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The 12 Best Bars in Hamburg

Hamburg gave the world the Gin Basil Smash, and its bar scene spans the Alster, the Altstadt and the streets near the Reeperbahn. The best bars in Hamburg start near City Hall at Le Lion Bar de Paris, where Jörg Meyer created the drink in summer 2008; it made The World's 50 Best Bars 2009 and every list through 2015, peaking at No. 16 in 2013. Also in the Altstadt, Bā Nomu takes its drinks from the kitchen. In St. Pauli, COLLAB Bar balances alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks, and The Chug Club serves tequila and mezcal in mini-cocktails called chugs. On the Inner Alster, the Fairmont's Jahreszeiten Bar spreads over two floors. Fontenay Bar looks over the Outer Alster from the sixth floor, and Puzzle Bar sits on the 15th floor in HafenCity. Bar Noir in the TORTUE hotel adds a winter garden and a terrace, Berglund pours its own aquavit, and Black Forest Bar in Eppendorf builds cocktails on fruit brandies. Le Lion and COLLAB take walk-ins and cards only. These are the eleven we would start with.

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  1. Le Lion Bar de Paris
    50 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 Sun
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  2. Bā Nomu
    Cocktail Bar

    Bā 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 Hamburg
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  3. The Rabbithole
    Cocktail Bar

    The 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 19:00-02:00
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  4. Bar Noir
    Hotel 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 17:00
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  5. Berglund
    Cocktail 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 03:00
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  1. Black Forest Bar by henn
    Cocktail 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 19:00
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  2. COLLAB Bar
    Cocktail Bar

    COLLAB Bar

    Chloe Merz's basement bar on Hein-Hoyer-Strasse in St. Pauli, open since the summer of 2023. The idea it is built on is equal drinking: the same complex cocktails whether you want a lot of alcohol, a little or none, rather than a token list for the last case.

    Hein-Hoyer-Strasse 63, 20359 Hamburg
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  3. Fontenay Bar
    Hotel Bar

    Fontenay Bar

    The bar of The Fontenay, the white curved hotel on the Aussenalster shore, ringed by old trees. Wide windows onto the water, a calm room, and a list to match the setting rather than compete with it.

    Fontenay 10, 20354 Hamburg
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  4. Jahreszeiten Bar
    Hotel Bar

    Jahreszeiten Bar

    The bar of the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, looking over the Binnenalster from Neuer Jungfernstieg. Wood, low light and a pianist, and a classics list served the way a grand hotel has always served it. One of two bars in the building.

    Neuer Jungfernstieg 9-14, 20354 Hamburg
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  5. Martini Bar
    Hotel Bar

    Martini Bar

    A small aperitif counter inside the GRILL restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, built around the martini in its classic forms and a few of the house's own. The second bar in the building, and the more intimate of the two.

    Neuer Jungfernstieg 9-14, 20354 Hamburg
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  6. Puzzle Bar
    Cocktail Bar

    Puzzle Bar

    A HafenCity bar on Versmannstrasse, away from the St. Pauli drinking streets, working a modern list in a quieter part of the city.

    Versmannstrasse 2, 20457 Hamburg
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  7. The Chug Club
    Cocktail Bar

    The Chug Club

    A tequila and mezcal bar in the heart of St. Pauli, open since 2015 and built around chugs: minicocktails served small and quick, so a guest can work through more of the list than a full-size drink would allow. Agave is the subject and the format is the argument.

    Taubenstrasse 13, 20359 Hamburg
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These 12 are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in Hamburg, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.

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