Hamburg is my favourite city in Germany. I have been here many times and will go again in a heartbeat when the occasion arises. Being the second-largest city in Germany, there are so many things to do in Hamburg, so there is always a reason to come back and see something new.
In this article, I want to tell you about where to eat in Hamburg. After several visits to the city, I have quite a few favourite places, from traditional north German restaurants, to coffee places and street food stalls.
About the Local Cuisine in Hamburg
When we talk about the cuisine in Hamburg, I think we should start with an obvious question: was the hamburger invested in Hamburg? Well, kind of! Whilst America takes credit as the inventor of the hamburger, it was actually the emigrants who left the port of Hamburg for the States back in the 19th century who brought in the concept of minced meat between two buns. The hamburger has its origins in the German “frikadelle”, a pan-fried flattish meatball, made from minced meat.
But Hamburg’s cuisine is so much more than hamburgers. In fact, I’ve never come across a hamburger on the menus of traditional north German restaurants in Hamburg. Most of the local dishes include fish, mostly herring, luncheon meat or corned beef, potato salad, sauerkraut and, of course, sausages. Because what is Germany without sausages!
The most traditional dish in Hamburg is the labskaus, a mix of ingredients which were easy to preserve by the sailors: salted meat, potatoes, onions, gherkins, beetroot. The dish originated in the port of Hamburg.
Alongside the shores of the Elbe River, you will find small food trucks selling Fischbrötchen, a delicious fish sandwich topped with different ingredients and sauces such as pickles, onions, remoulade or horseradish sauce.
Hamburg also has an extraordinary coffee culture, being an important player in the beans market for hundreds of years. Ships from all over the world would bring coffee beans, tea, and spices to the now Speicherstadt warehouse neighbourhood, where the beans were stored and roasted. In fact, Hamburg controlled the coffee market in Europe from the mid-19th century until the late 20th century through the Hamburg Coffee Exchange.
Today, the coffee heritage of the city is celebrated through the numerous roasteries and specialised cafes all over Hamburg. And with coffee, come bakeries! Hamburg has its own typical pastry which is an absolute delight for the taste buds: the Franzbrötchen. Think of it as a marriage between a buttery, flaky croissant and a flavoursome cinnamon roll. Visiting Hamburg and not having at least one Franzbrötchen is a massive mistake.
Where to Eat in Hamburg – My Favourite Restaurants and Cafes
There are so many great places to eat in Hamburg, from quirky cafes to organic restaurants, from eateries with a view, to street food stalls. I would have loved to try all the restaurants in Hamburg, but that would be something like a mission impossible, so the ones I’m going to list below are the ones I loved the most during my many trips.
Junge Bakery
I can’t count on how many times I had breakfast at Junge Bakery. Located on the corner of a street near the train station, this bakery serves delicious breakfasts, coffee, cakes, as well as pastries and bread to go. It is quite a popular place due to its location, but there were always tables and seats available every time I ate here.
I have tried both their breakfast sandwiches, as well as their delicious Franzbrötchen with chocolate, which I couldn’t get enough of.
Junge Bakery is quite affordable, breakfast here costing around 7 euros for a sandwich, a pastry, and a coffee.
Schanzenbäckerei
Schanzenbäckerei is a local family-run chain of bakeries that has branches all over the city. I love their products as they are always so delicious and of high quality. Especially the Franzbrötchen, which is my little obsession every time I visit Hamburg.
Some of the bakeries are also cafes, where you can sit at a table and enjoy a sweet breakfast and a coffee.
Franz and Friends
Franz and Friends is a small bakery located inside Hamburg train station. I loved this place because of its large selection of different flavoured Franzbrötchen. I bought three to go on my way to the airport and loved every one of them. They have about 10 different flavours and each day the “Franz of the day” comes at a cheaper price. I went for chocolate, rhubarb and cherry, and they were all delicious. I managed to bring two of them back to the UK, and had them for breakfast the following day.
