Some of the hottest new places to eat in Hamburg can be found along the street Hohe Bleichen in the city centre, just behind the Gänsemarkt and Hanseviertel shopping district: 

• The Italian restaurant  Vapiano, Hohe Bleichen 10, Tel. +49 (40) 3501 9976, is an almost "old favorite", serving basic, fresh Italian food in a stylish, urban yet casual atmosphere. As a local newspaper put it, this is the place where Hamburg’s Carries, Samanthas, Mirandas and Charlottes meet, i.e. bankers, lawyers, models, beautiful and creative people etc. 
• A new kid on the same block is Die Bank, Hohe Bleichen 17, Tel. +49 (49) 238 0030, which is open from Monday til Saturday from 11:30 am and serves German and international delicacies with a creative, modern twist. The place used to be a bank before, this is why the restaurant is called Die Bank.
• The Vapiano Group also plans to open another restaurant just next to its Vapiano restaurant, where Asian food will be served in a stylish setting.

      * The Block House is a great chain of restaurants. Excellent steaks and good value for money. 

• Another great restaurant is Lehmitz Weinstuben, a former wine celler/store. The address is Faberstrasse 21, 20257 Hamburg. The atmosphere is wonderful, and the food's not bad either.
  

If you're having a stroll around the Reeperbahn but looking for somewhere decent to eat, check out the Hotel Metropol. It's located towards the U-Bahn station at the east-end of the street. It does a fixed menu with four or five choices. Menus in English and German. Good variety of drinks. Trendy design and good service. Two dining areas, one of which has 3 LCD TV screens screening live football. On one evening there was a large party of schoolkids in with their teachers (who were all presumably staying in the hotel). So that gives a good indication of the type of place it is.