The 40 Best Bars in Germany
Germany has no bar on the 2026 world list, yet the best bars in Germany run from lab-driven rooms in Berlin to classics that have shaped the scene for decades. In Neukölln, London-born Sam Orrock's Wax On works with clarifiers, rotovaps and fermentation and serves many drinks on tap, among them the Go Apes with rum, clarified banana and coffee distillate; it is No. 17 on Europe's 50 Best Bars 2026 and took the Best Bar in Germany award. In Munich, Charles Schumann opened his American bar on Maximilianstraße in 1982, and Schumann’s Bar am Hofgarten now sits on Odeonsplatz; it was No. 34 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2019. In Cologne, Volker Seibert runs Seiberts Bar on Friesenwall as a classic bar and liquid kitchen. The German bottle to look for is Monkey 47, a gin with a third of its botanicals handpicked in the Black Forest. Seiberts Bar takes no reservations, suggests groups of four at most, and admits guests from 21. These are the forty we would start with.
- Wax On50 BESTCocktail Bar
Wax On
The Best Bar in Germany 2026, and No.17 on Europe's 50 Best, hides in plain sight on Weserstraße in Neukölln. Founded by London-born Sam Orrock (ex-Scout), Wax On strips away garnish and theatrics: rotary evaporators, centrifuges and fermentation do the work backstage, many drinks arrive pre-batched on tap for consistency, and the room keeps its warm, minimalist neighborhood feel, fireplace included. The bar placed No. 57 on The World's 50 Best Bars 51-100 list in 2025.
Order thisGo Apesrum, clarified banana, coffee distillate, sodaWeserstraße 208, 12047 BerlinTue-Sat eveningsFull profile - Buck & Breck50 BESTCocktail Bar
Buck & Breck
Gonçalo de Sousa Monteiro's hidden Mitte room seats just fourteen around a sleek central bar, matt-black walls, a gold chainsaw and a glass-encased plush octopus among the objets d'art. Strong, icy cocktails from regularly changing menus, the house Buck & Breck London Dry Gin, and three rules: no credit cards, no mobile phones, no groups.
Brunnenstrasse 177, Mitte, Berlin 10119Daily 19:00-02:00Full profile 
50 BESTCocktail BarVelvet
'Fine Seasonal Drinking' is Velvet's whole creed: a weekly changing menu built on plants foraged and farmed around Berlin, every syrup, distillate, liqueur and extract made in-house. The close-knit Neukölln team spends every Tuesday, the closing day, distilling, infusing and fermenting in the lab behind the bar. A ten-sip seasonal tasting menu runs €75, sourdough and salted butter included.
Order thisCherry Blossombrandy, cherry blossom liqueur, Pinot Blanc, verjus, saffron tinctureGanghoferstraße 1, 12043 BerlinWed-Mon from 19:00, closed TueFull profile- Schumann’s Bar am Hofgarten50 BESTCocktail Bar
Schumann’s Bar am Hofgarten
Charles Schumann's Munich institution, facing the Hofgarten from Odeonsplatz. The house style is spare and classical, a short list of drinks made without ceremony by a team in white jackets, and it has shaped how a generation of German bartenders think about a cocktail. Open from morning through to late.
Odeonsplatz 6-7, 80539 MunichFull profile - Green DoorMIXOLOGY AWARDSSpeakeasy
Green Door
Behind a green door in Schöneberg since 1995, this American-style speakeasy runs on 'the power of positive drinking', a long wooden counter, walls painted by artist Thomas Hauser, furniture shipped from New York in the nineties, and an interior somewhere between a private salon and a David Lynch film. Rotating menus; terrace under the green neon.
Order thisStrawberry & Bubblesvodka, strawberry, woodruff, vermouth, verjus, champagne, jasmineWinterfeldtstr. 50, 10781 BerlinDaily from 19:00Full profile
Get your bar featured
A feature article, an Instagram post and the spotlight on this page.
See Featured →
Cocktail BarVolume One
Volume One is a corner gastro bar on Reuterstraße in Neukölln, in the space of the former Kauz und Kiebitz pub. Many of its cocktails are pre-batched and poured from taps, served beside shared plates with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors, and the kitchen keeps cooking until midnight. Reservations and private hire are handled by email.
