Qype: Salam City in Hamburg

Hamburg - Restaurants - Take Away - Falafel

Wonderful place for a lunch-time flaffle wrapped in a flat pita. For 3€ you get a super tasty mid-eastern alternative to the typical Turkish Pizza, and everything you see is being made fresh in front of your face. And if you choose to hang out a bit, expect a 'shot' of tee as is the tradition.

This is very much a quick-bite-to-eat place, but even so, the decor has been put together with a kind of thoughtful care that exudes simple, tasteful pride. Lunch time crowd is quite diverse: from stuffed business suits to mid-day shoppers that strayed a bit off the Mönckebergstraße strip.

Try this place once, and it won't be the first time for long!

Check out my review of Salam City - I am baden - on Qype

Qype: hollywood canteen in Hamburg

Hamburg - Restaurants - Fast Food & American

Ugh. I am writing this with not one but two belly bombers anchoring me down. Four visits is enough, never again. This last time was a remarkably horrid experience.

This week there was a huge sign out front 'buy one get one free'. The deal seemed pretty clear, so despite my other three mediocre visits, The Mexican and I opted for yet another Hollywood Hamburg adventure.

Gripe #1: Buy one get one free comes with more strings than 80's pop music. The free burger was for me and only me. I could not share my free burger with The Mexican. Also, I could not bring said 'free' burger home with me. Ok, ok... this was just some gimmick to get me in the door (a ploy that this burger joint seems to rely on heavily), but I really felt as if I had been tricked.

Gripe #2: The battle ax behind the counter was... unfriendly to put it mildly. But to be fair, on other nights the service has been friendly, cute university chicks... no complaints there.

Gripe #3: 1950's Oldie Rock playing nonstop. I believe they have one CD on infinity loop. I realize that they don't make any more 1950's "I'm just a lonely teenager now that my poodle skirt girl died on dead mans curve while drag racing my hotrod" - and there are good reasons. After 3 songs it's a true BEATING.

Gripe #4: Bland, soggy hamburgers. Bland, soggy chicken burgers. Bland, soggy hot-dogs. Stale, day-old buns that, when removed, beg the classic question: where's the beef?!

Gripe #5: Stupid, embarrassing names for the menu items. Yes, they got away with this in Pulp Fiction's Jack Rabbit Slims... but they also had slot cars, a midget page and a memorable dance scene. I mean come on! Ducky Don Carlos my <euphemism>donkey</euphemism>.

So to sum up: we where tricked, beat about the head and shoulders by Nurse Ratchet, subjected to torturous bad flash-back music and lost any remaining dignity by having to order 'pun'ny named sup-par burgers.

But hey, you know, that's just, like, my opinion, dude...

Check out my review of hollywood canteen - I am baden - on Qype

Qype: Eiscafé Veneziana in Hamburg

Hamburg - Cafes & Coffee Shops - Ice Cream Parlours

Very much Italian ran... and very, very good.

Although you sit inside, most of summertime business happens just off the sidewalk. I have even watched a dude ride up to the counter on his bike, order, pay and leave--all without bothering to dismount.

Overall, if you happen to be in the area--and are jonesing with the 'you scream I screams'--by all means stop, walk or roll in for a cone! But, if are on a quest for the 'Best in Hamburg', Eiscafé Veneziana will at least make the short list.

Check out my review of Eiscafé Veneziana - I am baden - on Qype

Qype: Cafe Absurd in Hamburg

Hamburg - Cafes & Coffee Shops - Cafes

I often choose Café Absurd when I need a central, neutral place to meet for coffee. Outside of coffee and it's many derivatives, Absurd also offers beer, wine and a pretty decent sandwich menu.

When the weather is nice, you can sit outside on the pick-a-nick tables--and when it's not, you have cushy chairs and sofas inside. Also WLAN and a smokers area for you that do.

The wait staff are true St. Pauli... nice and cool. They always bring a side-shot of water with your coffee, and they always offer a chocolatey-marshmellowly-pillow-on-a-wafer thing. A nice touch that I have only experienced here.

The music is as eclectic as the staff. I have heard a wide range of chill standards, funky soul and german indie rock.

Check out my review of Cafe Absurd - I am baden - on Qype

Qype: Große Freiheit 36 in Hamburg

Hamburg - Nightlife - Clubs - Nightlife - Music Venues

Große Freiheit 36 is actually a pretty sweet place to see a gig. It's roomy, but still small enough to hint at being intimate. There is a very large balcony that sweeps around three sides of the venue so if are a wee person, or happen to be bringing a wee one as your date, you've got options.

The acoustics are surprisingly quite good. I saw a rock/acoustic performance and my ears left happy.

The drinks where as expected: very weak and very expensive. I paid €9 for two waters and a shot of Pernod. The 'shot' came in a laughably small thimble. I mean, seriously... it looked it should have been served on the table of the 'tequila shooting frogs'. Solution: get lit out front before the show... it's Große Freiheit after all, no lack of things to see, wink-wink, nudge-nudge...

Check out my review of Große Freiheit 36 - I am baden - on Qype