In Full Swing

You have arrived in the part of the town, Hamburgers fancy living in the most! The sheer concentration of cafés and restaurants clearly underlines that notion. Singer, rapper and local legend Jan Delay, who grew up in Eimsbüttel and is one of Hamburg’s most recognised musicians, lovingly calls his “hood” Eimsbush, as a homage to Flatbush in Brooklyn, a famous hotspot for great rap artists. Our hood is home to so many beautiful places we would like to introduce you to, beginning right at the YoHo: take a magic carpet ride to the ground floor and indulge in fancy Arabian Nights style foods at Mazza.

Several down-to-earth locations have cooked and baked themselves into the residents’ hearts like the Herzstück, and over the years, with the Esszimmer at the centre of it all. The small patisserie has been around for 70 years – a freshly baked “Eimsbuscher” in the Morning, a lovely piece of cake in the Afternoon, and the day is saved. The Speisekammer – German for pantry – has genuinely earned its name: whether breakfast or lunch, Dietmar and Tanja love sharing their food stock with others.

Freischwimmer might be the best insider tip for the area: excellent cuisine and wines, and so down to earth, they still run their own skittle alley in the cellar. This is the hangout for local and global celebrities. If you are looking for souvenirs with a Hamburg heart, Stadtkutter is the place to go to. You will find international glamour & glitz, plus a fantastic tarte flambée at Jimmy Elsass, Japanese noodles at Momo Ramen, Italian family cuisine at L`Incontro, cheeky pies at Mamalicious and gorgeous cupcakes at Bunny & Scott.

You might have noticed by now: you are in food heaven. Back on earth, there are numerous green wellness havens waiting for you, that you wouldn’t necessarily expect right in the middle of the city. Just behind YoHo is Hamburg’s oldest heated outdoor pool, the picturesque pond of the Eimsbüttler Park is the ideal place for a lovely picknick and joggers love to parade the Kaiser-Friedrich-Ufer – all this reminds us that Eimsbüttel used to be – a long time ago – a quiet village outside the city gates of Hamburg.

One night in Bangkok or a day to remember in Eppendorf? Since you are here: Tuesdays and Fridays, when Eppendorf hosts its Isemarkt, are the best way to soak up the atmosphere of this part of town. Join the crowds of fashionable foodies and indulge in the abundance of exquisite specialties from Hamburg and around the world underneath the viaduct. The market stretches for about a kilometre from Hoheluftchaussee to Eppendorfer Baum. When you reach the end, turn around because the mother of all markets has a few attractive daughters, with two perfect stops lining the trail: the legendary bridge on the corner of Isestraße/Innocentiastraße where local celebrities enjoy espresso, pinot grigio and schnitzel. And on the corner of Isestraße/Klosterallee, where TH2, Poké at Lawaii or Little Amsterdam on the Isebek bank offer finest coffee specialties and also plenty of room for prams.

Extra: Spotlight Klosterallee, Der Hamburger number 44.

The way is the aim. A 15-minute walk from YoHo or with a StadtRad (city bike for hire) – the station is at U-Bahn Christuskirche – along the Kaiser-Friedrich-Ufer, which is a popular place for joggers, by the way. The famous market begins across U-Bahn Hoheluftbrücke (pssst, the restaurant Klinker next to the old Holi cinema, is an insider tip!) on the road that insiders divide into “Fiese” (mean), “Miese” (rotten) and “Ise” (as in Isestraße, the name of the road) is in the mean and rotten part, although this is rather fishing for compliments. At the end of the market is Eppendorfer Baum .

Option 1: cross the road and have a peek into Kaufrausch, Hamburg’s smallest department store, or, option 2: turn left and left again for a bit of a “Sex in the City” feeling the Hamburg way. Hegestraße is home to plenty of tempting little shops and boutiques. And on the way back to YoHo, you can drift along Lehmweg to soak up a little more of that unique atmosphere.

By the way: Balz und Balz, towards the end of your walk, is the ideal place to reward yourself with world class sandwiches and finest coffee. For your orientation: U-Bahn Hoheluftchaussee is in sight.