Reuterstraße 47, 12047 Berlin, GermanyWed-Sat 18:00-01:00, Sun 17:00-23:00, closed Mon-TueFull profile- Le Lion Bar de Paris50 BESTCocktail Bar
Le Lion Bar de Paris
Le Lion Bar de Paris is Hamburg's standard-bearer for classic cocktails and good Champagne, and the room where the Gin Basil Smash was created in 2008, a drink that went on to conquer bar menus worldwide. Afternoons bring the bar's Champagne sessions, and payment is by card only.
Rathausstr. 3, Hamburg 20095Mon-Fri from 17:00; Sat from 13:00; Closed SunFull profile - Provocateur BarMIXOLOGY AWARDSHotel Bar
Provocateur Bar
The bar of the Provocateur hotel, a 1920s-themed boutique property in the Sircle Collection, decorated in crimson velvet and gold. The drinks list runs from classic cocktails to punches drawing on eighteenth-century recipes, alongside a broad spirits selection. Bar snacks are supplied by the hotel's Chinese restaurant, Golden Phoenix.
Brandenburgische Straße 21, 10707Tue-Sat from 18:00 until late; closed Sunday and MondayFull profile 
MIXOLOGY AWARDSCocktail BarKINK Bar
KINK fills a former ballroom at the Pfefferberg complex in Prenzlauer Berg, high ceilings, French terrace doors, and Kerim Seiler's iridescent 'Space Knot' installation overhead. The drinks philosophy is reimagined classics over trends ('without basics, no madness'), beside a modern international kitchen and weekend brunch. Cards only.
Order thisCallin' the CaptainPlantaray 3 Star rum, rhum agricole, Cocchi Americano, kiwi cordial, sour cherry, vanillaSchönhauser Allee 176, 10119 Berlin, GermanyDaily from 17:30; brunch Sat-Sun 10:30-15:00Full profile- Die Goldene Bar50 BESTCocktail Bar
Die Goldene Bar
Inside the Haus der Kunst on Prinzregentenstrasse, under 1930s gold-leaf murals of the wine and spirit regions of the world. It works as a cafe by day and a cocktail bar at night, with a terrace onto the Englischer Garten, and the room is the reason to come as much as the list.
Prinzregentenstrasse 1, 80538 MunichFull profile - Stagger Lee50 BESTCocktail Bar
Stagger Lee
Stagger Lee is a cocktail bar on Nollendorfstraße in Schöneberg, designed as an American saloon after the outlaw of the blues ballads, with swinging doors, Chesterfield sofas, brass lamps and deep red wallpaper. The current signature menu draws on the flavors of Latin America, using house infusions, syrups, cordials and extracts, and classics can be ordered at any time. There is a smoking lounge (no cigars), and seats are first come, first served.
Nollendorfstraße 27, 10777 Berlin, GermanySun-Mon 18:00-00:00, Tue-Thu 18:00-01:00, Fri-Sat 18:00-02:00Full profile - The Curtain ClubMIXOLOGY AWARDSHotel Bar
The Curtain Club
The cocktail bar of The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin at Potsdamer Platz, styled on the 1920s and serving cocktails, champagne, long drinks and fine spirits. Live music is programmed Thursday to Saturday from 21:00. The bar sits alongside the hotel's Cigar Club lounge and its seasonal Secret Champagne Garden terrace facing the Tiergarten.
Potsdamer Platz 3, 10785Daily 16:00-01:00Full profile - Seiberts BarCocktail Bar
Seiberts Bar
Seiberts Classic Bar and Liquid Kitchen is Volker Seibert's temple to the classic cocktail in Cologne, built on the personal bond between bartender and guest and an atmosphere the bar describes as far from the bustle of the city. It holds a Mixology Bar Awards 2025 Top 10 listing. Last admission is an hour before closing, and guests must be 21 and over.
Friesenwall 33, Köln 50670Tue-Thu 16:00-00:00; Fri 16:00-01:00; Sat 14:00-01:00Full profile 
Cocktail BarBā Nomu
A small city-center bar working an East-meets-West list with Asian ingredients and a cook's attention to them. The counter sits about a meter high with stools made to match, which puts everyone at the same level and makes the room feel smaller than it is. No reservations.
Schauenburger Strasse 35, 20095 HamburgFull profile
Cocktail BarBar Martinelli
Craft cocktails and artisan spirits in the Bahnstadt, the new quarter built on Heidelberg's old railway yards.
Am Bahnbetriebswerk 5, 69115 HeidelbergWed - Thu start 18:00 till 00:30am Fri - Sat start 18:00 till 01:30Full profile
Cocktail BarBartista
A bar on the Kirchgasse in Tübingen's old town, below the collegiate church.
