Culinary in Hamburg

Food trends in Hamburg

A taste for flavours: Hamburg spoils gourmets with honest, genuine and authentic regional cuisine. From Michelin-starred restaurants and trendy take-away snack bars to traditional Nordic restaurants with (naturally) lots of fish. The Hanseatic city is following the global trend of taking food and hospitality as a reason to travel, with genuine chef characters, sustainable and Nordic delicacies, reinterpreted classics, internationally renowned trendy eateries and the unrivalled waterfront location of its gastronomic venues.

Hamburg for foodies: Between down-to-earth flavours and Michelin-starred cuisine

There is no more delicious way to experience a metropolis than to discover it with all your taste buds. Foodies can expect relaxed, genuine and exclusive cuisine in Hamburg. You can taste the "real thing", for example, with a good portion of fried potatoes at the legendary Erika's Eck or a crispy fried fish in the Veddel Fish restaurant. Without a lot of chi chi, or "Tüddelkram", as the locals say, you will find honest and down-to-earth delicacies and a cosy atmosphere.

In addition to Hanseatic down-to-earth cuisine, connoisseurs will also find Hamburg restaurants that reach for the stars and offer modern and progressive cuisine with a Nordic flavour: light, fresh and far removed from dusty silverware. Like the trendy Haebel where exciting fusion cuisine is celebrated and owner and chef Fabio Haebel serves sustainable and regional-seasonal surprise menus in the centre of St. Pauli. Things get even more Scandinavian just down the street at HACO with Björn Juhnke. Incidentally, all of them, together with Thomas Imbusch and his now legendary 100/200 have just been awarded Green Stars by the MICHELIN Guide.

All together at the table in Hamburg

Cuisine is part of Hamburg's roots, its DNA and its history. For centuries, ships arriving from all over the world have brought spices, coffee, fish and other specialities to the port city. People came, traded, experimented, feasted and dined. This has not changed to this day. But food is anything but a necessity. Food is a joy of life and it connects people in many delicious and beautiful ways. Hamburg's hosts are unique, for whom solidarity is just as important as authenticity.

Hamburg on everyone's lips – Nordic by nature for every taste

Do you eat fish sandwiches all day long in Hamburg? Sure – if you fancy it, always with pleasure and always different. The Hamburg fish market offers a unique abundance of freshly caught fish and seafood, which bistros and restaurants throughout the city turn into tasty specialities. "Butter by the fish" is available, for example, at Brücke 10 at the Landungsbrücken. The plump fish sandwiches are accompanied by a unique harbour panorama. If you have time to feast, you can look forward to casual fine dining with special fish and seafood menus at the well-known Jellyfish which is rather inconspicuously located in the trendy Sternschanze neighbourhood, or something more refined in the classic Fischerei Hafen restaurant directly on the harbour basin.

But Hamburg's fish masters have so much more to offer. International, seasonal, regional, vegetarian, vegan – dishes from all over the world give visitors a taste of Hamburg Mexico Street tacos in Mexico Street, Japanese bento boxes from the Café by Dokuwa while strolling through the Karoviertel neighbourhood or treat yourself to a meal at the traditional Landhaus Scherrer or in the restaurant of the Hotel Louis C. Jacob with a view of the Elbe. Hamburg is also the gateway to the world on the plate. Best enjoyed at a table from which you can look out over the Elbe, the harbour or the Alster.

Fish is as much a part of Hamburg as the cries of seagulls and the big pots on the Elbe

So it's no wonder that with a per capita fish consumption of 6.8 kilograms, the people of Hamburg lead the way in Germany. All over the city, small snack bars, bistros and restaurants invite you to discover the diversity of seafood cuisine – sometimes in the classic way, such as in the traditional Daniel Wischer's traditional fish fry kitchen sometimes with a modern twist as in the Restaurant Waterkant in St. Pauli. A real insider tip is the Große Elbstraße just a stone's throw from the fish market, it has developed into a culinary mile for all fish lovers. On almost two kilometres, pleasure follows pleasure – from honest fish sandwiches to freshly caught lobster at Hummer Pedersen through to Sushi from Henssler-Quality and fine dining with a view of the Elbe. Whether it's plaice Finkenwerder style, Hamburg pan-fried fish, Labskaus with herring or the obligatory fish roll – Hamburg serves fish in all its facets. If you want to delve deeper, you should visit the rustic Veddel fish restaurant where fried fish is served according to the original recipe from 1932, or at Claas Restaurant in Lohsepark to enjoy freshly caught fish straight from the cutter. And of course the Fischerei Hafen restaurant a Hamburg institution that can look back on 40 years of hospitality, celebrity guests and top quality. For those who prefer something a little more refined, the Jellyfish in Sternschanze, where sustainable wild-caught fish meets creative cuisine – all "Nordic by nature", of course.

And for a sweet finish? Without a doubt: a Franzbrötchen

Hardly any other pastry is as closely associated with Hamburg as the sweet, flattened Danish pastry with cinnamon and sugar. The Franzbrötchen is more than just a snack – it is a piece of home. Classic or creatively refined, the Franzbrötchen is a must with coffee.

The culinary cosmos of the Hanseatic city is endless. And it is not only found at the table, but also on the bar stools of St. Pauli, at weekly markets such as the Isemarkt in Eppendorf, in the Hobenköök-Market hall in the Oberhafen district, at grandiose events or simply on the go. From the Waterkant to the beautiful sightseeing routes, from the Elbe suburbs to the city's creative art districts. On their next visit to Hamburg, smart city snackers can take advantage of the Schlemmerglück upgrade of the Hamburg CARD which offers exclusive promotions and discounts on Hamburg's gastronomy.