Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [611]
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Alster Lakes
Literaturhaus Café ( 220 1300; Schwanenwik 38; dishes €5.50-18.50, menus €24.50-38.70; 9am-midnight Mon-Fri, 10am-midnight Sat & Sun) If you’re strolling around the Outer Alster, be sure to stroll in here, where creaky parquet floors lead you to a beautiful baroque cafe, with marble columns, high moulded ceilings, huge chandeliers and leafy garden views. Bistro fare ranges from antipasto and risotto to tarts and salads.
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Port & Speicherstadt
Ti Breizh (Map; 3751 7815; Deichstrasse 39; galettes €4.50-8.90, crêpes €3.10-7.20; noon-10pm; ) Once you get past the souvenir shop selling striped Breton sailors’ tops, there’s some cool, contemporary Breton artwork on the walls of this canalside restaurant. You can wash down galettes (savoury crêpes, made from buckwheat), such as a Brocéliande (Roquefort cheese and walnuts), and sweet crêpes, like Morgane (caramelised apples and chestnut cream), with Dan Armor Breton cider. Yec’hed mat (cheers)!
Fleetschlösschen (Map; 3039 3210; Brooktorkai 17; snacks €3.80-7.50; 10am-8pm) One of the cutest cafes you ever saw, this former customs post overlooks a Speicherstadt canal and has a narrow, steel spiral staircase to the toilets. There’s barely room for 20 inside, but its outdoor seating areas are brilliant in sunny weather. The owner’s collection of Kleinods (small treasures) includes centuries-old Dutch pottery unearthed during the construction of HafenCity.
Chilli Club (Map; 3570 3580; Am Sandtorkai 54; dishes €6.50-23.50; food served noon-11pm; ) This trendy noodle bar is tucked away in the industrial-looking HafenCity. Asian tapas, dim sum and sushi are served within the restaurant’s red-and-black interior and sailcloth-shaded waterside terrace.
Deichgraf (Map; 364 208; Deichstrasse 23; lunch mains €7-14.50, dinner mains €14.50-24.50; lunch & dinner Mon-Fri, noon-10pm Sat) In a prime setting, with the water on one side and long street-side tables on the other, Deichgraf excels in Hamburg specialities cooked to a high standard.
Aquario (Map; 3600 6500; Rambachstrasse 4; mains €9.90-19.90; noon-11pm Tue-Sun) Looking like a retro underwater world with its exposed bricks and giant shells on the ceiling, Aquario is a family-friendly favourite for its heaping portions of fresh seafood. Enter via Wolfgangsweg.
Panthera Rodizio (Map; 378 6370; Ditmar-Koel-Strasse 3; mains €10-23, buffet €23.50; noon-1am; ) At the eastern end of one of Hamburg’s liveliest and most multicultural eat streets, the best way to experience a feast at this high-tempo Brazilian restaurant is to order the Spezialität Rodizio buffet, whereby huge skewers of meat are brought around to your table and carved onto your plate. Vegetarian dishes are available too, but that would be missing the point.
Alt Hamburger Aalspeicher (Map; 362 990; Deichstrasse 43; mains €12-26.50, set menus €29.50-47.50; lunch & dinner) Despite its tourist-friendly canalside location, the knick-knack-filled dining room and warm service at this avocado-coloured restaurant make you feel like you’re dining in your Oma’s (grandma’s) house. Aalsuppe (Click here) is among its local specialties.
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Schanzenviertel & St Pauli
Café Mimosa (Map; Clemens-Schultz-Strasse 87; dishes €2.20-8.50; 11am-7pm Tue-Sun; ) A welcome change from the greasy fast-food joints on the nearby Reeperbahn, this gem of a neighbourhood cafe serves delicious pastas, healthy salads, proper coffee and homemade cakes in a theatrical space of stripped floors, bare wooden tables with brass candlesticks and red-and-cream-painted walls. There’s a clutch of pavement tables.
Die Herren Simpel (Map; 3868 4600; Schulterblatt 75; dishes €3.60-7.90; 9am-late