Hamburg Travel Guide - Eating Out

As life in Hamburg is so closely connected with the sea, the local cuisine features an abundance of fish and seafood offerings, including lobster from Helgoland, shrimp from Busum, plaice, sole and turbot fresh from the North Sea as well as huge quantities of fresh oysters.

There’s variety on offer as well, though, including a local traditional meat dish of hamburger steak, called stubenkuchen and a favourite of sailors called labskaus, made with beer, cured meats, onions, potatœes, herring and pickles. The city is probably best known for Aalsuppe (eel soup).

Late spring is the perfect time to try maischolle (spring plaice), which is a feature of hundreds of restaurants throughout the city during this time. In the summer a speciality is matjes, or herring, served with bacon and green beans, while another is a fresh prawn sandwich.

Best locations for eating out are actually outside the centre, in Univiertel or Schanzenviertel, near Schulterblatt and Schanzenstrasse. Most bars and cafes offer food as well as drinks and sometimes live music.