Komet Musik Bar
Komet Musik Bar is a narrow bar on Erichstrasse that runs DJ sets most nights of the week, with a booking policy that leans on local selectors rather than touring names. The room is small enough that 50 people feels full, which suits the music perfectly; the focus is on listening and dancing in close quarters rather than spectacle. The sound system is modest but well-tuned, the lighting is low, and the decor is a mix of found objects, old concert posters, and whatever the bar staff have brought in over the years. Drinks are straightforward, with a short cocktail list, a few draught beers, and a decent selection of spirits. The crowd is mostly local, drawn from the wider St. Pauli and Karolinenviertel music community, and regulars outnumber tourists on any given night. Nights rotate through soul, funk, disco, Afrobeat, house, and techno depending on the DJ, and the programming avoids the generic club-night template that dominates larger Reeperbahn venues. Entry is often free with a small donation expected for the DJ.
Where to stay near Komet Musik Bar
Hotels and rentals within walking distance.
What to Expect
A narrow room lit mostly by the lamps above the DJ booth, a bar crowded with regulars, and a small dance floor that forms organically wherever there is space. The music is the main event, so conversations tend to happen near the door or outside on the street. Sound is loud but not punishing.
Intimate, music-focused, unpretentious.
Soul, funk, disco, Afrobeat, house, techno depending on the DJ
Casual. St. Pauli standard, no effort required.
Music fans who prefer DJ bars to big clubs, locals and long-stay visitors looking for something beyond the tourist strip.
Cash preferred, cards sometimes accepted
Price Range
Beer 4 EUR, cocktails 8-10 EUR, entry 0-5 EUR donation
Beer ~$4.30, cocktails ~$8.60-11, entry ~$0-5.40
Hours
Wed-Sat 22:00-04:00, occasional Sunday events
Insider Tip
Check the program online; the DJ lineup changes the vibe completely from soul nights to techno nights. Get there before midnight if you want space to move. Donations for the DJ are expected even when entry is free, around 3 EUR is standard.
Full Review
Komet Musik Bar operates at the smaller end of the Reeperbahn ecosystem and does so deliberately. The Erichstrasse location puts it a block away from the main tourist flow, and the unmarked exterior means that you mostly find it by knowing it's there. Inside, the room is long and narrow, with the bar taking up most of one wall and a small DJ setup at the back. There is no dedicated dance floor, just the space between the bar and the booth, which fills up naturally as the night builds.
The booking policy is the reason to come. Where many neighboring venues cycle through the same chart-house sets week after week, Komet varies its programming significantly depending on which DJ is playing. A Friday soul and funk night draws one crowd, a Saturday late-night techno session draws another, and the bar's identity comes from its curatorial consistency rather than from a fixed sound.
Among St. Pauli's smaller music bars, Komet competes with a handful of similar spots including Silbersack and the now-closed Kleiner Donner. The competitive edge is the music programming and the loyalty of the regulars who show up regardless of who is playing. Bigger clubs nearby can draw bigger names, but Komet offers something the mega-venues cannot: a room small enough that the music actually fills it.
Arrive between 22:00 and midnight on a programmed night for the best experience. The crowd builds slowly and peaks around 01:00. The bar stays open later on weekends, and the late hours often drift into more experimental territory as the DJs play what they actually want to hear.
Drink service stays efficient even when the bar is packed because the menu is short and the bartenders don't spend time on elaborate preparations. Cash is the default payment mode and the card reader is occasionally offline, which is worth knowing before you order a round. The bar's social dynamic rewards arrival in small groups of two or three; larger parties tend to disperse across the room rather than stay together, and solo visitors often end up in conversation with regulars within an hour.
The Neighborhood
Komet is on Erichstrasse, one block south of Reeperbahn itself, in the central St. Pauli nightlife grid. Herbertstrasse, the legal brothel street, is two minutes away. The Davidwache police station is at the nearby corner of Davidstrasse and Reeperbahn.
Getting There
S-Bahn S1 or S3 to Reeperbahn station, then walk east along Reeperbahn and turn right onto Erichstrasse. The bar is about a four-minute walk from the station. U-Bahn U3 to St. Pauli is also about five minutes away on foot.
Address
Erichstraße 11, 20359 Hamburg
Other Venues in Herbertstrasse
Dollhouse
One of Hamburg's best-known go-go clubs, operating since the 1970s on Grosse Freiheit. Multiple floors with rotating stage shows and table seating.
Safari
Long-running go-go bar a short walk from Herbertstrasse. The neon-lit exterior is a fixture of the Grosse Freiheit strip.
Zur Ritze
Legendary St. Pauli dive bar with a full boxing ring in the basement. A neighborhood institution since 1962, popular with locals and tourists alike.
Silbersack
Old-school corner bar on a quiet side street behind the Reeperbahn. No frills, cheap drinks, and a loyal local crowd that keeps the jukebox running.
Gruenspan
Concert venue operating since the 1960s, when it hosted acts during Hamburg's beat music era. Still books live bands and DJ nights across genres.
Golden Pudel Club
Legendary DIY club on the harbor waterfront below the Hafenstrasse. Experimental music, noise acts, and leftfield DJs play in a rough wooden shack with views of the Elbe.