Hamburg's defining lunch is a fresh-baked roll filled with pickled herring (Matjes, Bismarckhering, Rollmops), fried fish (Backfisch) or North Sea brown shrimp (Krabben), with onion and remoulade.

The Fischbroetchen tradition grew from the Hanseatic harbour in the 19th century, when herring-curing was Hamburg's biggest export industry. Kiosks at the Landungsbruecken sold fish in rolls to harbour workers from the 1870s; by 1910 Hamburg had 200 dedicated Fischbroetchen counters. The Bismarckhering style (vinegar-cured raw herring) was patented by Hamburg merchant Johann Wiechmann in 1900. Today Bruecke 10 and Fishbar Originale on the Landungsbruecken cook the canonical Hamburg versions.

5 editor picks for Fischbroetchen in Hamburg, ranked by editorial score. All Hamburg signature dishes · Fischbroetchen across every city.