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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 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.
Run by five well-known, award-winning Hamburg restaurateurs, this culinary hotspot lies in the heart of the Hanseviertel quarter. The blend of individual food kiosks and food market not only offers food and drink from all over the world but also a bar area and a stage where music, comedy, and other events take place.
This local favorite has the distinction of serving authentic Mexican food in the heart of St. Pauli and does not take reservations. Complete with Spanish-speaking staff and an atmosphere that asks nothing from street eateries in Mexico, this restaurant is so popular that the good mood of staff and diners alike spills onto the streets. It is hugely popular with both locals and expats.
A great choice on a sunny afternoon, this restaurant serves both great pizza and a microbrews in a landmarked historic building right by the Elbe River. Enjoy a lager, an IPA, or one of their many seasonal beers on the always lively terrace and a pizza fresh out of the brick oven.
While it may not conform to everyone’s definition of a “beach”—in this case a long stretch of trucked-in sand on the north bank of the Elbe, directly across from the giant cranes and container terminals of the city’s port—there’s little doubting the popularity of the Elbstrand (Elbe beach) among locals. Whenever the sun’s out, you’ll find them out here in force, walking dogs and sipping beers and white-wine spritzers from a couple of little beach bars. Strandperle also does a decent chili con carne as well as curry sausages and fish rolls to keep hunger pangs at bay.
