I had enjoyed spending many New Year’s evenings at the Hofbräuhaus in München (am Platzl), and decided to branch out… to the Hofbräuhaus in Hamburg (an der Alster). It doesn’t have the cache of the original, and is considerably smaller, but it still provided a festive atmosphere and reasonably good food.
Full disclosure ! As many local Germans would tell you, the Hofbräuhaus is a tourist trap. This goes for the original (am Platzl in München), the branch locations in Berlin and Hamburg, and certainly the franchises in Columbus, Ohio and Las Vegas. The original does draw its locals, but for the most part the place is overrun by people with maps in their back pockets.
I assume this is a pretty standard restaurant on any other night, but as you can imagine about any restaurant, on New Year’s they try to do it up. The details which follow refer to their New Year’s events.
If you have to choose one, choose the original in München, but if you’re going to be in Hamburg anyway, then grab a bier and join the fun!
Don’t forget to book ahead. This is not the type of event that you can walk into last minute. Tickets sell out at least a month in advance.
Why go?
- If you want to enjoy a similar experience to the Hofbräuhaus in München and/or the Octoberfest, then you can find it here.
- You can let your inhibitions go in a safe and entertaining place with reasonably good food.
What you need to know:
Details: Address: Esplanade 6, 20354 Hamburg, Germany. Website: hamburg-hofbraeuhaus.de Phone: [49] 40 34993838
Book ahead: I contacted the Hamburg Hofbräuhaus by calling them originally (+49 40 34993838), but the rest of the transaction was done by email and fax. Their email address is: info@hamburg-hofbraeuhaus.de)
Table/Seating: I was assigned a seat upon arrival, at a table with other guests. If you don’t want to share a table with strangers, then bring 7 friends with you.
Food: The food was served as a buffet, and they called you up by table in the beginning, but after most people had gone through the line once, it was open for you to go back as many times as you’d like. It was mostly German food, but there were plenty of other options. But really, if you’re not there for the German food and drinks, then you’d be better off somewhere else.
Drinks: And by drinks, I mean bier. Yes, they serve other libations, but this place is really all about the bier. Drinks are served by the waitstaff, and they were pretty prompt, considering the number of people they were serving.
Music: Ok, you have to be in the mood for 70’s and 80’s music, mostly from Germany. I can almost guarantee renditions of “99 Luftballons” and “YMCA” along with many Germany drinking songs.
Getting Tickets: You have to book this well in advance, as it will probably be sold out by mid November. I called them up (long distance from the US). You may be able to book it online now. Note: I went to great lengths to secure my credit card information because they required me to fill out a form and email it to them. I encrypted the file and told them the password over the phone… then they replied with the receipt in plain text with my full credit card info.
Midnight: The Hofbräuhaus party actually wraps up at about 11:30pm. That gives you enough time to pour out onto the banks of the Binnenalster, the lake in the middle of the city. From there, every man, woman, child and a few dogs will be firing off firecrackers, bottle rockets and roman candles in every direction possible (and a few which you would have previously deemed impossible).
Getting home: Book a hotel close to the Binnenalster, and walk there. Cabs are hard to come by, and streets are blocked by the crowds.
