Third Room

Third Room takes its name from the idea of the third place — the space that isn't home and isn't work, where you go to meet a friend, read a book in peace or quietly get on with a project. In Hamburg's Eimsbüttel, that's exactly what owner Tristan Wagenbach has built. He arrived from Berlin, where he taught at the Berlin School of Coffee, and that teaching background is obvious in the cup: carefully dialled espresso and filter, made with the precision of someone who has trained others to do the same. The room on Emilienstraße is calm and unfussy, with cakes baked daily and grilled-cheese sandwiches on weekends to keep you there a little longer. It's the kind of neighbourhood coffee bar that rewards a slow visit — exacting about the coffee, relaxed about everything else.