A small city-centre bar working an East-meets-West list with Asian ingredients and a cook's attention to them. The counter sits about a metre high with stools made to match, which puts everyone at the same level and makes the room feel smaller than it is. No reservations.
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.
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.
A HafenCity bar on Versmannstrasse, away from the St. Pauli drinking streets, working a modern list in a quieter part of the city.
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.
These are the cocktail bars specifically. The full Hamburg guide ranks the best bars of every style, and the directory lists all 8 with a map and filters.
Best bars in Hamburg