I suppose if Palate ever had a mission statement when we started doing reviews it was to cover not just new restaurants but shine a light on venerable institutions, neighbourhood bistros and the downright quirky. A true bouillabaisse of coverage (to be utterly pretentious about it). The struggle has been real but finally I found somewhere that deliciously satisfies at least two parts of that brief at the same time: Fischereihafen, a seafood restaurant in Hamburg which has been owned by the Kowalke family since 1981.
Getting there was part of the excitement, and the challenge, as I always forget how vast the Hanseatic City is. A martini at the Atlantic Hotel dulled my memory of Hamburg’s public transport system so a 20-minute Uber it was to be. Then ensued a white-knuckle ride as the smoking octogenarian driver with a penchant for sudden braking pointed out such unmissable sights as the Reeperbahn (assuming I’d be interested in all things red light) and explaining that Fischereihafen (if we would ever get there in one piece) is Hamburg’s “best” restaurant. Maybe I’ve seen too many Scorsese films, but as the taxi careered through a fish market, and shops segued into hollow shipping containers, I thought I’d be sleeping with the fishes rather than eating them.
I wasn’t dispatched Goodfellas-style so I worried unnecessarily. The driver even said “Guten Appetit”. I still had to double-check I was at an actual restaurant though and not a derelict harbour office in Felixstowe. Ascending the carpeted steps and noting the optional stair lift, it suddenly dawned on me why this seemed so familiar: Fischereihafen is the Oslo Court of Hamburg. (And if that reference makes no sense, see the review here.)
Here’s a quick run-through of the striking similarities. An unusual location? Check. Mostly senior clientele? Yep. Stuck in a 1980s timewarp? You bet. Old school service? Natürlich, though just on that point, whilst the service was generally excellent on this visit, there was an inexplicable 20 minute wait for the reserved table, despite being on time and speaking all five of my best possible German words. (And it was only later I discovered the oyster and champagne bar – verdammt!) The wait was worth it, finally ushered to a table with a view of the Elbe river, walking through the waft of cognac cream sauces as servers in waistcoats ceremoniously lifted silver cloches off lobster fricassés. I think there was some music but it was drowned out by the hubbub of happy Hamburgers.
Whatever your mode of transport to Fischereihafen it will be worth it
A very personable waiter was on hand to translate and offer wine suggestions (he also bemoaned Brexit and the resurgence of the far right in Germany – I’m not sure if he was angling for a tip or a hug, but I sympathised anyway). After an aperitif to settle the nerves, herring. There was no messing about here. Two generous fillets on wholemeal bread with apple, sour cream and onion. Done. So simple and yet so effective, not unlike a Danish open sandwich (and being close to Denmark some cross-over of culinary ideas is to be expected).
Herring with apple, sour cream and onion
Gilthead sea bream and Mediterranean vegetables
Rote grütze
Dishes are all prepared in the very capable hands of Jens Klunker who has been cooking at Fischereihafen, rather unbelievably, since the start of German reunification in the late 1980s (save for a brief sabbatical to gain experience abroad). There’s the occasional nod to modernism with sashimi here and a token vegan poke bowl there, but its strength, like Wiltons in London or La Belle Maraîchère in Brussels, is in classic fish cookery.
Next up, a gargantuan baked gilthead sea bream with Mediterranean vegetables. The diced courgette, peppers, onion and so on were almost like a ratatouille but bound by a simple lemon butter sauce and rosemary potatoes, and just the odd blob of pesto over the bream’s formerly-functioning gills. Perhaps not very German but the fish! Wunderbar. This was extremely satisfying and simply one of the best pieces of fish I’ve ever had. (And just to note for completeness, there are vegetarian and meat options too.)
The same friendly waiter from earlier proffered a list of unabashedly traditional desserts, from caramelised cheesecake to the beguiling “Dream of Valrhona chocolate”. But by this point all I could face was the rote grütze (essentially the Northern German version of the classic Danish dessert “rødgrød” – a compote of red fruits all mushed together with a scoop of ice cream and extra brandy cream for good measure). Comforting and delicious.
This was a delightful, slightly surreal and truly memorable meal despite the wait at the start and lack of air con. And really fair value for the quality of cooking too, with three courses, glass of champagne, simple bottle of plonk, coffee and service all coming to just under 100 Euros. I’m not sure if you can call that a saving but the Uber journey felt justified. Whatever your mode of transport to Fischereihafen it will be worth it.
Große Elbstraße 143
22767 Hamburg
Germany
September 2025
