The best bars and cafés Hamburg

Timetable

Unless they are also restaurants, cafés close quite early, around 6pm. Bars open around 7pm.

Budget & Tips

A coffee costs an average of 2.50 €. For a slice of cake, count around 4 €. Keep in mind that in cafés, as in restaurants, people often pay in cash and thank the service by giving a tip of about 10% of the price.

For a pint of beer, expect to pay around 4 or 5 €.

Age restrictions

The sale of alcoholic beverages to minors is prohibited. You may be asked for identification to verify your date of birth.

What's very local

The German tradition knows a practice quite similar to the British "Tea-time". It is the " Kaffee und Kuchen ", literally "coffee and cake". It is the gourmet break in the middle of the afternoon. Admittedly, "Kaffee und Kuchen" is more reminiscent of the bourgeoisie of the 1950s than the trendy, international youth of the 2020s, but the practice is still alive and well. The more nostalgic will have a cup of coffee with a black forest while reading the newspaper. Younger people will turn more to cheesecake orcarrot cake. In the cafés, you will find a display case in which the cakes of the day are exposed.

If you want to focus on local breweries, look for Ratsherrn and Astra beers

For a round of shots, ask for the very local Mexikaner (which the Hamburgers claim as their own). It's a small shot of vodka or tequila with tomato juice and tabasco. It tickles the gullet, but it wakes you up!

Kids

There are no age restrictions for the cafes. Some cafés even have high chairs for toddlers. In bars, however, you won't see children.

Smokers

While smoking is not allowed in restaurants, it is quite different in bars: they are very often smokers. Sometimes bars have two areas: smoking and non-smoking.