Fabrik is a brilliant concert venue. The roof is so high that it feels like a cathedral, but…read moreactually I think it used to be a factory of some kind. There are (at least) three levels, but when I was there they had only opened up one and a half. Even so there was loads of space. I can't believe that it took me a year to finally get along to Fabrik - I'll definitely be back - I'd like to go for one of their club nights

Was there yesterday (second time) to see Black Seeds from NZ. Great gig and the choice of the venue…read morewas perfect: 1) it's relatively small (it was about 500 people yesterday and it was full) so the band can interact with public and pass on the energy. When you're close to the stage - you feel it! 2) very informal, relaxed atmosphere. Drinks are sold at the bar, also there is a snack bar in the corner. 3) there are also places to sit and inner balcony/gallery upstares - need to try it next time! Verdict: great music venue, will go again. Darjeeling

This was a super vibey venue! The people who worked here were very nice.read more

SUPER DIVEY. AND I LOVE IT…read more Bouncers at the door, a dark hallway, upstairs, downstairs, and a tiny outdoor patio for beer and entertainment. Standing room only in a crowded venue might turn you off, but being outdoors while drinking beer and listening to live music offsets any discomfort one might suffer. Pins reminiscent of the 80s with the bar name and logo are given instead of coin to ensure the return of plastic beer cups. Cheesy? Not at all. This place has a little retro feel to it.

Very bizarre place, this is. We went to see Ladytron here last night (see separate review) and were…read moreonly allowed into the concert hall a full 40 minutes after doors open. Sound was horrible throughout the night and the 40 minute intermission between warm-up band and main act was almost unbearable (I don't have anything against Johnny Cash, but 40 minutes of him straight through during the wait for an electro concert?). I'm not sure I'd want to come back here to see a concert. I was disappointed by the setup and the way the evening was logistically handled.

This is a biased review because this is where I died and went to heaven. I have returned to the…read moreland of the living for my family (and to write this review) but I want it noted that this is the scene of my first departure from this Earth. Honestly, I don't know if I'm used to everything being so expensive in San Francisco but I found this place to be incredibly inexpensive. I saw a concert and had a drink for less than €25. My import beer was €4. That is just insanely cheap. How are they making money? I nursed my one beer for fear of having to go to the bathroom and missing out on ANYTHING. I was upstairs in the beautiful but small concert area and wasn't about to lose my spot near the stage. And then the concert started and then I died. Surrounded by a bunch of sort-of-likeminded fans, it was a great place to feel like, "OMG. Can anyone actually survive from being this happy?!" By the nights end, some lovely gal finally convinced me to put my coat back on before going outside and probably actually freezing to death. Could I really freeze to death, though? When one is so overly blissed out from chatting with Matthew Mole, the best singer in the whole entire world, who is super entirely nice, and omg, so sweet, and wonderful, and amazing, and is so worth everything it took to get here... oh, my heart. How the Prinzebar was able to contain all of this is beyond me. The guy at the coat check counter was also super lovely. Great intimate venue, insanely cheap prices, and filled with tons of really amazing feelings. Swoon!

Fantastically weird and wonderful venue which is in a converted trailer in the Schanze. They have…read morelive music a few nights per week, and sometime arcane theatre performances with everyone crammed into this tiny space. The outside garden is under the trees, and the candle-lit tables give a chilled, festival vibe. You could almost forget you were in the city

I had so few expectations of this place. I'd walked past this graffiti-clad monolith before and was…read morepretty convinced it was a smack den. So imagine my surprise when a band from back home came to town and announced they were playing a show there. What I found was a phenomenal space for music and art in general. Surprisingly decent acoustics, awesome DIY setup, cheap beer, relaxed door policy (feel free to pop in and out, check out the bowl outside if the weather's nice), cool staff happy to put up with my broken German...the whole place just had a great vibe. The fact they wanted to knock this place down is crazy. This place is nuts.