Death Presso
I don’t have a photo of this coffee shop as it’s been some time since I was last there, but I still remember how different this coffee roaster in Hamburg is. The café is quite quirky, with shelves filled with bags of coffee covering the walls, and a bare bar area.
The coffee I had here was delicious, as well as the cake I chose to have with it. They roast the beans in house, and sell their own brand of coffee.
Death Presso is located in St Pauli and is reasonably priced, with coffee starting at 2 euros and cakes at 3 euros. They also serve cocktails in the evening, for under 5 euros.
Café Elbfaire
Café Elbfaire was such a surprising find, a great place to eat in Hamburg. I was walking to Hafen City with Carolin from Solo Travel Story, and we decided to stop here for lunch. From the outside, the coffee shop doesn’t look like much, but as we stepped inside, we noticed the inviting rear garden. As the sun was shining and the weather was lovely and warm, we decided to sit outside.
The café has a small menu, with a few daily lunch options. The daily menu changes every day, based on the seasonal ingredients available on the day. This is a farm to table café and has plenty of vegan and vegetarian offers on its menu.
I went for one of the daily specials, grilled wild salmon with papas Chorreadas – a Colombian side dish of potatoes with tomatoes and cheese. My friend went for the butternut squash curry. Both dishes were delicious and quite big for lunch.
The prices at Café Elbfaire are very affordable, with mains at around 10-11 euros.
Wildes Fräulein
I remember stumbling upon Wildes Fräulein Restaurant on a cold February day, in between two outdoor workshops in Hafen City. It was like a haven, rescuing me from the freezing weather outside. This lovely café specialises in Alpine Mountain delicacies, mostly dishes from Bavaria and Austria.
I ordered a hearty bowl of Käsespätzle witch bacon, which warmed me up instantly. It was the perfect comfort food I was craving for, whilst waiting for my hands to get back to their normal temperature.
They also serve Kaiserschmarrn, one of my favourite Austrian/German desserts, which I highly recommend.
Widles Fräulein is a reasonably priced restaurant, with mains between 12-15 euros.
Nagel
I love Nagel. I ate here many times due to its proximity to my hotel – literally downstairs. If you are looking for a great affordable place to eat in Hamburg, Nagel is your answer.
Nagel is a traditional North German restaurant that serves typical dishes such as labskaus, fish soup and sausages with sauerkraut. During my first visit to Nagel a few years ago, I was seated at the middle table with other solo diners, which was an amazing experience because I got to meet and chat with other people. Due to the pandemic though, the last time I visited Hamburg I had my own table, so I didn’t get to meet any locals this time.
The interior is very German, with wooden furniture, a lot of memorabilia on the walls and a little indoor “porch” for more privacy. They also have a terrace, but it can be quite loud due to the nearby train station.
I tasted quite a few dishes from the menu at Nagel, which never seem to change. Among my favourites were the Jagerschnitzel – a giant schnitzel covered with a mushroom and pepper sauce, served alongside roast potatoes and salad, the Leberkäse – a type of meat pie served with a fried egg and roast potatoes, as well as the Pann-Fisch – a fried fillet of fish served with a mustard sauce, crayfish, and roast potatoes.
Nagel also brews its own beer, which is dark and quite hoppy.
When it comes to prices, Nagel is quite affordable, with most main dishes at around 10 euros. Fish dishes are more expensive, at around 13 euros.
Schifferbörse Restaurant
A few doors down from Nagel I stumbled upon Schifferbörse Restaurant, another traditional restaurant that serves local Hamburg dishes.
The restaurant is a proper museum, and as soon as you enter you will notice the large collection of model wooden ships and different parts of maritime artefacts decorating the space. The restaurant is over 100 years old!
This is the restaurant where I tried the traditional dish of Hamburg, the labskaus. This is a dish that you will either love or hate. Let’s just say it is not the most appealing plate of food in the world. Labskaus originates from the harbour area of Hamburg, a couple of hundred years ago during the age of the tall ships. It consists of salted meat or corned beef mashed with onions, potatoes, and beetroot. It is served with a fried egg, herring rollmops, pickled gherkins, and slices of beetroot.
