Ti Breizh means “House of Brittany” in the Breton language. Hamburg’s only such restaurant, it cooks traditional food, most famously buckwheat crepes, aka galettes. In good weather they even offer a taste of the “coast”, with seating along the Nikolaifleet. Inside two stories overlook this town canal. White wooden furniture, maritime dressed servers with a French accent and artwork from Breton artists make you feel transmitted to the North East of France. That is also where they still source specific ingredients from, if the regional quality doesn’t satisfy.
Legends claim that Duchess Anne de Bretagne (1488-1514) throned galettes to be the national dish of Brittany. The necessary buckwheat was brought by knights as they returned from the Crusades.
Ti Breizh is suited for any type, occasion and hunger, but is still to be savoured. What else would one expect from cooks who learned their craft in Brittany? Though many are meaty, like the French like it, there is a wide selection of delicious vegetarian variants and even two vegan options. Galettes are made of buckwheat, so that’s gluten-free on top of it.
The creations range from simple to quite complex, sweet and savoury and can be complemented by apple cider (or craft beer) both from their country. Mostly I have come to dine for special occasions – my dads 50th and 51st birthday, farewell dinners and celebrations after exams. However it’s a place I always feel comfortable at, whatever the situation might be. Their simplest galette (with French salted butter) costs 4,30€ and can just as well be a casual snack, after exploring the harbor city.
For entrées (= appetizer), like they are in Brittany, we have tried the little fishes (mackerels, sardines), soup and salad with artichokes – all of which pleased. However I would save your hunger for the galettes with diverse toppings (ratatouille, spinach, lamb sausage, artichokes, smoked salmon, fried egg . . .). I especially like the two vegan options. They don’t suffer from an absence of the opulent ingredients that get chosen for the daily specials – such as duck, lamb sausage or blue cheese, which I adore as well.
Usually there’s a bit of room for dessert. That doesn’t make the choices of the day any easier. If you like salted caramel then definitely take caramel breton maison. A great newbie for us was the chestnut cream – another traditional French ingredient. But this sweet menu is actually more overwhelming than I’m making it seem now: pure sugar; honey-lemon; maple syrup; fruit jams; roasted nuts with apple compote; dark chocolate-banana or -pear or -marzipan . . . scroll down to the bottom and you can choose ones with vanilla ice cream, hot cherry sauces, stewed apples, chantilly (whipped cream) or some booze to make them glow in flames.
If you’re new to Hamburg or have lived here for a lifetime, Ti Breizh is worth every visit. I recommend reserving a table, especially in the evenings. And if you’re going on a warm day and lucky enough to miss the Hamburg rain, then grab a spot on the Nikolaifleet.
Please tell me what you think if you get a chance to try!
My favorite: the “vegan” one with artichokes but normal cheese (or ask for Morbier, that’s a stronger mountain-blue cheese)
Where? Deichstraße 39, 3 min walk from U3 Rödingsmarkt and Baumwall – just a few minutes from the modern and old parts of the harbor (Hafencity and Speicherstadt)
When? food from 12-22, open till about midnight, Boutique: Mo-Sa: 11-20
How much? 7-10€ for the normal galettes, (4-6€ for the simple ones), 4-7€ dessert crêpes
Other Info: no wifi, bathroom, reservation recommended, vegan, gf, website
My all time favorite is the blue-cheese, spinach which is topped with generous amounts of fresh salad and is just soo good! I wish I could have one right now 😉 You described the place perfectly, it’s casual but at the same time nice for special events!
Ti Briezh is one of my all time favorites, also for lunch . I especially like the ones with Breton sausage with a good bottle of Cidre followed by a caramel desert crepe. The staff is also super friendly and patient with my daughter’s faltering French. But you can also order in German or English. Europe at its best.
I chose the vegan one with salate, vegetables in tomato sauce and vegan cheese, but I omitted the cheese. Although it sounds quite boring, it tasted great especially together with the taste of the buckwheat.
As a dessert I had a buckwheat crêpe with banana and canned pears. I can only recommend you to take a dessert crêpe with pear if you are into them as much as I am.
All in all, the food was worth its price! If you are new to Hamburg or just stay here a short time, I would suggest to definite allow for a visite at Ti Breizh.