All the preceeding good reviews about Aurel are justified. I try to make a point of visiting Aurel whenever I go to Hamburg. The interior is tastefully styled while the whalesong in the bathrooms is both weird and wonderful. The beers and cocktails are good and the staff who serve them are always friendly. I like to go there late afternoon/early evening in summer when it's not too rammed but has a really good atmosphere. Ottensen itself is an up and coming area which you could believe is home to many of Hamburg's media types but not in any excessively awful way and it's only about a 10-15 minute stumble back to Altona S Bahn station. read more

I really like it here and they have the best caipirinha I have had in Europe. For only 4euros as happy hours 5pm-9pm every day, so try it. Other drinks are also nice, service is great and you can sit outside or take the drinks out. It´s a smoking restaurat so I prefere to do it in the summer. And inside it´s also quite noisy. read more

Really nice bar recommended to me by a coworker. A bit loud and smokey but the music is great and the atmosphere is pleasant. I'd like to come back here earlier in the evening (I was here on a weeknight at 23:00) when it's a bit less packed. Really liked the stained-glass windows! read more

Wait... I've not reviewed Aurel? Quite an oversight seeing as it's one of my favourite bars in the area (ok there's not that many bars in the area). Aurel is a dark, cool, sometimes a bit smokey bar full of fashionable young people. The fact that it's always full is one of the main good things - no-one wants to sit in an empty bar with no atmosphere. The drinks include all of the standard beers, cocktails and also coffee. Two notable things that make Aurel stand out a little: 1) The heart-shaped alcove with a table for two 2) The whale noises soundtrack in the bathrooms read more

Very good and chillaxed place to hang out with your friends. The drinks are cheap (you can get a Caphirinia for a fiver during Happy Hour), and if you can't find a free table - there are a number of sidewalks to choose from outside :) It is a laid back hipster kind of bar. It's cosy and there are recordings of whale sounds when you go into the ladies bathroom :) Great for a Friday night out with your friends! read more

This is a great little bar Aurel and after my first night out here I've already revisited a couple of times since. The first thing that really strikes you about the place is how dark it is inside... the bar is lit up by candle light on the bar tops and tables... this gives it a really inviting effect contrasting against the red interior. Aim straight ahead for the booth seat if it's free and you can get it... it's extremely comfortable and almost tucked away from everyone else view while still providing you a good eye of the rest of the bar. A great little place to also sit if your out on a date :-) The beer selection is great and the music is pretty OK too. Bar staff are helpful and the service is good. Plus we got free shots at the end of our night... (not that any of us really needed them but we were too drunk to pass them up) read more

This place is a catch-22 in my opinion. I've been here a couple of times and I am torn about whether I like it or not. For a date, it's a great place. Two people, dark room, get your game on. At the same time, if you come with a buddy for a couple of drinks, the place stinks. It is dark, loud, and has your very typical Ottensen Germ-a-Yuppie there. Plus you have to get up and get your own drinks....at least we did on the nights I was there and this was annoying. Again, on the contrary this place is fun in the summer as lots of people sit outside, even on the curbs of the road and it's a highly social place though be careful of those curbs when the busses come by...you'll either come close to dying or you'll at least inhale a ton of CO2 from their exhaust....to each his own). Grab a beer, head outside and enjoy what's going on around you in Ottensen. So, in summary, this is one of those places you have to go check out and decide for yourself. You won't go wrong in terms of finding a crap bar where you can't enjoy one beer. It's more a case of whether you'll come back or not. read more

Lovely bar toeing the fine line between cool and painfully hip. Depending who is serving, the music varies but it's usually very good. Prices are very fair but if you're not a smoker the place gets unbearable pretty quickly on a busy night. The Caipis are legendary. Despite the on-again, off-again smoking issue it's still one of my favourite bars in Hamburg. read more

Beste Raucherbar in Town! Hands down! Drinks are stiff, service is fast attentive and friendly and on weekends it's quite a party with live djs! I love this place!!! read more