Schifferbörse is much more expensive than Nagel, with mains averaging at around 18-20 euros.
Hatari Pfälzer Stube
I had such a great experience at Hatari, due not only to their very friendly staff, but their epic burgers too.
I had lunch here a couple of years ago, when I was based in St Pauli and was in town for the Reeperbahn Festival. The restaurant was buzzing with people and even though we were quite a large group, the food didn’t take long to arrive.
I still remember how big and delicious the burger I chose was. I went for the goat cheese burger, which was topped with lingonberry jam, rucola, roasted sunflower seeds and rosemary.
Quite a few of the people in our group went for the vegetarian options, because they sounded really good on the menu. I tasted some of the seitan geschnetzeltes, a vegetarian type of stew served with Spätzle that my friend ordered and it was delicious. I couldn’t even tell that it was vegetarian.
Hatari is an affordable restaurant in Hamburg, with mains around 13 euros and burgers around 11 euros.
Hobenköök Market
I found out about Hobenköök from a Tik Tok video, as being one of the hidden gems in Hafen City. This food market stocks products from local producers in and around Hamburg and has its own restaurant. It is located in an old industrial area, just next to the railway tracks.
As I had just had lunch, I didn’t eat here, but I did walk around the shop and had a cold local Wildwuchs beer, brewed on their outdoor terrace, just a few kilometres south of the market. In the shop you will find fresh fish and meat, organic fruits and vegetables, as well as soups, sauces, coffee and chocolate. They also sell Hamburg cuisine cookbooks, but to my disappointment they were all in German, otherwise I would have loved to buy one.
Every day, there is a different offer on the restaurant’s menu, depending on what fresh products are delivered to the shop. The prices are very reasonable, between 8-15 euros for a main, and the menu includes options for vegans and vegetarians as well as meat and fish eaters.
Rindermarkkhalle
Rindermarkkhalle is the most known food market in Hamburg. Located in St Pauli, the market is home to many small bakeries, and restaurants, as well as to a large Edeka supermarket. I ate at this market several times during my trips to Hamburg, trying out different things each time.
The market has many stalls and plenty of seating around, where you can sit and enjoy the food you have just bought.
I remember my first meal here, at a chicken specialised restaurant. I bought their special chicken schnitzel with loaded fries, which was a giant portion topped with loads of cheese, sour cream, jalapenos and a spicy chilli sauce.
During my last trip to Hamburg, I had half an hour to spare for lunch, so I popped into Rindermarkkhalle for a quick snack. I bought a freshly baked focaccia and a tomato and thyme based dip, which I enjoyed before my music workshop.
Public Coffee Roasters
Public Coffee Roasters is a small roastery with several branches around Hamburg. Their headquarters are actually on a barge, on the River Elbe. I visited their location in Winterhude, a lovely area in the north of the city.
The coffee starts at 1.8 euros for an espresso. They serve cakes and snacks too so I tried their brownies, which were delicious. As I was there in the evening with friends, I also had an Aperol Spritz.
SVAAdish Winterhude
This restaurant in Hamburg was recommended by an Indian friend, so I had high expectations for the food. I fancied a butter chicken curry and let’s just say that it did not disappoint.
The restaurant is large and modern decorated, located in a nice, green suburb of Hamburg, very close to a canal. They serve classic Indian dishes as well as street food staples, such as vada pav or meat or vegetable tikka, and different types of dal.
The portion of butter chicken I ordered was quite large, with plenty of chicken. The sauce was creamy and built up the layer of flavours nicely, being sweet at the first bite with a spicy aftertaste. I liked that the spiciness did not overpower the taste of the curry, but actually complemented it. Overall, it was a very good butter chicken. On the side, I also ordered a garlic naan, which was soft and perfect for scooping up the last bits of sauce from the pot at the end of the meal.
