Where to Eat in Hamburg The Best Casual Restaurants, Bars & Coffee Shops

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany with a small, but growing food scene dominated by young chefs. The city is also sprinkled with specialty coffee shops. We have gathered all our Hamburg recommendations in this foodie map. You’ll find coffee-, wine- and cocktail bars, currywurst stalls, and casual restaurants. Navigate the map easily either by scrolling through the list on the right or by clicking the points on the map. Places are listed in geographical order.

Restaurant Hæbel is a Nordic-French semi-fine dining restaurant run by the passionate chef Fabio Haebel. Known to locals as a cookbook author and TV-chef doing travel shows as well as cooking on the morning show of Sat1. Haebel cooks with almost 100% organic produce and serves a seasonal five-course tasting menu. Imagine a cozy French bistro combined with the aesthetics of New Nordic cuisine. Don't miss the brand new Hæbel La Cave natural wine bar next door!

Clockers is one of the best cocktail bars in Hamburg, located in the St. Pauli district, right next to restaurant Hæbel. From the outside, the bar is almost invisible, but once inside, you'll find yourself in a forest. Order from the menu or brief the bartender about your preferences. The bar also has its own house-distilled Clockers Gin you may want to taste or buy a bottle to take home.

If restaurant Hæbel in Hamburg isn't Nordic enough for you, then head over to HACO and step into Scandinavia. Situated in the young and vibrant St. Pauli area, head chef Björn Juhnke is equally as patriotic and passionate about his neighborhood as Fabio Haebel. HACO is a semi-fine dining eatery with a ten-course tasting menu that is all about seasonal and regional products, zero waste, and follows a nose-to-tail philosophy. Wines are all natural!

Playground Coffee should be your go-to-place for a caffeine fix in the St. Pauli neighborhood. Look for the unique and artistically-designed squared boxes with cartoonish drawings and funny names. This specialty coffee shop is part of the third wave of coffee that cares about the coffees origin and the roasting style is medium to light in order to allow the terroir to express itself.

Tortue is a brand new boutique hotel in the heart of Hamburg with a modern style and urban vibe. Located in an 1800s red brick building on Stadthausbrücke, it lies in walking distance to most places in the city center. The friendly staff is helpful and eager to guide you around town.

Le Lion – Bar de Paris – is the most famous cocktail bar in Hamburg. Serving elegant drinks in a sophisticated atmosphere, Le Lion is famous for having created the modern classic Gin Basil Smash, which is the bar's signature drink. Although not currently on the 50 Best Bars list, at the time of this writing, Le Lion has previously been high up on the revered industry rating.

You may know O-Ren Ishii as a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movie, but it is also an authentic Vietnamese restaurant in Hamburg. Popular with the locals, especially around lunchtime, so go early if you want to secure a seat. Booking is difficult. Don't miss the glass-noodle salad with fried local fish or the summer rolls with Vietnamese sausage.

Mö-Grill is the most famous food stall in Hamburg for traditional German sausages, with three different venues around town, and serves one of the best currywurst in the city. Make sure to have cash at hand, as they don't accept cards (which, strangely, seems to be the rule more than the exception in Germany still).

Inspired by the Australian and Scandinavian coffee culture, the passionate barista and major coffee geek Linus Köster decided to open his own place. Today, Törnqvist is the best coffee shop in Hamburg. Rarely have I seen a store with a cleaner design than this. It's minimalism taken to the extreme. The line-up of pitch-black coffee machines is impressive, especially against the bright white wall that just reads: "Flat White. Handbrew. Shot." This is the only menu available at Törnqvist.

Hermetic Coffee Roasters is the coffee shop formerly known as Less Political. I guess they must have found out they were political after all? Located in a graffiti-decorated brick building in a quiet corner north of the St. Pauli neighborhood, with vintage wood furniture and industrial lamps, Hermetic has cozy atmosphere both inside and outside. Enjoy a Kalita-brewed drink from light-roasted beans.

On the quiet Eppendorfer Weg, dotted with little boutiques and restaurants, you find Blackline Coffee. A cozy neighborhood café and specialty coffee shop with the slogan "We do coffee not science." Presumably an attempt to make the third wave of coffee a little more available for the average Joe.

Andreas Zuehlke started working with naturally fermented grape juices in 2013. Today, he runs his own natural wine shop and neighborhood bistro carrying his own name – Zuehlke. There are ten weekly dishes that changes depending on the available ingredients, with some signature dishes being pulled pork, octopus, and duck liver. On the drink side, choose from the list or ask for recommendations if you don't know the bottles.

Calistoga Wine Saloon is a tiny wine bar with simple bar food run by the passionate hostess Beverly Ann Thoma. Since 2013, she has bought exciting natural wines from small quality producers that she has a good connection with and who shares her philosophy and passion. I was sold when I found some very special bottles of Gut Oggau in her selves.