Das Dorf

A Lange Reihe institution, das Dorf ('the Village') is a warm, woody and atmospherically lit vaulted-ceiling basement space that takes the notion of cosy to its near-theatrical extreme, its walls adorned with framed and decorative references to a thespian and bohemian history born of its close proximity to Hamburg's Schauspielhaus ('theatre'). Its current incarnation is a rather cleaned-up and more tourist-aware version of the place as run by former owner Tuschi, when actors, directors and bohemian types would smoke and drink the night away in gay abandon, with spirited and spontaneous behaviour to match. No longer the secret basement hideaway it was, the restaurant nevertheless offers an über-cosy eating experience marked by the owner's very successful mission to restore the reputation of German cooking in style. Can get very warm in summer, so consider one of the tables on the pavement out front. Opened 1848.