SVAAdish Winterhude is an affordable restaurant, I paid 17 euros for my dinner. The prices listed on the menu are for the basic curry sauce, the protein/vegetable being charged separately.
Marinehof
Marinehof was another lovely find, located very central in Hamburg, in a pretty square next to a canal. They served typical German food, with a menu that changed twice a day, depending on the seasonal fresh ingredients.
They also have a lovely terrace, right in the square. I tried several of their dishes, and my favourites were the beef stew, the spicy meat pies and the roast potatoes with horseradish mustard sauce. The restaurant also has a great selection of German beers, mostly from Bavaria and Rhine-Ruhr.
The restaurant is affordable, with mains between 11-16 euros, and starters under 6 euros.
Hansekai
I attended an event at Hansekai and really loved their location, right on the water. They have a beautiful rooftop from where you can see the Elbphilharmonie, which is pretty spectacular at sunset, when the colour of the sun changes from blue to orange.
The main restaurant is on the ground floor, right next to the canal. Having dinner here can be a very romantic experience, especially if you have a drink on the steps leading to the water. The terrace is heated, which is important as during my visit here after sunset, it got really cold.
Hansekai is an American – Italian restaurant. They organised a great barbecue for our event, with both beef and vegetarian burgers, which they are famous for. They also served canapes, which were delicious as well.
Their menu has a large selection for vegans and vegetarians. The prices are a bit higher than in other places, but still affordable, with burgers between 11 – 15 euros, noodles between 14-22 euros, and specials between 22-33 euros.
St Pauli Piers
You can’t leave Hamburg without trying a Fischbrötchen, the delicious local fish sandwich. There are quite a few food trucks along the St Pauli Piers from where you can buy a sandwich to take with you on a cruise along the canals of Speicherstadt.
There are different sandwiches that you can choose from, some that include raw pickled herring, topped with pickled cucumbers and onions, or ones that have a fresh fish patty topped with remoulade sauce inside a soft bun.
Most of the food trucks don’t take cards, so make sure you have cash. The price for a Fischbrötchen, as of April 2022, is 3.5 euros.
Street Food at Fun Fairs
Every time I visited Hamburg I was lucky to be in town at the same time as a fair, or a festival. These are the best places to eat street food in Hamburg: currywurst, bratwurst, fish sandwiches, fries topped with different sauces, gingerbread, liquorice, and the local fair dessert – the schmalzkuchen. This is an unsweetened fried dough covered with powder sugar which tastes like a delicious Eastern European doughnut.
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Germany is on my travel list!! This looks so delicious! 😛
Hamburg has been in my wishlist. I should really plan my trip soon. Junge Bakery looks nice, plus good that it is located so close to the railway station. Different flavoured Franzbrötchen at Franz and Friends sounds delicious. I’d definitely want to try that. Being an Indian, I do try to eat at least one meal at the Indian restaurants in the cities I visit, so SVAAdish Winterhude sounds awesome. Great that it is very affordable as well.
We are sad we have not yet planned a trip to Germany. Food is definitely a big draw. So great to read about all the wonderful places to eat in Hamburg. Even if we never have a hamburger! Good to find foods like a hearty bowl of Käsespätzle witch bacon to warm up if you visit on a colder season. Hubby would want to try Nagel for the large collection of model wooden ships. As coffee lovers we will be sure to visit the Public Coffee Roasters!
I love the little backstory that you have shared about traditional food like labskaus. Makes it so much more interesting to understand the culture of the place. Cafe Elbfaire definitely appeals to me as does the Junge Bakery – the latter with the whole chocolate touch.
This definitely made me super hungry. I have always loved German food even though I have only been there one time, in Hamburg. But we have many German restaurants close by. I don’t remember any of the restaurants we ate at but this is great list for all the future travels there. The schnitzel here looks so delicious!
Food is always on the top of my list whenever I travel. This is such a great post and I will definitely look back to it whenever I travel to Hamburg.