The Alter Strom quayside doubles in the evening as Warnemünde's bar strip. A string of low-key pubs and outdoor bars occupy the ground floors of the old fishermen's houses, most with tables set out on the narrow cobbled waterfront. The mood is relaxed and decidedly local — fishermen drinking beer alongside families and day-trippers who have missed their train back to Rostock and are happy about it.
Draught beer, simple cocktails, and the local Störtebeker brewery's range are what you will find in most places. The Störtebeker Braumanufaktur, based in nearby Stralsund, produces several Baltic-themed ales and a dark beer that goes well with the cool evening air off the water. Kümmel (caraway schnapps) is the traditional local spirit, served in small shot glasses.
A summer evening on the Alter Strom, with the lighthouse lit up at the far end of the channel and the last fishing boats rocking gently on the water, is the unhurried, informal best of Warnemünde.