The Rote Flora is, in my opinion, a must-see when you come to Hamburg. Even though it's in the…read moreSchanze area, it seems to be tied with the Kiez as half of the cultural heart of St. Pauli. The place is basically the centre for left-wing politics and also anarchists. It's where the yearly riot happens, with the nearby Haspa bank getting continually destroyed. It used to be a theatre, but now you'll find practice areas for bands, a café-type-thing and a dirty dirty electro club. I still haven't been for one of the club nights, but I really want to. It's pretty high on my list of things to do in Hamburg

I saw three pop-punk/hardcore bands here and I really liked the venue. Anywhere in the main floor…read morewill give you a good view of the stage, and there's some space at the back for merch and sitting/hanging out. Cloakroom is 1€ per item, Astras are just 2€ a pop (2,50€ inc. deposit), bar staff are very friendly (and speak some English if you get stuck) and, amazingly, the toilets are actually very nice. A personal highlight for me was the fantastic view onto the harbour. It all added up to create a fantastic gig space. One thing I'd said, although it might not be the venue's fault, is the band mix wasn't perfect. In particular, the guitars needed to be a bit louder. Only really an issue for audiophiles though. Would definitely come back here, no questions.

one of the oldest punk rock clubs, if not the oldest- in Hamburg. Near the harbor, it is less than…read moreten minutes away from the Reeperbahn. it's a dingy bar, cheap drinks, great music on any given night. Sound can get a little rough, the floor a little sticky, and the room very hot when the club is backed. the bar is disconnected from the music side. as far as I Can tell, an all ages venue. english is commonly spoken in the entire area, and most of the staff speak it fluently. I have been to the club numerous times and always have a great time.

Warning: this is a punk dive bar. All positive comments should be taken in that context…read more I was sad when Skorbut got closed down, but now I've seen the new location, I think the move was in the best interests of all concerned. The old location is now occupied by the incredibly civilised Krug wine bar. This new location is about 3-4 times bigger and much more airy (it's not that airy). One of my favourite things about the place is the decoration. The walls and and ceiling are completely covered in multi-layered posters for everything from punk and metal bands through to sci-fi films like Terminator. The beers are cheap(ish) and entry is free. You can even find some real punks here. All-in-all, it's a bar to go for a few beers, play table football or watch some crazy underground punk band. It's not a bar to go dancing, watch football or have a date(!)

If you like Punk music this is the place to go !!! This is a true insiders place where everyone is…read morewelcome and you can party through the night without getting disturbed by the morning light :-). They have cool decorations and the place has a special feel to it. Lots of people and nice music. If you go there you should try the "Pfeffi" an Eastern German shot that tastes exactly like mouthwash - just a lot stronger. At least it is really cheap :-). I liked the place and will visit it again next time I am around. All the best and "Up the Punk" as it says on the entry sign !!!

Astra Stube is one cool little bar! It's basically a tiny little gig venue located under the S-Bahn…read moretracks in the north-west of the schanze. It's a bit out of the way, but if you're into your local independent rock and indie music, then you'll definitely want to put this on you list of must-visit places. The only real drawback is that the place is just too small, so it gets very sweaty very fast. Oh well, you can't have everything :) Since writing the above review two years ago a few things have happened. 1) The bar was going to be closed (along with many nearby businesses) due to work on the above railway bridge 2) There was a large outcry; notably the Jan Delay album "Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Soul" features a photo of the bar as it's front cover; The work was put back a few years 3) The popular Hamburg-based film "Soul Kitchen" featured a scene in the bar, somehow managing to make the bar look something other than tiny.

Dank stinking grungy hole of a bar. Which I like. We saw a pretty intense gig on Saturday night…read more(experi-mental rock), hooked up with some randoms and crashed a house party afterwards. If you don't like overheated, overcrowed hellholes... stay away!

LIVE MUSIC WAS GREAT…read more This place is famous for being the first place in Germany at which the Beatles played. Okay. It was on the list of venues to visit during the Reeperbahn Festival because of a band that was playing there. I didn't eat or drink; simply enjoyed the tunes and enjoyed people watching. The venue is small, but can pack a pretty good crowd. I would definitely visit again for another cool band.

Not sure what this place is like at the weekends but it's fairly quiet on a Thursday! Still, if you…read morehave a massive group of people you'll all be able to get a seat. There is live music but I found it sleep-inducing...

My friends and I drove in to go to the Dom and have a meal. Because of the Dom it seemed like it…read morewas much busier than usual and we got one of the last tables available around 5:00. It took a little while for us to get our order in just because of how busy it was, but the waitress was nice and the food was good.

I was walking around without my German friend so I had no translator. This place seemed fairly…read more"Americanized" so I decided to go in in the hopes that someone here spoke English. I sat at the bar and luckily I was able to speak English to the bartender. He was nice by German standards haha. What I ordered: I got the veggie burger (Tina turner burger) and a beer. The burger was huge! And so tasty! The sauce was mayo-based (I think it was a currywurst sauce, but I'm not sure), but I enjoyed the flavor on this burger. The side was a small salad. Overall, it is not a standout place, but the quality of the food and service was good!