In Short
The café, bar and restaurant ALEX in Hamburg’s Alsterpavillon has a beautiful view and is great for a coffee and a piece of cake after, before or during an exhausting shopping day at Jungfernstieg. Depending on the time, be prepared for a small queue in front of the restaurant. We were not blown away by the presentation, quality and taste of the food, but it can definitely be enjoyed. The service is also okay, not exceptionally friendly, but very fast.
Comfortable Seating Right Next to the Water – Café with a View
The ALEX restaurant – many will already know it from other cities. There are almost 40 ALEX restaurants all over Germany and most of them are in very special locations. This is also the case in Hamburg. There is one ALEX directly at the harbor and one at the Alster/Jungfernstieg. Both locations are beautiful and while eating coffee and cake or a hearty burger you can enjoy iconic views. In our review, however, we focus only on the location at the Alsterpavillon at Jungfernstieg. Even from the outside, the restaurant is an eye-catcher – as the name suggests, it is built like a pavillon with seating areas inside and outside.
The building juts out a little into the Alster, so you are feeling like you would be sitting right on the water. There are outdoor seating areas all around, some of which are even equipped with heating pads for the colder days. So you can decide whether you would rather enjoy a relaxing view of the water or check out the shopping hustle and bustle at Jungfernstieg. It is also comfortable to sit inside, the space is large and almost festive. The restaurant has two floors. Downstairs, the tables and chairs are right at the level of the water, so it almost feels like sitting in a glassed-in boat.
Tipp: If the lower floor is open and you want to sit a little away from the hustle and bustle, we recommend asking for a seat on the lower floor.
The Menu and the Service
But let’s get to the real topic: The food, drinks and the service. The menu is huge and offers treats for everyone – vegan, vegetarian or meat lovers. From soups to superfood salads and classics like Schnitzel to fancy burgers and rump steaks, ALEX offers a wide selection. But not only for the food, also for the drinks you can find a wide variety of e.g. iced teas, juices and sodas. Since the restaurant has a large bar, delicious cocktails can be prepared and other alcoholic beverages are offered.
From Monday to Saturday, ALEX offers a delicious breakfast buffet. On Sundays and holidays, there is even a brunch – Stay tuned for our review of the breakfast food at ALEX.
The staff at the “gate” is very nice. Depending on the time of day, you will have to stand in line in front of the entrance, since each guest is led individually to the respective table. When it is your turn, you tell the “gatekeeper” whether you want to sit inside or outside and for how many people you need a table. The doorman then hands you over to a waiter, who brings you to your table.
If the restaurant is a little more crowded, it can be quite noisy inside, since the space is very large. We were there on a Tuesday afternoon, the place was about half full (the lower floor was closed) and the noise level was remarkable. I would also like to mention the cleanliness of the toilet. Unfortunately, I did not feel comfortable there at all: It stinks, toilet paper is everywhere and you have to be careful not to step into the small puddles on the floor – there is definitely still some potential.
What we Ordered
After browsing the large menu, which by the way also includes a kids menu, we decided on:
- Raclette burger (12.40 €)
- Baked potato with extra mushrooms (8.90 € + 4 €)
The baked potato can be ordered with various toppings. I chose mushrooms with onions and it added 4 €. Also, if you want a side to your burger, you have to pay extra. The price for fries is about 3.90 € – sweet potato fries, however, are 5.40 €. We have to say that this is a little disappointing, because you have to pay extra for every little thing and the amounts are not too small.
The staff at the table is unfortunately not as friendly and attentive as the staff outside. Everything was fine but we noticed that there was no effort to make our stay nicer with, for example, a simple smile.
How is the Food?
Our drinks (Earl Grey tea, 3.70 € and a Latte Macchiato, 4.10 €) and the food came very quickly, we waited a total of about 10 minutes.
The potato was nicely arranged, unfortunately a little oil floated on the plate, which was not particularly appetizing. Without the dip or mushrooms, the potato would have been a little dry. The salad on the side had too much strong dressing in my opinion. The burger tasted delicious, however our expectations were not met here either. If you order a raclette burger, you expect a juicy burger with lots of cheese, this was unfortunately not the case. As you can see in the pictures, the burger also looks rather dry from the outside and you can hardly see any cheese. Once you ate the outer, somewhat drier part, it gets better. Inside you can taste the cheese and also the other ingredients are well matched. The cranberries add a sweet note – so if you do not want any sweetness in the burger, you should order them off.
Coffee and Cake at ALEX
We opted for a piece of cheesecake (4.10€) afterwards. In general, ALEX is a good place to go for a coffee/tea and a piece of cake or other delicious desserts in the afternoon. Behind the bar, you can check out the well-stocked cake counter and choose a delicious piece. Again, the service was very quick and the cake was delicious and fresh. It had a very lemony note, which we would not have expected, but it tasted good.
Summary
The ALEX scores well especially because of its great location. The food is delicious, but unfortunately nothing special. We can hardly say anything about the quality either, the ingredients taste good, but it is nothing we would particularly emphasize. The service is also okay, not exceptionally friendly, but very fast. Stay tuned for our review of the breakfast food at ALEX.
Check out our reviews on two other great cafés: Salon Wechsel Dich and Mit Herz & Zucker.
Overall Rating
Click here to see the menu of a great café with a view – ALEX
