Sankt Pauli – Local tips (bars & cafes)

“Have you never been to a private party in Hamburg? Welcome in our 3-Zimmer-Wohnung (3 room apartment).

The first room: here is our quirky living room with the big cosy couch. Just sit down and relax! Oh, first of all you wanna see our nice apartment? Ok, i’ll show you around: we have a second living room, because many friends come for drinks every day. Feel free in our colorful rooms with the awesome lights. Here we go, this is our bedroom – if you want, just lay down on the bed, pssssst: there is a PlayStation (with projector!!) in the bedside cabinet, if you are feeling bored play some games or check out the table soccer (kicker). The small corridor is great for smalltalk.

In our open kitchen beside the cooker and fridge, you will find the bar, where you’ll get all drinks and beer. It is always crowed there like in every private party in Hamburg – the kitchen is the place to be. Feel free and have fun, i have to take great care of all my other guests.

Nice to have you here! Cheers!”

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3-Zimmer-Wohnung | Bars, Relaxing | Beer € 2.50
Talstrasse 22 | Sankt Pauli
From 20:00 daily (in summer from 21:00)

After a long day in university or city daytrip it’s one of the best places to relax. Similar to Zoë Bar (see this article) it is filled with many couches, but they are separate. That makes you feel like you are in a friend’s house.

Good for relaxing with an old friend or serious talks. The wine is awesome there and costs around 3 Euro. An Astra Beer is under 2 Euro. The staff is like the music; veeeeery laid-back and easy-going. It’s perfect for a little break between day and night. In summer they’ll open the big windows again and so you’ve the feeling of sitting outside on a couch!

The atmosphere is a bit oriental, maybe because it is located in a former Turkish culture center. Not as crowded as it is in the Schanze or in the Kiez (St. Pauli). Alternative and simple, thus great!

PS: thanks for the comment (which was unfortunately deleted), just to let you know: Bar Roosen installed security cameras.

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Bar Roosen | Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Wine € 3.00
Paul-Roosen-Str. 28 | Sankt Pauli | +494076975926
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sun 12:00 – open end

You wanna see the real Kiez-party szene and the touristy stuff isnt your style? Try the Hamburger Berg, a sidestreet from Reeperbahn. Barhopping here is one of my favourite things to do on weekends. The street is lined with little bars, where every small dance floor provides a different taste of music. So just go around and find your style. Of course on weekends you shouldn’t be a claustrophobic person who needs a lot of space to develop a personal way of dancing.

Sooner or later, the barbarabar is the one, where I always end on my Bergtour. I like the music, that is always fun and the bar is crowded with good looking, dancing people that are forced to have body contact because of the limited space. Therefore it is also an insiders´ tip for singles to meet some nice candidates from the other sex.

For the non-dancers they provide a kicker (table football). But be aware, that the boys and girls playing here are quite good. On Wednesdays you can show off your talent and participate in a table football-tournament. On Tuesdays they are playing Hörspiele (audio plays), that seems to be fun as the photo shows and on sundays they have “Einquadratmeterlivemusic (one square-meter live music) for newcomer bands.

So barbarabar is a “must” on a weekend St Pauli tour, but also during the rest of the week for sure worth a visit.

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Barbarabar | Bars, Music
Hamburger Berg 11 | Sankt Pauli | +4916090361519
Tue – Sun from 20:00

Blauer Peter (blue peter) is a phrase from seaman’s language. It comes from the blue-white signal flag, which means the ship sets sail in the next 24 hours and let the seaman on their shore leave know, they have to come back to the ship and let the local pubs know they needed to make out their invoices. The Blauer Peter (meanwhile number IV) has a long pub tradition in the Kiez (Reeperbahn-area).

Good start for a Kiez-tour, prices are cheap (Astra beer for 1,50 Euro), rock and punk music, sometimes a DJ, but this is not a place to listen to high-quality music. The staff is monosyllabic, but quaint. The pub is raunchy and uncomfortable, but a nice place to go after a FC Sankt Pauli soccer game. Oh, and by the way, officially over 18 years only! It was the first pub in Hamburg I’ve seen.

PS: Forget the toilets – naaaaasty!

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Blauer Peter | Bars | Astra Beer € 1.50
Hamburger Berg 19 | Sankt Pauli | +49403194685
Tue – Sat from 20:00

The Cobra Bar is different, genuine, real – or simply put: a must see while in Hamburg! Enter this great bar through the armor-plated door and immerse yourself into the dark and gloomy atmosphere. As you pass the foosball table by the door, you’ll notice the comfy couches to your left and a well-equipped bar in front of you.

Don’t feel intimidated by the large red-eyed cobra standing guard though. Stylish art deco wallpaper, black curtains, tacky framed paintings, and chandeliers perfect the look of this cozy yet grungy setting.