Reeperbahn, the iconic red-light district, we will leave out. Because the St. Pauli we love is found in several side streets you kind of have to know, admittedly. The colourful, diverse and multi-faceted Paul-Roosen-Straße, for example, is home to so many nice places for food, wine and cocktails you can easily lose yourself here. On the corner of Roosen/Am Brunnenhof you are spoilt for choice between the cosy Krug, where the chef cooks on a tiny stove behind the bar, Haebel and, directly opposite, the XO Seafoodbar, both run by star chef Fabio Haebel, as well as Steph’s nonchalant wine shop next door to Clockers, a laid-back gin bar, and the Standard, right around the corner, which is Hamburg’s first address for Italian aperitivo culture.

When the weather is good, the street livens up immediately and you will hear a lot of glass-clinking and women laughing. If you happen to see a jolly woman armed with a ukulele, it is high time to join Stefanie Hempel on her Beatles tour. The Fab Four may come from Liverpool but they got together as a band in our district. This seems to be quite enough for one weekend. A good place to start the day is in or outside the kraweel, Paul-Roosen-Straße 6, where every bun would be honoured to make it to their menu.

Extra: Spotlight Paul-Roosen-Straße, Der Hamburger number 32

10 minutes on the Stadtrad (city bike for hire) or a lovely half-hour walk from YoHo – if you don’t get lost on the way there. For example, via Weidenallee, with widows’ ball and Gaul-Millau tip “Jellyfish” in the evenings. Or directly via Schulterblatt with the ever-buzzing Piazza, craft beer Eldorado Galopper des Jahres and Francophile supertip Bistro Carmagnole, Juliusstraße 18.

You can still hear the proud hearts of generations of bulls pounding inside the brick walls of the refurbished cattle market. They used to be led through Lagerstraße to the abbatoirs. The hall, now home to TV-chef Tim Mälzer’s Bullerei, was called “Hall for Calves and Despatch Pigs”. Just a little anecdote, the last animal was slaughtered ages ago. Since then, many followed the pioneering Tim Mälzer who can be seen in his buzzing favourite business more often than you would expect. With view of the TV tower and next to the underground station, there is Elbgold, where Thomas and Annika buy the best fair-trade coffee and brew it to perfection. The revived Ratsherrn brewery with the Altes Mädchen next door offers a huge range of craft beer and traditional cuisine.

Naturally, Hamburg’s biggest craft beer shop is right here as well. Frida is another place worth stopping by to find frames in all sizes and colours, but not off the rack – great craftsmanship! And gallery. It can’t get much hipper than the Schanzenhöfe. The Online Marketing Rockstars, or OMR, have their headquarters here, too. Just a 15-minute walk or a short bike ride from YoHo, via Weidenallee and Schanzenstraße.

Extra: Spotlight Schanzenhöfe featured in Der Hamburger number 34.

“Let’s go to the Alster” is what Hamburgers say when they want to have a nice long chat. Also popular with joggers who claim to do the round in 25 minutes. 7.4 kilometres long is the track around Hamburg’s broadest river – for the silhouette defining Alster is actually not a lake. It was dammed nearly a thousand years ago, to make Hamburg the biggest beer exporter of the Hanseatic period. On the walk we are suggesting (roughly 2.5 hours), you will be able to take it all in: the town hall, the big churches, Japanese cherry blossoms in spring, even the Elbphilharmonie – and plenty of Hamburgers, of course. Have a break and let your feet dangle in the water at Bodo’s Bootssteg, enjoy the sunset at Alsterperle with an “Alsterwasser” (shandy) or indulge in haute cuisine at Lakeside, high up Fontenay with a stunning view from the roof terrace bar.

Only on the Alster, you might find even more beauty: hop on, hop off one of the Alster boats from Fährdamm or Rabenstraße towards the city centre, or explore the canals and sail into the sunset with a swan shaped pedal boat, a stylish wooden sailing dinghy or an SUP board with illuminated bottom. Best of all: this Hanseatic recreation area is only a ten-minute bike ride away from YoHo! And in case you take the route via Pöseldorf – a little bit snobby but charming – keep your ears open when you are in Milchstraße. You might catch a few sounds of students of theHamburg School for Music and Theatre practicing outdoors.

Extra: Spotlight Pöseldorf in Der Hamburger number 39.