Restaurant HENRIKS — Restaurant in Hamburg

For me it was a very weird restaurant visit. Emotionally I was prepared for paying more money than I'd usually do on food I'd usually don't eat in a restaurant more fancy then I'd usually go to. So I entered the experience with some expectations. All because HENRIKS is mentioned in the guide Michelin.

First of all: it was a nice experience!! Please don't consider my following comments as too rude. It's my German nature to state facts straight out.

So here comes:

When we arrived I was surprised about the noise. There were many people there talking and then there was quite loud music on top of that. The tables were very close to each other as well and they were large. So I sat closer to strange people at the next table then my boyfriend across from me. At the end of the night I knew where those strangers liked going on vacation and what their jobs are. But I didn't get to enjoy a lot of time with my boyfriend.

The food was good. I felt it missed some spark here and there, but it was great. Not too many spices, just plain prawns and plain steak accompanied by saffron rice, fries and truffle mayonnaise. We had the tuna tartar in the beginning and the creme brûlée at the end. All good. Nothing crazy but good.

I enjoyed the service mostly. They have weird chairs here and the waiter made a funny scene at the beginning of our stay to show us that they are safe (you'll understand when you go there some day) Also they took away our plates at the perfect moments. And asked if we needed breaks in-between our courses. That was very nice!

Concerning the wine menu: we didn't even know it existed. Probably we should know that in an establishment like this there'd be a menu for that, of course, but still... You shouldn't have to ask? So we learned of it's existence by overhearing the conversation at the table next to us. But it only had whole bottles listed. So it wasn't an option for us anyways. Maybe they suspected?

In the end we payed a little over 200€ for two very well stuffed stomachs, and we still had things to talk about on our way home. Even more since we both had opinions on the conversation of the table next to us.

I don't think I'd do it again for this money. Just to sit with posh people. I prefer being able to talk to my company and maybe stay a little longe because it's fun to keep drinking the next glass of...

Excellent restaurant. I thought all of the dishes that I ate and shared with the other two people I came with here were all very balanced, and significantly hearty for a fancier restaurant.

The beef tatar had a slight kick that was very satisfying when eating, although it was served with a quail egg that I thought was very overcooked and some pieces of salad and cream that felt a bit wrong. The beetroot tatar with goat cheese was excellent due to its pairing of sweet and sour so it would be the starter id recommend to a friend.

The wild shrimp were very well cooked, which is a hard job to do, and I felt that the saffron rice was legit and definitely able to taste the saffron. It came with aioli and tomato sauce that gave options of balancing the heartiness of the meal with some creaminess or acidity. The filet mignon that my friend had with truffle mashed potatoes also was very well cooked, to my friend’s medium rare wishes, and had a good light texture to it.

The spaghetti ice cream was half melted upon arrival, but considering we were one of the last in the restaurant, I cannot blame that on anyone except our late stay.

The service was excellent, and I really respected the restaurant for not kicking us out or being upset with us for our extended stay. I also found the staff very nice and funny, and thought it helped the atmosphere.

The lighting and volume in the room was my only complaint. The lighting tended to be too dark for my food and to properly read the menu, and when we arrived, the restaurant tended to be difficult to hear in. Ultimately, this is personal preference.

This is definitely a restaurant to visit. I very much enjoyed it, and it’s a good place to bring your friends visiting Hamburg and need some...

Henriks is usually full and there is a simple explanation for that - the restaurant, and its staff, are excellent. You can rely on the staff to give you a five-star experience, regardless if you’re a regular or come for the first time. The layout of the restaurant is a bit different, with a bar crammed into the dining area. So if you sit next to the bar it’s a little challenging. We sat in the dining area on the opposite side and it was perfect. The ambience is very nice and cozy and even when the restaurant is full it isn’t too loud. The bar, by the way, is great, and when many guests are present more staff members appear and help offload during the peak times so you never need to wait long for a cocktail, unlike many other, similar restaurants. The bar tender turned to become our waiter and he was excellent. The bar tender that replaced him was less friendly and seemed like he should have a different job. The menu is terrific and has a wide selection of dishes. The preparation is first class. We had classic dishes like carpaccio and chateaubriand and they were prepared to perfection. The wine selection is absolutely fantastic. You will find everything from Chateau Petrus to Vega Sicilia to some of the best American Napa Valley wines as well. Quite difficult to make a choice, but hard to fail. We will keep coming...