Der Stiefel ★ 4.2
Der Stiefel on Zülpicher Strasse in Cologne's student quarter is a graffiti-fronted corner pub pouring Gaffel Kölsch until 05:00 on weekends.
TipSaturdays open earliest, at 15:00; Sunday is the one night the pub is closed.
16 late-night dives worth the night across Germany, editor-ranked. All Germany guides.
Diener Tattersall ★ 4.1
Diener on Grolmanstrasse runs as the West Berlin artists' pub, with around 500 portrait photos of actors and writers on the wood-panelled walls.
TipOpen from 18:00; closed Sundays. Knockwurst with sauerkraut and a beer is the order.
Zum Silbersack ★ 4.1
Zum Silbersack on Silbersackstrasse off Hamburg's Reeperbahn is one of the quarter's longest-running working-class dive bars since 1949, with pilsner and Korn at counter prices.
TipOpen daily from 18:00-06:00 weekend mornings. Cash only.
Holy Home ★ 4.1
Holy Home on Reichenbachstrasse fits a small, dark, smoky room with long wooden tables and a rock soundtrack, drawing a tight Glockenbach crowd that arrives.
TipTiny room; reservations recommended after 22:00 on weekends. Cash is easier than card.
Bei Schlawinchen ★ 4.0
Bei Schlawinchen on Schoenleinstrasse has run 24 hours a day since 1978, with bicycles and toy dolls bolted to the ceiling, two-euro beers, a foosball table.
TipOpen literally always; arrive at 04:00 to see the room at full strength. Cash only; smoking inside.
Trinkteufel ★ 4.0
Trinkteufel on Naunynstrasse runs as Kreuzberg's hardcore-and-metal dive: loud guitars, cheap pours, a foosball table that's always busy, and a crowd that has been coming for decades.
TipDoors at 15:00, no closing time; cash only. The kicker table is the centre of gravity.
Wohnzimmer Bar ★ 4.0
Wohnzimmer on Lettestrasse near Helmholtzplatz furnishes its room like a 1960s living room with mismatched sofas, lace doilies and old armchairs; long pours.
TipOpen from morning; the room shifts from cafe to bar around 19:00 and runs late. Cash easier than card.
Klapper 33 ★ 4.0
Klapper 33 is Frankfurt's dive of record, a smoky Klappergasse Kneipe that keeps pouring until 05:00 when the weekend demands it of the room.
TipCash only in spirit if not in fact; this is where Sachsenhausen's bar staff drink after their own shifts end.
Katze ★ 4.0
Katze on Hamburger Berg in Hamburg's St Pauli is a long-running neighbourhood dive bar with DJ nights, cheap cocktails and a smoking room into the small hours.
TipOpen daily from 20:00-04:00 weekends; quieter weekdays.
Schelling-Salon ★ 4.0
Schelling-Salon has run on Schellingstrasse since 1872 as Munich's oldest Viennese cafe-restaurant, with a long timber bar, billiard and table-tennis tables.
TipClosed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Pool tables charge around 5 euro an hour; cash is easier than card.
Frau Bartels Bar ★ 4.0
Frau Bartels Bar on Klenzestrasse runs a green-walled Glockenbach room with sofa arrangements, a small back room and a cocktail list of moscow-mule riffs.
TipDoors from 18:00 weeknights, 17:00 weekends. Sister bars Herr Bartels and Madam Anna Ekke are walking distance.
Trachtenvogl ★ 4.0
Trachtenvogl on Reichenbachstrasse occupies a former Lederhosen and Dirndl shop with original 1960s furnishings, a mid-room bar and a daytime cafe role.
TipCard payments only; outdoor seating in the warm months. The kitchen runs until 21:00 most nights.
Cafe Cinema ★ 3.9
Cafe Cinema beside the Hackesche Hoefe runs as a dim, smoky room with old film posters, mismatched antique furniture and a clientele that holds the place.
TipCash easier than card; the back room is quieter. Stays open until 04:00 most nights.
The Shamrock Irish Pub ★ 3.8
The Shamrock has run a Schwabing Irish pub for decades with karaoke, live bands, comedy and a Thursday pub quiz, plus a Friday and Saturday late-night.
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. Karaoke nights run Friday and Saturday late; show up early for the slot list.
O'Reilly's ★ 3.7
O'Reilly's works the graveyard shift opposite Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, pints and stray travellers until 03:00 on Saturday nights and first trains.
TipBetween a missed connection and the first morning train, this room has sheltered generations of the stranded.
Das Klo ★ 3.5
Das Klo near Ku'damm has run a toilet-themed novelty pub since 1971 with toilets as seats, urinal-bottle beers, test-tube shots and animatronic puppets.
TipTourist trap that locals respect; arrive after dinner for the full effect. Group bookings welcomed.
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