Kirchgasse 19, 72070 TübingenFull profile
Cocktail BarBrother Louis
Brother Louis opened quietly in late October 2025 in the Heslacher Schlößle, a listed building on Marienplatz in Stuttgart-Süd, in the space of the former Madagascar restaurant. Its owners, Tobias Lindner and Uwe Heine, worked together behind the bar at Jigger & Spoon, and Heine has shaped the city's bar scene for 25 years. Arched vaults rise over a long stone bar counter and a back bar framed in red. The drinks start from wine: the Negroni uses Lemberger Ripasso gin, Red Quinquina, chinotto and blackberry leaf, and the signature list pairs Auxerrois with sorrel and Lemberger with brown butter. A fine selection of wines and small plates completes the menu.
Filderstraße 61, 70180 StuttgartTue-Thu 18:00-01:00, Fri-Sat 18:00-02:00, Sun-Mon closedFull profile
Cocktail BarHanky Panky
A Stuttgart cocktail bar named after Ada Coleman's drink, made at the American Bar at the Savoy a century ago.
Sophienstrasse 3, 70180 StuttgartFull profile
Cocktail BarHunky Dory
Come curious, leave hunky dory, says the sign, and the bar in the Bahnhofsviertel keeps a core menu that stays and improves over time beside seasonal specials. Every cocktail is fifteen euros, thirteen without alcohol, and each is printed with its ingredients and a flavor profile: the Sencha builds gin with white chocolate and raspberry, the Heartbeat is the house reading of an espresso martini, and Mas Agave Por Favor stacks three agave spirits with melon under a soy sauce air. Open from seven every night but Sunday.
Baseler Strasse 10, 60329 Frankfurt am MainMon-Wed 19:00-01:00, Thu-Sat 19:00-02:00Full profile
Cocktail BarLittle Link
A Belgisches Viertel bar where traditional bar craft meets a more adventurous list, and the name is the point: a place meant to connect people. Open from late afternoon through the week and from early afternoon at weekends.
Maastrichter Strasse 20, 50672 CologneFull profile
Cocktail BarOna Mor
Open on Roonstrasse since 2009, built on unusual ingredients and a deep shelf of niche spirits, and it also runs tastings and seminars. One of the rooms that established the modern Cologne bar scene.
Roonstrasse 94, 50674 CologneMon-Sun 20:00-02:00Full profile
Restaurant BarOra
Ora occupies a pharmacy built in the 1860s on Oranienplatz in Kreuzberg, keeping its rows of old medicine bottles, square wood panelling and brass-colored counters. It runs as a bar and restaurant, with small seasonal plates, champagne and cocktails served at candlelit tables in the evening and lunch at the end of the week.
Oranienplatz 14, 10999 Berlin, GermanyTue-Sat 17:00-00:00 (lunch Fri-Sat 12:00-14:30), closed Sun-MonFull profile
Cocktail BarRosebud
Rosebud calls itself a neighborhood bar in the heart of the Kwartier Latäng, and it has been a Cologne favorite since 1991; look for the green and purple neon rose. The list mixes house drinks with classics, from the Rosebud Special to a Shiso Martini and the Mariah Curry, and the Ginger Basil Smash brings gin, basil, hazelnut, lemon and ginger beer together. Clear ice is pressed with the bar's brass sun stamp, and there is a colorful sticker wall. Beyond cocktails there is Gaffel Kölsch on draft, Bollinger Champagne and six alcohol-free Zeros, with sharing plates such as katsu sandwiches, dumplings and octopus croquettes.
Heinsbergstraße 20, 50674 CologneMon-Thu 17:00-01:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-02:00Full profile
Cocktail BarThe Rabbithole
The Rabbithole is the St. Pauli cocktail bar of Constanze Lay and Florian Sonneborn, behind an unremarkable door on Kleine Freiheit, with plenty of wood and dim light. Its roots are the classics of the 1920s and the neo-classics of the 2000s, given a personal twist: most syrups and liqueurs are made in house, and spirits are infused, cold dripped, sous vide treated, milk washed and fat washed. The menu runs from freezer martinis to Say Cheese, with hazelnut eau-de-vie, sherry, pear, gorgonzola and soy, Bunny Darko on Scotch, olive oil, salt and dark chocolate, and a Carrot Cake Shot on aquavit. Cigars may be smoked in a separate lounge, and the Genuss-Guide Hamburg named it Bar des Jahres 2025.
