I was dying for carpaccio, which is hard to come by in the Midwest, U.S. so after being turned away…read moreat Edmundo across the street (we didn't have a reservation), we stumbled onto this gem. Owner was helpful, highlighting the substantial list of specials from an already good-sized menu and one in our party did have the lasagne from the list. But I was a woman on a mission. The carpaccio, was sliced fresh (I saw him through the window as we sat at a table outside) and was everything I remember from my last trip to central EU. Blanketed with arugula, drizzled with a nice olive oil and balsamic reduction, and lightly sprinkled with pepper, it was the delicious treat I hoped for. Beer selection is small (a local Pilsner and a German Hefeweizen), and I had the latter that paired well. The third in our party had a delicious looking salad with prosciutto on top with the Pilsner and enjoyed it. We also tried the gluwein, which I haven't enjoyed in the States as it's too sweet for me, but this wasn't. It had more of a cinnamon-forward hot winter sangria vibe (LOL) and was quite yummy. Seating is limited to 3-4 tables outside, a few more inside but there is a larger upstairs dining area. We closed the place down at ~6:00 not knowing it was primarily a lunch place. To those lucky folks who work in downtown Hamburg- "Prost" and "Salute"!

Sehr freundlicher, hilfsbereiter und einladender Service. Die Tomatensuppe war sehr köstlich…read more Ebenso die beiden Kuchenstücke, die wir verspeist haben. Als wir am Sonntag mit zwei Falträdern da waren, wurde uns sofort angeboten diese im Innenraum des Bistros abzustellen.

My favorite daily go to place for authentic Italian cuisine in Hamburg's West. Pleasant and sunny…read moreoutside area in a rustic neighborhood of a historic industrial area (which is said to have been an early 20th century military barrack with 2 story brick stone buildings). With the attached wine store you can take home your favorite bottle at a lower price than in the restaurant. You will find, changing weekly, great value for money lunch options and more upscale à la carte and dinner specialties. Whenever they have fresh spaghetti alle vongole, there is no way to choose anything else! That is a divine Italian experience you must enjoy with a crisp white wine (by the glass, I prefer the Lugana, by the bottle it is the EDDA)! A menu with some tasty standard dishes is also available (I love the spaghetti arrabbiata (they have it with penne in the menu but they will swap for spaghetti if you ask, which I prefer)). Don't miss the original ristretto (espresso) after your meal.

From the owner: Wir bieten Ihnen einen wöchentlich wechselnden Mittagstisch. Unsere Küche ist eine Mischung aus…read moreTradition, Neugierde und Liebe zu gutem Essen. Wir beweisen, dass delikate und mit frischen Zutaten bereitete Gerichte nicht teuer sein müssen. Dazu bieten wir eine Auswahl an passenden Weinen aus verschiedenen Regionen Italiens.

From the owner: Essen und Trinken ist schon seit Menschen gedenken eine Kunst für sich. Besonders in Italien wird…read moredas Zubereiten von Speisen nicht nur aus Kunstsinn betrieben, sondern vielmehr aus Leidenschaft. Da ist es nicht verwunderlich, dass die italienische Küche eine fast unendliche Vielfalt vorzuweisen hat. Giorgio Ellero Chef und Vincenzo Virzi, Chefkoch des San Lorenzo, setzen viel auf frische italienische mediterane Küche, was die zahlreichen Stammkunden des San Lorenzo sehr zu schätzen wissen. Die Speisekarte des San Lorenzo hat für jeden Geschmack etwas zu bieten. Es wird eine Vielfalt an Fisch-, Fleisch- und Nudelgerichten angeboten, die jeden Gaumen erfreuen.

