Between Schanze and Grindel you’ll find a very beautiful old building that once was a hospital. Nowadays, there is a very beautiful café, the Hadley’s, located in the former emergency room area. Don’t worry, there is nothing left, that might remind you of a hospital. During the daytime the Hadley’s is a café with a fantastic breakfast and delicious cake.

In the evening it turns into a bar. They offer a great selection of wines. On every first Monday in a month you can go to “Monday meets Jazz”, a live Jazz night. You can check their homepage for their current program.

Another really nice offer is their “Abendbrot”. You can have the typical German supper with bread, cheese etc. together with some friends. We spent a beautiful birthday-party there, with many friends on a long table, covered with dozens of good things.

In summer you can enjoy the great outdoor seats in the garden. You’re sitting in the backyard, very green and calm. Just beautiful.

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Hadley’s | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks, Restaurants (Mixed) | Breakfast from € 10.00
Beim Schlump 84a | Grindelviertel | +49404505075
Mon – Sat from 10:00 – open end, Sun from 11:00 – open end

You should go to the Oberhafenkantine by foot because the walk is beautiful: You start at the Deichtorhallen (see article Deichtorhallen), walk over the Oberhafenbrücke and at the bridges’ end it is on the left side. The Oberhafenkantine is a very special place with a long history. And it looks very special, because of many storm tides and undercutting it is so crooked that I sometimes feel a bit queasy when I walk in! 

Since its opening in 1925 it was a place for dockworkers who got their coffee and their burger there. When landlady Anita died in 1997 (she worked there from 1925 to 1997!) the Oberhafenkantine was closed and then restored and reopened in 2006. It is a lovely place where you can enjoy some regional specialties. Everything is fresh and handmade. And in summer it is perfect when you sit outside next to the water and have some drinks. Next to the Oberhafenkantine is the Zollamt-Oberhafen a small off-gallery for contemporary art.  

By the way: The Oberhafenkantine marks the starting point of the Oberhafencity which is a huge area with epic free space and old warehouses directly at the Elbe. It is expected to develop within the next decades and is the antipole to the Hafencity. 

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Oberhafenkantine | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks, Restaurants (Regional) | Main Dish € 12.00
Stockmeyerstraße 39 | City center
12:00 – 22:00 daily

Since we did our last project in Hamburgs Hafencity we were more or less forced to hang around there. Locals are really sceptical towards the Hafencity, because it is an very fast growing and expensive area, dozens of new buildings and quays were built within the last years. The Hafencity is blamed to be a very clean and cold place, with no heart and no life in it. Frankly spoken – it needs to grow, it needs people who live there, cafés, bars and more shops. But if you embark on this area, it is amazing – at least that is what I feel. 

The place I love most there is Heimat Küche und Bar. It is the gastronomic part of the Designhotel 25hours. They offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, often with DJ’s. And since it is one of few bars there it is often really crowded.

The food is based on local ingredients and simple but really good. Try fish’n chips, that’s awesome. The interior is inspired by the world of shipping, harbour and Hamburgs warehouse district in combination with some design classics. I would be happy to have their chairs round my dinner table. 

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HEIMAT Küche und Bar | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Restaurants (Local) | Main Dish € 15.00
Überseeallee 5 | City center
12:00 – 00:00 daily

DAS MAGAZIN is a room for international printing culture, design and art, run by Art lawyer Jens Brelle.

When this tiny space next to the Michel opened up last year, we did our Pop-Up Magazine Store there. Since this is over many interesting events – such as talks (for example Juli Gudehus introduced her “Lesikon”), Release-Parties (for exmple the Hamburg Based “Superkraft” Magazine”) or theme nights (We make Urban Magazines – a night on city magazines) followed.

DAS MAGAZIN is a relaxed place and you may find interesting people hanging out there, drinking beer and lemonade and celebrating this very small independent magazine scene in hamburg. it is worth to go there! You can check their current program via their Facebook page.

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DAS MAGAZIN | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Shopping | Beer € 2.00
Teilfeld 8 | City center
depends on events

This spot is my newest discovery. The Eiskantine is a small cafe, it is hidden in the Neustadt. A little bit off the Großneumakrt but close by. The St. Michealis Church, Laeiszhalle and City are only few minutes away.

According to their name they offer a small selection of home made ice creams. But you can also have lunch, snacks and coffee there. I went there for a lunch break once and had a celery soup which was fantastic. This place seems to be quite unknown which makes it pleasant because it is quiet and not crowded. It’s just a nice spot, with a fantastic interior design, where you can enjoy your break from your city tour and cool down with one of their ice creams.

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Eiskantine | Coffee & tea, Music, Snacks | Soup € 3.50
Kohlhöfen 10 | City center
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 19:00

If you wanna go for a walk and are interested in flowers, plants, trees, dessert, … at least nature! Check out the Botanical Garden in Hamburg. It’s awesome!