This venue attracts in interesting mix of people. Although the majority of them favor black attire, leather jackets, and studded belts, you’ll also see the ‘average’ guys and gals enjoying themselves. Tattooed and pierced bartenders are happy to serve you anything from their great variety of drinks. Beware of the mixed drinks: depending on the bartender, you may end up with a vodka-sour mix ratio of 50%! If that’s not your thing, you should try a shot of their specialty drink “Mexikaner” instead. But watch out – it’s hot!

Rotating DJs create interesting sound effects that are very danceable on the small dance floor behind the bar. The typical music mix can be summed up as Rock, Punk, Metal, Ska, and Indie. It gets rather crowded on weekends, and the place is usually packed by 1am. All in all, Cobra Bar is a great place to continue or conclude a long night on the Kiez!

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Cobra Bar | Bars | mixed drink € 5.00
Friedrichstrasse 29 | Sankt Pauli
Mon – Sat 21:00 – open end

“Hasenschaukel” is a true gem among the St. Pauli bars! Located on a side street away from all the hustle and bustle on Reeperbahn, local ‘characters’ and tourists alike enjoy the quaint atmosphere at the ‘bunny swing’.

The interior is a blend of art nouveau and gothic style combined with playful decorations such as dolls for lights, a fake fireplace, and a display cabinet with knitted bunny-shaped egg-warmers! The booths in the main room add a touch of American diner, but without the atmosphere. The former ‘Golden Backroom’ now serves as a smoking room.

Everything in this venue reflects a loving and thoughtful attention to detail providing a cozy atmosphere and intimate setting for the various acoustic shows put on by independent international artists. In addition, rotating DJs spin music such as Beat, Glamrock, and German classics.

The menu offers a great selection of daily vegetarian specials – handcrafted by the owner – such as quiches, enchiladas, and pasta, to name but a few. Specials on shots and long drinks, locally brewed beers, and the house special ‘Störtebeker‘  are available on a regular basis.

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Hasenschaukel | Bars, Music | Beer € 2.60
Silbersackstr. 17 | Sankt Pauli | +494018012721
Wed – Sat 19:00 – open end

Visiting the Lehmitz is a great way to start off the night on Reeperbahn! This shabby-looking bar with its eclectic mix of patrons, and live entertainment is legendary! In a place where looks are not important, the ambience is created by the crowd and the bands.

You’ll find bikers, punks, bums, and ‘the average guy’ alike (average age mid- to upper 30s) clustered around the u-shaped bar under a large mural of Daisy Duck. The atmosphere is generally friendly and gets really loud when the band begins to play around 23:00. That’s when you’ll need to hold on to your drinks because the counter becomes the stage! It doesn’t matter whether it’s classic rock or punk – the important thing is that it’s loud!

The Coyote Parties every first Thursday of the month with ‘hotties’ dancing on the counter while serving drinks add another dimension to the art of bartending. Some of you will be happy to hear that smoking is allowed and for those who can’t do without some ‘physical exercise’, you can knock yourself out at the foosball table.

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Lehmitz | Bars, Music | shots € 1.00
Reeperbahn 22 | Sankt Pauli
Mon – Sat 14:00 – 06:00, Sun 14:00 – 00:00

The Toast Bar is one of my favorite places in Hamburg. It is a very cosy spot, furnished very basically with big windows in the front. The regular guests are the neighbors.

Beside a wide range of (costumer friendly priced) drinks, they always have free peanuts everywhere. You are expected to throw the shells on the ground. The music is varied, but good (sometimes mixed by the barkeeper, sometimes by a DJ), the people are between twenty- and thirty-something.

Beside Astra and Jever, you can buy original bavarian Augustiner-beer or the famous-south-German beer Tannenzäpfle. It’s always a good choice to meet some friends – during the week or weekends – any day!

In summer a bunch of people are always standing outside!

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Toast Bar | Bars | Astra Beer € 1.80
Wohlwillstr. 54 | Sankt Pauli | +494043182339
20:00 – open end daily

“Dear Zoë,

how do you feel today?

I’d like to say to you, how stunning you are. You are perfect to meet friends or strangers or both and it’s like they already know each other. Always you welcomed me with open arms, no matter if I was stressed out or absolutely relaxed, there was a place for me and a smile on your face.

Your drinks are cheap and groovy. Your cosy couches and the yellow-red lamp shades in the back rooms are reminiscent of my grandmother´s warm living room. About the secrets and mystics in your vault, we have to talk next time once more. The rooms are a bit shabby and rustic – but it’s honest! Let’s face it: You are the real Zoë, the authentic Zoë!

All my Love, Kyra.

PS: By the way: good choice to provide rooms with movies like “Gegen die Wand” or “Absolute Giganten“.

PSPS: I was seriously pissed seeing that you raised all prices all of a sudden without even talking to anyone. You’re on the samy level as all the other places now. Please tell me why!”

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Zoë Bar | Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Relaxing | redwine € 2.60
Clemens-Schultz-Str. 96 | Sankt Pauli | +494031792323
From 20:00 daily