Restaurant Haerlin Review: Christoph Rüffer’s Three-Star Perfection in Hamburg

When the Restaurant Haerlin at Hamburg’s Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten received its long-awaited third Michelin star in 2025, joining Tohru in Munich as one of Germany’s newly promoted three-star destinations, it seemed only fitting to celebrate with friends who share my passion for fine dining. We wanted to taste for ourselves what this accolade had confirmed: that Christoph Rüffer’s cooking had reached a state of quiet maturity and confidence.

Location & Atmosphere

The Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten stands on the Inner Alster like a monument to another age of travel. Since its opening in 1897, this grand hotel has embodied the grace of the Hanseatic world, an address for those departing to America, or returning home from voyages across the Atlantic. Its rooms still breathe that lineage of civility and poise.

Haerlin itself lies at the heart of this heritage. The dining room is classic in proportion, hushed in tone. Light falls softly on linen and silver, voices remain measured. The guests are elegantly dressed, the atmosphere unmistakably formal, yet the service carries a rare warmth. It is one of those few places where formality does not distance; it refines.

Culinary Style or Distinctive Character

Chef Christoph Rüffer has led the kitchen at Haerlin for more than two decades, and his evolution has been one of deliberate refinement rather than reinvention. As described in an article on the Michelin Guide website, inspectors have noted a clear progression toward reduction, focus, and composure. In their 2024 report, one inspector observed that the preparations were “truly surprising in their restraint—my best meal here so far, clearly at three-star level.”

That restraint defines Rüffer’s current style. The dishes no longer aim to impress through complexity but through precision and control. Each component has a purpose; nothing is ornamental. His sauces and fonds possess remarkable depth and clarity, giving structure and energy to compositions that feel both classical and modern.

What has changed most is the confidence behind the simplicity. As one inspector noted, “Rüffer now leaves things out. The results are consistently well-balanced dishes of great expressiveness and purity of flavour.” It is a quiet mastery born of long experience—luxury expressed not through excess, but through the serenity of knowing exactly when to stop.

The Menu

We began with a small comparative pleasure: a glass of Dom Pérignon 2015 alongside Krug Grande Cuvée 172—two interpretations of Champagne’s architecture, one linear and tense, the other generous and orchestral.

The opening amuse-bouches established the tone:
a parmesan croustade with beef tartare and miso aubergine,
a pumpkin seed chip with akami tuna and soy-eel lacquer,
and a Gillardeau oyster with zucchini and green horseradish foam.
Each was detailed yet effortless, a prelude of precision.

Then followed a quail ravioli in a light game essence, and a delicate slice of Scottish Label Rouge salmon from the Isle of Mull, served raw between two toasted bread sheets with a Marie Rose sauce and aged sake. The temperature was exact, the seasoning almost invisible—purely structural cooking.

The imperial caviar arrived with cured sea bass, razor clam vinaigrette, and cucumber: saline, cold, architectural. A fillet of sole “meunière” appeared in artichoke-citrus broth, its accompanying tortelli filled with parsley and parmesan, suspended in olive oil that glowed faintly green.

A red mullet with grilled pepper sabayon and Crocus polenta brought a Mediterranean warmth before a generous inserted course: sweetbread and Helgoland lobster, each browned to a fine crust, joined by asparagus, morel, tomato, and a duet of veal jus and crustacean foam. It was the most emotional plate of the evening—rich, clear, completely assured.

The main course, Limousin lamb from the Boucherie de la Sablière, appeared with calf’s head–lemon jus, wild garlic capers, olive gnocchi, and Sauce Charon. It was a dish of deep structure and quiet beauty, rooted in the grand French tradition yet contemporary in detail.

Desserts returned to lightness: pineapple–saffron sorbet with Mezcal, basil distillate, and green jalapeño, followed by Altlander Reineclaude plum from Obsthof Eckhoff with almond tuile, iced Champagne, and a warm Mimosa sabayon—a farewell in minor key.

Wine

The wine selection reflected the company: it was not curated by the sommelier but by a friend at our table, an exceptional Weinkenner. Alongside the Champagnes came a Chablis Grand Cru “Les Clos” 2012 from Vincent Dauvissat, a wine of crystalline precision and saline depth, its quiet evolution a mirror to Rüffer’s restraint. A Gaja Barbaresco 2001 followed, opening with tobacco, truffle, and dried cherry—magnificent in its poise. The evening’s emotional centre, however, was a bottle from his personal cellar: Domaine Guillot-Broux, Mâcon-Cruzille “Le Clos” 2005, beautifully mature and richly layered, its pronounced truffle note both distinctive and captivating, lending the meal a final, lingering warmth.

Verdict

Haerlin is a noble restaurant, in every sense. It belongs to the tradition of grand hotels and haute cuisine, yet it feels profoundly human. Behind the linen and formality lies an emotional precision that few kitchens achieve. Each dish, each gesture, carries the confidence of a house that has nothing left to prove.

Each plate is not only composed with aesthetic clarity but delivers flavours of striking depth and harmony. Rüffer’s cuisine engages the senses completely: textures are finely judged, sauces resonate with quiet intensity, and every bite reveals intention. It is rare to encounter dishes so beautiful to look at and yet so genuinely moving to taste.

For those who seek perfection not in spectacle but in serenity, Haerlin is worth the journey. It is not only one of Germany’s finest tables—it is a reminder of what dining at its highest level can still mean: calm, beauty, and the quiet conviction of mastery.

Location: Hamburg, Germany
Chef: Christoph Rüffer
Michelin rating: ★★★
Visited: September 2025
Tags: Fine Dining, Michelin 3 Stars, French Cuisine, Grand Hotel, Hamburg, Gastronomy

Visiting Vienna? Read my Steirereck review and my Amador review, Austria’s two three-Michelin-star restaurants.