Gaststätte Zum Brandanfang

5 James Smirnoff - a month ago

I liked it pretty much.
I don't remember exactly why).

The food was quite decent and beer was as it needs to be. Fish and potatoes in the Northern German way are much better than their British "relative"), I mean, fishu0026 chips.

But the most joy was the view.
You can take a round table next to the window and look around while sipping your beer.
You can even go outside to terrace right on the water.

Life is good when you get it slowly, people say.

5 Elitsa Dobie - 10 months ago

Lovely food at good prices but we were mostly impressed with the staff. They were friendly and provided very good service. I really enjoyed the German wine that was recommended from the girl at the bar (see photo).

4 Bull Dogg - 9 months ago

The restaurant has a long history and a very cozy interior. The location is great, with walking distance to Hafencity or the Rathaus, and Neuer Wall. The food is very traditional for northern Germany and the signature dishes are the same that you will find in other, old Hamburg restaurants. Due to the location, I would think mostly tourists visit the restaurant, which doesn’t mean it has to be bad. In fact, the service is superior to many upscale restaurants in Hamburg - the waiting staff genuinely care about your experience.
We tried the spicy pumpkin cheestnut soup, the traditional Christmas green cabbage with sausage and pork, and the signature pannfisch dish. All the food was tasty and we think the prices were fair. The food is good, but nothing you will remember or long to come back to.
The atmosphere is good, apart from very loud music (live tracks with Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Johnny Cash… not particularly fitting for the venue and quite annoying in a restaurant). A good place for a lunch and a beer.

2 Daryl Sinclair - a year ago

We ate here as a break from a long walk and were attracted to the large number of people at the restaurant.

Unfortunately, despite the friendly and attentive service, the food simply was not what we had hoped for.

I ordered the Rump steak fried in breadcrumbs with mustard, medium. The steak was cooked well but it was simply not a good cut of meat. Without being chewy, there was very little tenderness. The mustard seasoning had also destabilised the coating while the whole meal was somewhat salty.

As can be seen in the images, the fried potatoes have a deep yellow discolouration indicative of old oil and were well salted upon arrival.

The baked potato was drowned in sour cream and, again, the potato itself had a poor taste.

The mushrooms were the highlight of the baked potato dish, sadly the Turkey pieces were tough and heavily seasoned.

The small salad was good, very fresh and well put together.

Other small touches added to our frustration such as lemon being added to the water glasses without first being asked. Also, we ordered a large bottle of evian but were served a jug of water of unknown source and volume and advised that the bottle they have in the kitchen is 'too large' so they pour it into a jug.

Overall, our experience at the restaurant was not overtly negative due to the staff. We opted not to discuss our eating experience with them when asked due to how busy the restaurant was with other patrons and not wishing to enter a discussion about the food.

Perhaps our experience is not in line with the other reviews but we were ultimately disappointed with the food we had.

5 George Kosmidis - 8 months ago

Fresh fish perfectly cooked, traditional dishes, super atmosphere even for just a beer, friendly people working, very clean, totally recommended

3 Matthieu - a year ago

Globally alright, although a little touristic. The food is decent, but it is located in a very nice area. Make sure you bring some cash with you, as they did not accept payments by card.

1 Michael Kariv - a month ago

We just wanted to have a beer on our stroll around the city. The waiter snatched the menu from me and said they don't serve just drinks. You must order good. Customer is not always right here. Avoid