Even the last drizzly weekend I was there and was really impressed again. So many different flowers. Have a look in the fragrance-tactile-garden – there I found a flower that smells like chocolate. Hilarious! Small labels and big “try-it-yourself” walls inform you about plants and their smell, touch and use. Discover the Botanical Garden, through all the different theme gardens from “plants of the bible” to “evolution of the rose” through all the continents.

The blue futuristic Loki-Schmidt-Building is a museum for economic plants encouraged by the ZEIT foundation.

One of my favorite places is the dessert garden with glas pyramids (which was a present of United Arab Emirates).

Special programs: The ‘Green School’ (A joint effort by the state institute of teacher training and school development and the faculty of biology of the University of Hamburg) hand out indoor plants and test plants for cytology, as well also carnivorous plants, succulents, etc. for learning.

Relaxing excursion: The Palme – the palm, is an outside café for some chilled coffee, ice cream and lovely cake. Also you’ll get sausages and potato salad there for absolutely affordable prices. (opens from April to October at 11:00 to 19:00)

Music excursion: Every first Thursday in the month there is a concert for free!

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Botanical Garden | Art & culture, Music, Relaxing | Free
Ohnhorststraße 18 | Altona & Ottensen | +494042816476
09:00 – till 1 1/2 hour before sunset daily

This place has three separate spaces of 70 square meters. HausIII&70.

1) A Club for concerts and jam-sessions.

2) An Outbuilding (Anbau) for watching Tatort, readings and table fusball .

And 3) The hall (Saal) for theater, dance, classical music. It always offers three different programs, beside the Rote Flora. As different as day and night are, so it is here.

In the cosy cafe I like to eat simple, but nice breakfasts with latte macchiato and Franzbrötchen outside in the sun or inside with comfortable sofas. With their free wireless internet (just bring your notebook) you can write your assignments for university there or just chill all day long. When the sun goes down the Haus III&70 revives itself.

The small indoor-Kiosk is always worth the trip. The people are very mixed; from dancing queens to chillers, from artists to footballers, from students to professors. There are too many people there on the weekend, but it’s always in my plans.

All-around it’s a wonderful place to be.

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Haus III&70 | Bars, Cinemas, Music, Theaters
Schulterblatt 73 | Schanze | +4940319755515
Mon – Fri from 09:00, Sat – Sun from 10:00

This is the place you get to after the boat-trip with ‘Frau Hedi’ (see the Frau Hedi article). Also if you didn’t get a boat ticket, come home to ‘Frau Hedis Landgang’.

This tiny pub has the craziest calendar of events in Hamburg: i.e. “Autumn Sucks Party”, “Club Madame – A Night with Paris (Hilton)”, “Oklahoma Ranch Radio Show”, “Disaster Disco for your Eyes and Ears”, the funny NIGHT TRASH, or the “Live Auction Show” (where you can sell all your old and nasty stuff in an auction show), or the “Konsumboykott Party”. Every time there is a different theme and different people.

It’s hard to explain this spot, go there and have fun! I am serious!

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Frau Hedis Landgang | Bars, Music
Neuer Pferdemarkt 3 | Schanze | +494042102823
Thu – Sat from 20:00

You want it all crazy and freaking out? Here we go:

This tiny barge has the funniest program I’ve ever seen from “Le Superdisco Française” to “Scandinavian Pop Party” to “Australian Spring Celebration” to “Russian Datscha Party”. Left of all footbridges at Landungsbrücken 10, there you’ll find Frau Hedi every hour (check out the events before).

Have an awesome (and every hour different) way around the harbour with crazy music and dancing. Around 01:00 the party relocates from the barge to the “Frau Hedis Landgang”, a pub in the Schanze (see the Frau Hedis Landgang article).

It’s always great fun for me! One of my best insider’s tips!

PS: During the winter sometimes the barges are frozen in, and there are no events. Check website and weather!

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Frau Hedi | Art & culture, Music | Entrance from € 6.00
Sankt-Pauli-Landungsbrücken 10 | Sankt Pauli | +4917683061071
Fri – Sun from 17:00

For only € 2.00 or € 3.00 (common) you will get a girl next-door behind the bar and a good electronic DJ. Here we are! Whenever you come to the Pudel (nobody says Golden Pudel Club – it’s too long).

It is special and different. Whether in the afternoons with cake and coffee, or evenings with quiche and beer or late sitting on the steps watching the habour (it is very close to Park Fiction – check the Park Fiction article) or in morning at 07:00 for the last beer after partying while watching the sunrise before breakfast at the fish-market on Sunday!

With great electronic beats there is sometimes not enough space for everybody shaking their bodies and dancing. Inform yourself about which DJ will play! Go there, dance there, don’t think about the day after!

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Golden Pudel Club | Bars, Music | Entrance € 2.00
Am St. Pauli Fischmarkt 27 | Harbour | +494031979930
From 22:00 daily