This was an interesting experience for us. This was the first English review for this place and I…read morenow see why. There was not very much English spoken at this restaurant. This was a very nicely decorated restaurant. I could tell that it was upscale and a local favorite. We did show up without reservations. I couldn't nail down if the staff was hesitant or gracious to seat us. There were mixed signals. We were told immediately before we sat down that they do not take credit cards. It was a very, very, very long wait before someone waited on us, but the tables around us were getting great service. I don't know what was going on here and don't want to jump to speculations. We were given hand written menus that were written in German, but laminated. A very friendly older gentleman came to take our order. For simplicity reasons, I told him I wanted fish and for him to choose my meal for the evening. The chef sent out an appetizer of some sort as a gift which was very nice. I think they were some variety of beans, capers or something and thinly sliced cheese(maybe). We were quickly brought the shrimp scampi and the egg dishes as appetizers. The egg dish was a sunny side up fried egg on potatoes or polenta with some type of brown-black shavings. The taste was average. The scampi was great and the egg dish was puzzling, but not horribly bad. Several minutes went by before our entrees arrived. I watched one of the tables near us get what I thought was desert on toothpicks (or maybe something to cleanse their pallet). This was followed by what HAD to be desert. The group almost licked the plates. It was entertaining to watch. This was followed by a plate of little assorted candies. Our entrees finally arrived, Spaghetti Carolina and a flakey fish with assorted vegetables. The fish was served with a small salad and pan fried potatoes. All of this was great! Everything was well seasoned, not over-seasoned or overwhelming. At one point they stated playing really great loud music in the other room, but it was just one song. Afterward they continued to play soft music in our room. Very Strange. We finished our entrees and I just couldn't wait until we received some of that plate-licking desert or some of that toothpick stuff or those little candies. None of this happened. One of the younger waiters told us, "The desert menu is lengthy and confusing if you can't speak the language." I asked him to bring us what he considered was a good desert. He brought us what looked like lemon meringue pie without the crust. It was a nice desert. Overall we were charged 100 euros with no alcohol which included and a "must" 19% gratuity. The meal was good, but the service was inconsistent. I didn't feel like a welcomed guest. I left there feeling unsettled about the bill as well. I don't think I would visit again, nor recommend it to any of my friends.

Friendly, fun staff, but this is not a good Italian restaurant. Carbonara made with cream,…read moreSpaghetti Ragu, Pizza Hawaii on the menu ... quality of the food we had was not on a level I enjoy going to a restaurant for, especially not one asking their prices.

A slightly underwhelming experience for my birthday dinner. This restaurant is very close to my…read moreapartment and I was very much looking forward to being able to go there often. The amuse-bouche was amazing: A garlic soup (velouté) which tasted absolutely divine. The taste of garlic, while definitely present, was mild and enjoyable. I'm glad it came only in small espresso cups because it felt very rich. The appetizer (veal pâté with a gorgonzola mousse) was also very good. The gorgonzola mousse on top of arugula was really tasty. The pâté had also good taste but I wished that it was a little bit richer. It felt a little bit dry, but this is probably normal when you consider that it's not pork-based pâté. Also strange was that my course was served without bread. The main course is where the disappointment happened. Both my wife and I had the cod served with spinach and seafood cannelloni. The skin of the fish wasn't crispy and the spinach was underwhelming. But worst of all were the two seafood cannelloni. Whoever made these should not be allowed to cook pasta again, it was really tough and I ended up leaving on the plate. Same with my wife and my neighbor at a different table. Overall this dish had potential but the execution was poor. Service was incredibly slow. The three first courses arrived at a good pace, not fast but it left time for us to enjoy the food, wine and conversation. But once we received our main courses, the waiters just seemed to disappear. We waited so long that in the end we decided to bypass the dessert and head home, because we didn't want to wait any longer. In the end, 3 courses took more than 2 hours.

Atlas Restaurant is somewhat hidden in a relatively modern business district in the northwest of…read moreAltona. Like some of its surroundings, the restaurant oozes a bit of the red brick loft style that was so fashionable a decade ago. Unfortunately the dining room was rather empty on the evening of my visit, which - together with the empty (except for the cloth and a single candle) tables - made the place feel a bit barren. Service was fast and friendly throughout the evening and is one of Atlas' strong suits. The food, on the other hand, was a bit of a mixed bag. The evening menu is competitively priced (at 28 Euros per head) and includes three courses, which leads one to expect above-average, brasserie style cuisine. The salmon tartar starter was accompanied by pulpo, melted tomatoes and pickled cucumbers - a combination I personally didn't quite understand. The salmon tartar was decent, if a bit bland on its own, but how the other elements should be combined harmoniously eluded me, despite many attempts. The main, Boeuf Bourguignon, was better: the meat was tender and the sauce rich (in a good way), only the vegetables were slightly too tough. Desert was a lovely mousse au chocolate cake with pistacchio ice cream, which left very little to be desired, indeed. Atlas Restaurant is offering more than decent food at a good price. Maybe I'd just caught the wrong day of the week, but I'd probably not go there for dinner again, if the place is always as empty in the evening. Just in terms of food there is little to keep one from exploring the backyards of Altona.