Hamburg's old town quarter between the Alster and the Michel: the Old Commercial Room has cooked Labskaus opposite St Michaelis since 1795, with the Englische Planke and Krayenkamp tavern row running south.
Christoph Rueffer's three-Michelin-star Haerlin at the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg cooks classical Hanseatic and modern French on the Alster.
Signature: Langoustine course, Seasonal tasting
Order: The seven- or nine-course tasting; the langoustine course is the signature.
Tip: Jacket required for men. Ask for an Alster-side window at booking.
Old Commercial Room opposite the Michel in Hamburg has cooked Hanseatic harbour food since 1795 and is the city's canonical Labskaus address.
Signature: Original Hamburger Labskaus, Pannfisch
Order: The Original Hamburger Labskaus with fried egg, herring, beetroot and gherkin.
Tip: Open daily; lunch tables more available than dinner. Cash welcome but cards accepted.
Christoph Rueffer's three-Michelin-star Haerlin at the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg holds five Gault Millau toques on classical French.
Order: The seven- or nine-course tasting; the seasonal langoustine course is the signature.
Tip: Jacket required for men. Park-side window tables face the Alster; ask for one at booking.
Old Commercial Room opposite the Michel in Hamburg has cooked Hanseatic harbour food since 1795 and is the city's canonical Labskaus address.
Order: The Original Hamburger Labskaus with fried egg, herring, beetroot and gherkin.
Tip: Open daily; lunch tables more available than dinner. Cash welcome but cards accepted.
Deichgraf on the historic Deichstrasse in Hamburg's Neustadt cooks traditional Hanseatic dishes on the city's oldest canal-side street, rebuilt.
Order: The Labskaus with Rollmops; the Aalsuppe with raisins.
Tip: Ask for a window table on the Nikolaifleet canal side. A single beam from the pre-fire building survives in the Fleetdiele dining room.
Public Coffee Roasters on Wexstrasse in Hamburg's Neustadt is the third-wave roaster's original cafe, pouring filter and espresso behind a sage-green.
Signature drink: Filter coffee, single-origin espresso
Tip: Counter seats fill on weekday mornings; tables in the back are easier from 11:00.
Dat Backhus on Neuer Steinweg in Hamburg's Neustadt is one of the Hamburg chain's central branches, with cinnamon, chocolate and pumpkin-seed Franzbroetchen.
Tip: Franzbroetchen priced 1.10 to 1.50€. The chocolate-iced version sells out first.
Worth the queue: Franzbroetchen with chocolate and cinnamon
Public Coffee Roasters on Wexstrasse in Hamburg's Neustadt is the third-wave roaster's original cafe, with a small roastery, espresso bar and whole-bean.
Tip: Cafe seating limited; weekday mornings have a steady takeaway-heavy queue.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Rwanda, Burundi
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Subscription, Whole bean retail
The Weinbar at the three-star Haerlin restaurant in the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg pours German and Burgundy fine wines with the kitchen's small.
Signature pour: Egon Mueller Scharzhofberg Riesling
Wine focus: German and Burgundy fine wine
Food: Hanseatic snacks and Haerlin small plates
Tip: Walk-up bar seats available; the wine list shares the dining-room cellar.
Edelcurry on Grosse Bleichen in Hamburg's Neustadt runs a currywurst restaurant with eight house sauces, from mild Jaipur to ultra-hot King Chili Killer.
Try: Currywurst with eight sauce variations
Order: The Wagyu Kobe currywurst with Maharaja sauce.
Tip: Open Mon to Sat from 11:00, busy 12:30-14:00. Closed Sundays. Self-serve sauce selection at the counter.
Grossneumarkt in Hamburg's Neustadt runs a Wednesday and Saturday market on the historic square, with regional produce, cheese and fish from north German.
Tip: Smaller and quieter than Isemarkt; the Saturday market closes by 14:00 sharp.
La Cocina Kochschule in Hamburg Neustadt runs classes across Thai, sushi, Spanish tapas, fish, steak and vegetarian cuisines from a Ludwig-Erhard studio.
Edelcurry on Grosse Bleichen in Hamburg's Neustadt runs premium currywurst at €6 to 12 with eight house sauces from mild Jaipur to ultra-hot King Chili.
Try: Premium currywurst
Tip: Open Mon to Sat from 11:00; closed Sundays. Self-serve sauce selection at the counter.
Laeiszhalle on Johannes-Brahms-Platz in Hamburg's Neustadt is the city's classical music hall since 1908, with a Grosse Saal seating 2000 for symphony and chamber concerts.
Tip: Box office open Tue to Fri 14:00-18:00; tickets also via Eventim.