Kleine Freiheit 42, 22767 HamburgMon-Thu 19:00-00:00; Fri-Sat 19:00-02:00Full profile- BARWhiskey Bar
BAR
BAR opened in Stuttgart West in 1997 and has been run by Ralf Groher since 2001. Beside the cocktail list it stocks more than 150 single malts, over 60 rums and a range of tequila, mezcal, cognac, vermouth and port, and it keeps its house Gedeck, a pairing of whisky and beer. The music is analogue, bands play live on Sunday evenings from October to April, and the bar hosts whisky, rum and cocktail seminars.
Augustenstraße 81, 70178 Stuttgart, GermanyWed-Thu 18:00-01:00, Fri-Sat 18:00-02:00, Sun 18:00-01:00, Mon-Tue closedFull profile - Bar 1705Hotel Bar
Bar 1705
The bar of the Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski, in the baroque palace Augustus the Strong built beside the Zwinger, and named for the year it was begun.
Kleine Brüdergasse 5, 01067 DresdenFull profile - Bar BotanikRooftop Bar
Bar Botanik
Bar Botanik is the rooftop bar of the Wasserturm Hotel Cologne, on top of a water tower that opened in 1872 as Europe's highest, at 35 meters. the London-based engineer John Moore designed the tower, which blends Rhenish Romanesque and Classicism, and it was the city's main source of drinking water until 1930 before its conversion into a hotel, completed in 1990. The room plays like a botanical glasshouse, its raw industrial finishes softened by wood, leather and a jungle of plants. Evenings belong to signature cocktails, while in season the space opens by day as the Secret Garden, with matcha, infused coffees, fresh juices and panoramic views above the city.
Kaygasse 2, 50676 CologneTue-Sun 17:00-01:00 (Mon hotel guests only)Full profile - Bar Dr. PfeifferCocktail Bar
Bar Dr. Pfeiffer
Bar Dr. Pfeiffer calls itself an institute for the higher culture of drinking, a cocktail bar in the middle of Bilk on Merowingerstraße. It opens with a quote from its esteemed Dr. Johannes Pfeiffer on memories, dreams and longings, and sets out to be a refuge from the everyday and a living room where friends make memories. The aim is to raise the making of exquisite mixed drinks and the pouring of fine spirits to an art, whether the recipe is classic or unusual, the glass a gin and tonic or a single malt. Its own Gin Elixier, developed in house, is sold only on site, and the institute runs classic mixing courses and gin, whisky and rum tastings.
Merowingerstraße 18, 40223 DüsseldorfTue & Sun 19:00-00:00, Wed-Thu 19:00-01:00, Fri-Sat 19:00-02:00Full profile - Bar EuropaCocktail Bar
Bar Europa
Bar Europa has served cocktails on Innere Laufer Gasse since 2004, with seats at the bar and outside in the open air. The menu runs from two centuries of classics, including Trader Vic and Don the Beachcomber recipes, to the house's own creations such as the Saffronizer with saffron gin and ginger beer. A rotating pick of Franconian beers from regional breweries sits alongside the cocktails.
Innere Laufer Gasse 31, 90403 Nuremberg, GermanyWed-Sat 19:00-00:00, Sun-Tue closedFull profile - Bar Le GrandHotel Bar
Bar Le Grand
Bar Le Grand sits in the historic glass-roofed atrium of the Handelshof in central Leipzig. The hotel serves carefully made cocktails, selected wines and signature bar bites, and in the colder months guests gather around an open fireplace. An early-evening offer pairs a house drink with three small bites.
Salzgäßchen 6, 04109 Leipzig (Steigenberger Icon Grandhotel Handelshof)Daily 12:00-00:00Full profile - Bar MontezHotel Bar
Bar Montez
The bar of the Rosewood Munich, in a former state bank and palace on Kardinal-Faulhaber-Strasse. Named after Lola Montez, the dancer whose affair with Ludwig I cost him his crown, and furnished to match: high ceilings, heavy stone and a long counter, with a list built around Bavarian and Alpine spirits.
Kardinal-Faulhaber-Strasse 1, 80333 MunichFull profile - Bar NoirHotel Bar
Bar Noir
Bar Noir is the ground-floor bar of the TORTUE design hotel on Stadthausbrücke, one of several bars under the same roof. Stephen Williams designed the room, which covers about 170 square meters, with a winter garden for cool nights and a terrace for mild ones. In the evening it becomes a meeting point for friends, colleagues and after-work drinks, and the hotel describes life inside moving at a more muted pace. The list pairs house creations such as the fruity Le Pont with classics like the Negroni, backed by wines, long drinks, spirits, liqueurs and beer.
