balz und balz hamburg germany cafe coffee salad soup cake sprudge

In Hamburg you donโ€™t just stumble over new coffee shopsโ€”you must get them recommended to you. Which is how I came uponย Balz und Balz in Hamburg’s Hoheluft district during aย recent trip to the city.

The cafe is flooded with sun on theย brightโ€”yes, thereโ€™s such a thing in Hamburgโ€”afternoon of my visit. Chris Balz, co-owner of the brother and sister team of Balz und Balz, is preparing cappuccinos for his guests behind the La Marzocco Strada MP that sits on the counter.ย Beyond the coffee selection, the cake offerings simplyย overwhelmed meโ€”Germans do love their cake and coffee tradition in the afternoons. I optedย for a huge slice of Schmandkuchen and paired that with a BUNNย batch-brewed filter coffee with beans roasted by JB Kaffee of Munich.

balz und balz hamburg germany cafe coffee salad soup cake sprudge

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balz und balz hamburg germany cafe coffee salad soup cake sprudge

Chris Balz tells me he and his sister Kathrin always wanted to open their own shop since they were little kids. Theyย grew up in a family of butchers within a restaurant and guest house business. Before settling down in Hamburgโ€”and as Chris Balz says, Hamburg is actually the right place to do just thatโ€”they literally traveled the world and learned everything they could about cooking and baking, coffee, tea, and drinks. With Chris Balz being the coffee and tea expert and Kathrin Balz the one taking care of the food, Balz und Balz not only servesย cake and sweets, but also homemade sandwiches, salads, and soupsโ€”they make the perfect brother and sister team.

While sitting in one of the huge windows I let my eyes wander through the cafe, which isย split in two parts. One in the front when stepping inside the front door with a huge table, a bench, and some chairs on each side to the leftโ€”not to forget the huge tattooed lady photograph hanging on the wallโ€”and the counter to the right. In the back, you can find some additional seating with smaller tables and a shelf hanging on the wall with sausages from the family-owned butchery; I can hear (and smell) Kathrin Balz working in the kitchen preparing even more of the delicious cakes that are showcased in the glass cabinet right next to the counter.

balz und balz hamburg germany cafe coffee salad soup cake sprudge

balz und balz hamburg germany cafe coffee salad soup cake sprudge

โ€œWeโ€™re trying to be as local as possible,” Chris Balz tells me. “The sausages are from our family, the cheese is from a cheesery [Backensholzer Hof]ย close by, the chocolate from Mr. Hobans Coffee Roastery here in Hamburg, preserves and chutneys are from Fruchtkombรผse as well as the tea from Companion Coffee & Tea in Berlin,” he says. “Almost all our food is homemade and prepared right here and fresh in the cafe for our guests.โ€

Kathrin and Chris Balz love to be the hosts to their guests. You immediately feel part ofย the Balz family when talking to both of them. If a coffee shop is supposed to be an extension of the home, Balz und Balz definitely is.

Balz und Balz is located atย Lehmweg 6, 20251 Hamburg, Germany. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Melanie Bรถhme is a freelance journalist based in Frankfurt, Germany. Read more Melanie Bรถhme on Sprudge.

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