Munich Travel Guide
Munich Beer and Food Guide
How to eat and drink like a local in Munich: the six big breweries, the best beer halls and beer gardens, the etiquette, the Bavarian dishes to order, the Viktualienmarkt and a word on Oktoberfest.
In Munich, beer is not a drink so much as a way of life, and Bavarian food is built to go with it: hearty, generous and best shared at a long wooden table. The city's beer culture is one of the great pleasures of travel in Europe, and you do not need to be a beer expert to enjoy it. Here is how to eat and drink well in Munich.
The six breweries. Munich's beer world revolves around six big breweries with deep roots in the city: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbraeu, Loewenbraeu, Paulaner and Spaten. They are the only breweries allowed to serve beer in the big Oktoberfest tents, and each has its own beer halls and beer gardens and its loyal followers. Many locals swear by Augustiner, whose Helles, the pale, gently malty Munich lager, is the city's everyday beer; others prefer a wheat beer, Weissbier, cloudy and fruity, especially in summer. In spring you will find strong Bock beers, and in autumn the Oktoberfest beers, a little stronger than usual.
The beer halls. The Hofbraeuhaus am Platzl, near Marienplatz, is the most famous beer hall in the world, and every first-timer should go once: the vaulted Schwemme, the brass band, the waiters carrying armfuls of litre glasses and the regulars at their Stammtisch are pure Munich. It opens daily from 11am to midnight, and you cannot reserve in the Schwemme, so just find a seat. For a more local atmosphere, try the Augustiner Stammhaus on Neuhauser Strasse, with its beautiful old halls and an arcaded courtyard, or the Paulaner and Loewenbraeu halls a little out of the centre. A guided beer and food tour, with tastings, a food platter and the Beer and Oktoberfest Museum, is a fun way to learn the stories behind the glass, and it finishes at the Hofbraeuhaus.
The beer gardens. From spring to autumn, Munich drinks outside under chestnut trees, which were planted long ago to shade the brewery cellars below. The beer garden rules are a Munich institution: in the self-service areas, you can bring your own food, and you buy your drinks at the counter. Our favourites are the Chinese Tower in the English Garden, with around 7,000 seats and a brass band in the pagoda; the Augustiner-Keller near the main station, shaded by enormous chestnuts; the Viktualienmarkt beer garden in the old town, where the beer rotates between the six breweries every five or six weeks; and the Seehaus on the lake in the English Garden for a prettier setting. In bad weather, beer gardens close, so check before you go.
What to eat. Start with a Brotzeit, the Bavarian snack plate, with Obatzda, a spiced cheese spread with paprika and onion, radishes, cold cuts and a huge soft pretzel. Weisswurst, the white veal sausage, is a breakfast speciality, traditionally eaten before noon with sweet mustard, a pretzel and a wheat beer; you suck the meat out of the skin or peel it, and locals will watch your technique with amusement. For a main course, try Schweinsbraten, roast pork with crackling, gravy and a potato dumpling, or Schweinshaxe, the crisp roast pork knuckle. Leberkaese, a baked meatloaf, is eaten warm in a roll as a snack. For dessert, Apfelstrudel, Kaiserschmarrn, the shredded pancake with apple sauce, or Dampfnudeln. Vegetarians are better served than you might think: Kaesespaetzle, cheesy egg noodles with fried onions, and Knoedel, dumplings with mushroom sauce, are classics.
The Viktualienmarkt. The city's open-air food market, next to Marienplatz, is the best place to graze. More than a hundred stalls sell cheese, sausages, fish, fruit, bread, honey and spices, and you can assemble a picnic and eat it in the market's beer garden. The market trades Monday to Saturday, with no regular sales on Sundays. Weekday mornings are the time for authentic market life; Saturday late morning is the most sociable.
Beyond Bavarian food. Munich is a wealthy, international city, and its restaurant scene goes far beyond roast pork. You will find excellent Italian food, a legacy of the city's close ties with Italy, as well as Turkish, Greek, Vietnamese, Japanese and many more, especially in the Glockenbach, the Maxvorstadt and the station district. Fine dining is strong too: the three-Michelin-star Atelier at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof is one of the best restaurants in Germany. Coffee and cake, Kaffee und Kuchen, is an afternoon ritual, best enjoyed in a traditional cafe.
Oktoberfest. The world's largest folk festival takes place on the Theresienwiese for about two weeks from late September into early October. The beer tents of the six breweries hold thousands of people each, and on weekends they fill early. Entry to the grounds and the tents is free, but tables in the tents are reserved well in advance; individuals can find unreserved space in most tents on weekday mornings. If your dates do not match, a beer hall evening and a beer garden afternoon give you the same spirit with less crush.
Drinks beyond beer. Not everyone drinks beer, and Munich is ready for them. Every beer garden serves Spezi, a cola and orange mix, Apfelschorle, apple juice with sparkling water, and lemonade, and the Radler, half beer and half lemonade, is a lighter option on hot days. Franconian and Palatinate wines appear on many menus, and in winter the mulled wine of the Christmas markets takes over. Coffee culture is strong, and a traditional cafe with a slice of cake is the local way to fill a rainy afternoon.
A few rules. Toast with eye contact and a Prost. Do not hold up a reserved table. Return your glass in self-service beer gardens. And pace yourself: a Mass is a full litre, and Munich beer is easy to drink.