In Short
The restaurant at the Hamburg harbor “Heimathafen” is located close to the Jan-Fedder Promenade and invites you to have lunch or dinner after a walk on the harbor. We have tested the somewhat touristy restaurant for you and can recommend it if you are looking for an average meal. Unfortunately, our dishes didn’t quite convince us. Nevertheless, the location and the ambience of the restaurant is very nice.
Heimathafen at Baumwall
Since we write this blog not only for true Hamburgers, but also for visitors to the beautiful city, we thought we would also test some somewhat touristy places. Often people have prejudices against tourist areas, attractions or restaurants. To round off a walk along the harbor, yet with a delicious lunch or dinner, we want to test the places around for you.
The Heimathafen restaurant is located directly at the Baumwall subway station. Right on the opposite side of the restaurant, the famous Jan Fedder Promenade runs along the harbor. A great location for a restaurant that has adapted to the area, at least in name. The menu of the relatively large restaurant also leaves this impression. From Hamburg classics, such as Labskaus, Pannfisch and Backfisch, to Schnitzel, pasta dishes and burgers, there is something for everyone. Also many vegetarian dishes are offered. Dessert can also be enjoyed here in true “Hamburg style”, as the restaurant offers red fruit jelly (Rote Grütze).
That sounds great, but do the dishes taste as good as they sound?
Our Visit to the Restaurant at the Port of Hamburg
We arrived at lunchtime to the restaurant, which still had some seats available at that time. Even the beautiful outdoor area overlooking the harbor was not occupied due to the weather. At the door you have to wait a little until you are brought to a table. Once there, we got the menus right away. We immediately noticed how comfortable the chairs were. They didn’t look like ordinary restaurant chairs, but had good padding and a pleasant backrest.
Drinks
After perusing the menu, here’s what we decided to drink:
- Heimathafen’s ice tea peach-passion fruit (5.15 €)
- Alster water (3.45 €)
The iced tea is seemingly always freshly prepared, so you have to ask which variety is prepared on the day. I was very pleased with peach-passion fruit. The iced tea was not too sweet and relatively large. The Alster water lived up to expectations: Beer with lemon soda.
Food
After a little deliberation, we were able to order something to eat:
- Chicken breast cutlet with a portion of fried potatoes with bacon, onions and mushroom cream sauce (15.70 €)
- Juicy Schnitzel in a crispy, breaded coating with a fine buttery taste, served with fried potatoes with bacon and onions (15.90 €)
Both dishes came really very quickly. So fast that you almost wonder how you can prepare a fresh dish in that time.
With the chicken breast, I asked when I ordered if the sauce could be served in an extra bowl or on the. The waitress wrote it down after a deep breath. Unfortunately, however, my dish did not come as requested. The sauce was separate, but the meat was already in it. When the waitress brought us the food, I was a little disappointed that there was a misunderstanding. She said that was the only way it would go and if it was okay with me. Even though I don’t like sauces in excess too much, I accepted it and ate it.
The Taste Test
Unfortunately, pretty much all of the components of both of our dishes tasted “pre-made”. The sauce for my chicken didn’t taste fresh and more like a sauce you buy in a wholesale store. The same was true for the schnitzel. Unfortunately, this also did not taste fresh and more like a schnitzel that you can buy frozen. Only the fried potatoes we found tasty. Here, too, the one or other potato slice tasted as if it had been in the pan a little longer. The same applies to the salad dressing. This also tasted like a classic “canteen dressing”. Of course, we could be wrong and the ingredients are fresh, we are just basing our review on our subjective opinion. All in all, the food was okay, not special, but you can eat it. For the location, the prices are also okay in our opinion.
Our Verdict on Heimathafen
We can only conditionally recommend Heimathafen. If you are looking for an average meal near the harbor, the restaurant is certainly a good address. However, you probably can’t expect the freshest ingredients and the best taste. Nevertheless, the place has a nice atmosphere and of course a great location. Especially in the summer, you can sit outside and watch the harbor for a while.
Our favorites with delicious food near the port of Hamburg you can find here: Luigi’s, Café Melt und D.José
Overall Rating
You want to have a look at the menu of Restaurant am Hamburger Hafen? Click here!
