Mutterland Stammhaus

Mutterland is a Hamburg delicatessen that champions traditionally made German food, and its Stammhaus, or flagship, stands next to the main railway station on Ernst-Merck-Straße. The owner-run business sells specialities from small and medium-sized producers across Germany and runs its own bakery, chocolate manufacture and production kitchen. The flagship spreads over two floors and about 1,000 square metres, with a delicatessen offering around 5,000 handmade products from more than 200 producers, plus a café, restaurant, bar and terrace.

For visitors, the café and restaurant are the reason to come. You can eat here from breakfast through brunch, lunch and coffee and cake to dinner, and the brunch menu focuses on regional ingredients and products from German makers. The bakery supplies cakes and pastries, and Mutterland's other branches sell Franzbrötchen, the Hamburg pastry, as well as sandwiches, croissants and salads. Much of the food is also available to take away, which is useful before a train journey.

The highlight is a glass chocolate factory, where you can watch chocolates being made by hand and taste them fresh. Combined with the shelves of German specialities, it makes the Stammhaus one of the best places in the city to buy edible gifts. Purchases can be wrapped in Mutterland's own gift bags.

The gastronomy mainly uses regional, seasonal ingredients, and the company says leftover fresh food is donated to aid organisations. It suits travellers arriving or leaving by train, families looking for a relaxed breakfast, and anyone who wants to taste a wide range of German specialities in one place. With two floors, it can also cope with groups better than most small cafés.

Opening hours are published on Mutterland's website rather than on the tourism listing, so check them before you go, especially on Sundays. Mutterland also has branches in Eppendorf, with a year-round terrace, and in the city centre in Streit's Hof, a 1908 office building near Gänsemarkt, which is takeaway only. Allow an hour for a meal and some time to browse the shop, and if you are catching a train, leave enough time to watch the chocolate makers at work before you go.