Stadthausbrücke 10, 20355 HamburgDaily from 17:00Full profile - Bar SeibertCocktail Bar
Bar Seibert
A cocktail bar on Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse in Kassel. A separate house from the Seiberts Bar in Cologne, despite the name.
Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse 47, 34117 KasselFull profile - BarroomCocktail Bar
Barroom
A Haidhausen bar built around rum, with a list that travels from the Caribbean and Latin America through Panama to India and Australia. The room is classical and unshowy and the bar treats the category as a subject to be worked through rather than a shelf to be shown off.
Milchstrasse 17, 81667 MunichFull profile - Becketts KopfCocktail Bar
Becketts Kopf
'A bar for the refinement of the senses': behind Samuel Beckett's monochrome portrait in a Prenzlauer Berg doorway, husband-and-wife team Oliver Ebert and Cristina Neves serve a concise list of around fifteen classic cocktails built on handcrafted distillates, with menus printed inside vintage paperbacks of Beckett's works.
Pappelallee 64, Berlin 10437Wed-Sat from 20:00 (closed for holidays 26 Aug-17 Sep 2026)Full profile - Bent BarCocktail Bar
Bent Bar
Bent Bar's own line is short: we love good drinks. The small bar on Leyergasse in the Altstadt, run by Milan Nesin and Matthias Schallies, splits its list into cocktails, highballs and specials, and seats guests inside at a wood-panelled counter with green-leather stools or outside on the lane. Its second location, Frollein Bent, is a beer and cocktail garden on the Neckar. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 7pm.
Leyergasse 2, 69117 HeidelbergTue-Sat 19:00-00:00, closed Sun-MonFull profile - BerglundCocktail Bar
Berglund
Berglund describes itself as a classic American bar and has been running for more than ten years. The team says it still puts as much heart and energy into the place as on the first day, and it credits the staff who work behind the counter and on the floor every evening. There is a Swedish touch, too. Berglund has its own aquavit, and for 30 August 2026 the bar announced a traditional Swedish crayfish party with crayfish, shrimp, Västerbotten cheese pie, Swedish cheese, bread and dip, all served alongside that aquavit. On Gertigstraße, the team thanks regulars and new faces alike.
Gertigstraße 14, 22303 HamburgSun to Thu 18:00 to 01:00; Fri and Sat 18:00 to 03:00Full profile - BEUYS BarCocktail Bar
BEUYS Bar
BEUYS Bar is a small cocktail bar in Düsseldorf's old town that presents its craft as the art of mixology. The team reinterprets well-known classics and creates its own BEUYS Signatures on a menu that keeps growing. The room is cozy and relaxed, seating is first come, first served, and the bar also hosts groups and private events.
Neubrückstraße 2, 40213 DüsseldorfFull profile - Black Forest Bar by hennCocktail Bar
Black Forest Bar by henn
Tobias Henn, who comes from Baden-Baden, brought a slice of his home region, the northern Black Forest, to Eppendorf. His owner-run bar pairs an elegant, timeless hut look with what it calls Black Forest cocktails: signature drinks built on fruit brandies and fruit spirits. Highballs and wines from Baden round out the drinks list. The kitchen sends out modern takes on regional dishes, from Black Forest ham tartare and hand-scraped Käsespätzle to wild boar Maultaschen, tarte flambée and a traditional Vesper board. Cocktail classes take place in the same room under the team's second label, Cocktail Circle.
Curschmannstraße 9, 20251 HamburgTue to Thu from 18:00; Fri and Sat from 19:00Full profile - Boothby's BarSpeakeasy
Boothby's Bar
Boothby's Bar is a classic bar with a living room feel and speakeasy character on Hüttenstraße in Düsseldorf, named in tribute to the American bartender and author William Thomas Boothby. Founders Christian Roß and Daniel Pitthan opened it in December 2017. Cocktails are built on hand-picked ingredients and a range of preparation techniques, alongside a broad spirits list with rarities, champagne and wine.
Hüttenstraße 44, 40215 DüsseldorfThu 19:00-00:00, Fri-Sat 19:00-01:00, Sun-Wed closedFull profile
The best bars by city in Germany
Explore the whole Germany scene
These 40 are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in Germany, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.