The Walrus Bar Hamburg

There are a number of people who think these rooms ought to be a museum. A museum for the original St. Pauli-Bar culture. Or at least for the "Na und?"-Bar and its owner and host animal Klaus Scharf who represented that culture for over 30 years. In 2014 he retired. And after the rooms were empty, there was no display to honor him or his Bar or the culture. But as Klaus would have put it: "You can't get drunk in a museum!"

So instead, there is a new bar with a whole different culture. Instead of 2 sorts of beer and seemingly 100 sorts of Schnaps, the Walrus Bar serves its much younger crowd high-end cocktails. The room is now dominated by a huge bar counter, also hosting a small DJ corner. It has become a modern bar with actual barkeeps who know what they are doing. A stiff Martini? No problem. A traditional Negroni? They even get the ice right. You want to try something new? Yes, hit me. So, the barkeeper lights up some thyme, burns sugar on a pear and pours pear brandy in my Gin & Tonic. Like everybody else in the world, they also offer craft beers on tap.

These guys are crafty. And they experiment with all sorts of flavors and a variety of local liqueurs and ingredients. The atmosphere is very buzzy but nice. We even forgot about Klaus for a moment.

Note: This spot also seems to be Hamburg's No. 1 Tinder meeting point.