was very hard to find a decent hamburger in Hamburg; however, this small restaurant sandwiched between the Schanzenviertel and Altona is perhaps the best of the newly sprouted burger joints. Set up by two Germans and a Kiwi, The Burger Lab grinds the beef for its gourmet burgers as well as whipping up their own excellent sauces, which include chipotle aioli and burned onion cream
Stepping into this 18th-century merchant’s house turned Breton crepe restaurant, with its sky-blue window frames and waitstaff in striped fishermen’s shirts, is a little like being transported to a seaside eatery in northern France. Ti Breizh wows with fantastically good galettes (buckwheat crepes) topped with ham, cheese, mushrooms, and fried eggs, and its caramelized apple, banana, almond, and vanilla ice-cream crepe is worth a visit alone.
The Alt Hamburger Aalspeicher specializes in fish, including Hamburg's famous Aalsuppe (a clear broth with a variety of vegetables, seafood, and meat—basically everything that is leftover). Over time the Low German word for everything (all) became mistaken for the word for eel (Aal), so some restaurants make eel the focus, while others stick with creating their own versions of the soup.
The success of this extremely popular café and restaurant derives from its celebrity-chef ownership—Tim Mälzer, an old friend of Jamie Oliver, is a regular TV presence—its location in a former livestock hall in the heart of the Schanze, and its heavy emphasis on quality cuts of meat. Every night, the busy but friendly waitstaff ferry large plates of steak and pork through an interior of exposed brickwork and pipes, while diners dig into bowls of lamb, pork, and veal Bolognese in the white-tiled "deli" next door.
A stalwart of Hamburg's gay and lesbian neighborhood, this local favorite is probably best known for its friendly service and outrageously good cakes—spiced apple; rhubarb; and Black Forest gâteau among them—that are baked on-site in the café's own Konditorei. Beyond its sweet treats, the café whips up solid German breakfasts of bread rolls with smoked salmon and herring or cold cuts and cheeses and has a dependable if somewhat unexciting lunch and dinner menu.
A slice of Paris in the heart of Hamburg, this turn-of-the-19th-century café's unfailing popularity derives from its superb traditional French fare, which naturally includes steak frites and beef tartare, served by crisply polite staff beneath a tiled Art Nouveau ceiling. The café's bar is an ideal spot to take in the atmosphere and sample something off the superb wine list until a table becomes free.
This extension of the Louis C. Jacob Hotel consists of a relaxed Bistro, a wine bar, and a more formal Brasserie that boasts a large bay window with excellent views of ships gliding up the Elbe. But it's the brasserie that stands out, offering a unique take on French dishes with seasonal northern German ingredients as well as local fish delicacies.
Aptly situated in the middle of St. Georg's main drag, this trendy yet friendly eatery justifies a visit for its good-size yet varied menu that includes the likes of teriyaki steak and wasabi burgers and homemade gnocchi with mushrooms, sage butter, and apple chutney. All the meat and fish served here is organic, and the Mediterranean-style vegetarian dishes are prepared with seasonal produce.
Hamburg’s highest restaurant and bar awaits you on the 23rd floor of the "Tanzende Türme” (Dancing Towers) skyscrapers, dazzling with floor-to-ceiling views over the city, excellent cocktails, and creative crossover cuisine. The culinary focus here is on a variety of different steaks and cuts of meat.
Cox has delighted guests with its nouvelle German cuisine for years, and with a cool, dark interior and red-leather banquettes reminiscent of a French brasserie, it remains one of the hippest places around. Friday and Saturday night sees its two large rooms swell with diners, and consequently service can slow a little. However, dishes such as steamed catfish fillet with mussel tartare served in fennel stock, and a friendly, knowledgeable staff, easily compensate.
This bright-red lightship served in the English Channel before it retired to the city harbor in 1989 and became a landmark restaurant, guesthouse, and pub. Local favorites such as Hamburger Pannfisch (panfried fish with mustard sauce) and Labskaus (a mixture of corned beef, potato, onion, beet, and gherkins) are on the ship's extensive menu, along with Argentine steaks and rack of lamb.
Located in an old merchant house decorated with oil paintings featuring 19th-century sailing ships, this small and elegant seafood restaurant is a Hamburg classic. It's one of the best places to get traditional dishes such as Hamburger Pannfisch (fried catch of the day in a wine-and-mustard sauce) at a very reasonable price.
For some of the best fish in Hamburg, book a table at this splendid portside restaurant, which looks plain from the outside, but feels like a dining room aboard a luxury liner inside. The menu changes daily according to what's available in the fish market that morning; the elegant oyster bar here is a favorite with the city's beau monde.
Located where St. Pauli meets Schanze, Hatari offers traditional southwestern German food in the far north. Sit at one of the long, rustic wooden tables and enjoy a plate of Käsespätzle or delicacies from the Rhineland at affordable prices. The folksy decoration gives the impression of a modest eatery frozen in time, but the clientele here is mostly made up of hip Schanze locals who flock to this restaurant for its unique vibe.
This restaurant embodies the idea of “think global, act local” and brings the world to your table through its menu, which is inspired by cuisines from all over the world. From time to time, the menu will focus on a particular region: Istria, Scandinavia, South Tyrol. Kitchens's concept is rooted in travel experiences and culinary adaptation in an elegant environment. Open for lunch and dinner or enjoy cocktails on its rooftop bar overlooking the HafenCity.
Such is the popularity of this occasionally hectic little Indian restaurant in the heart of St. Pauli that a table booking doesn’t always mean you’ll be seated at the time you booked, especially if it’s the weekend. The high quality of its vegetable and meat dishes—Himalayan kofta (vegetables and cheese mixed into balls and served with a tomato, cashew nut, and fruit sauce) and rogan josh (lamb cooked with red onions, peppers, and paneer) among them—combined with the coziness of its shabby-chic styling is enough to forgive the inconvenience, however.
Snugly sited beneath vaulted ceilings in the cellar of the city's town hall, this elegant old pub turned restaurant and cocktail bar serves no-nonsense meat and seafood meals, including shrimp fresh from the North Sea, with a light touch of German nouvelle cuisine. Popular with local businesspeople during and after work, it's also a nice spot for a frothy beer and some Flammkuchen, Alsace's take on pizza, between traipsing around the nearby sights.
A long-time neighborhood favorite, Eisenstein sits inside a handsome 19th-century industrial complex turned art center and serves fantastic Italian and Mediterranean cuisine at affordable prices. Sharing space with a movie theater, the restaurant is popular with pre- and postmovie crowds and probably best known for its gourmet wood-fired pizzas like the Pizza Helsinki (salmon, crème fraîche, and onions) and the Blöde Ziege (Stupid Goat) with rosemary-tomato sauce, crispy bacon, and goat cheese.
It would be difficult to find a better spot in town than this handsome seafood restaurant to watch big boats cruise by while satisfying your appetite for fresh lobster, sashimi, bouillabaisse, Scottish salmon, Dover sole, and oysters. Its ample sun terrace sits just above the Elbe, while the large open-plan dining room has ceiling-high windows facing downstream toward the city and the Elbe Philharmonic Hall.
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