Munich, Germany — Food and Dining
Restaurants in Munich, Germany
Restaurants
Expensive
Käfer-Schänke
This very typical Bavarian gourmet restaurant has a long history of famous chefs and guests. Although it is one of the most upmarket places in town, the delicious Bavarian dishes with a kick of innovation can be comfortably enjoyed in a relaxed atmosphere. This big traditional restaurant is divided into 12 cosy rooms, seating from a romantic two to a jolly 40.
Prinzregentenstrasse 73
Tel: (089) 416 8247.
Website: www.feinkost-kaefer.de
Price: $$$$
Mark's Restaurant
Dining at Mark's, the signature restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, is a luxurious experience. Diners arrive at the mezzanine restaurant by climbing a grand marble staircase, which opens out onto a lavish but intimate setting, with fine crystal and china, flowers and fruit nestling on the wooden tables. The cuisine is just as sumptuous - merging a variety of world cuisines, with special emphasis on Mediterranean ingredients.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Neuturmstrasse 1
Tel: (089) 2909 8875.
Website: www.mandarinoriental.com/munich
Price: $$$-$$$$
Tantris
Red and black are the dominating colors of this dramatically decorated, long-established restaurant. Spaciously designed, Tantris offers an extraordinary dining room, the Garden Salon, for special occasions or conferences. In the summer, tables on the elegant terrace are much sought after. The delicate and creative food is a pure celebration of the senses.
Johann-Fichte-Strasse 7
Tel: (089) 361 9590.
Website: www.tantris.de
Price: $$$$
Moderate
Barysphär
This is one of the most trendy places to eat out in Munich. The restaurant, or 'food club' as they like to call it, is on the ground floor, with an equally popular bar venue in the cellar. Its name, which comes from a derivation of the Greek for 'inner earth', is reflected in the warm elemental colors of the décor. The most innovative and exciting feature, however, is the menu, which includes some extremely unusual and exotic offerings, such as alligator steak.
Tumblingerstrasse 36
Tel: (089) 7677 5021.
Website: www.barysphaer.net
Price: $$
Dallmayr
The Dallmayr delicatessen is the city's top gastronomic address, drawing well-heeled Münchners to its lavish displays of fruits, vegetables, fish, cheeses, meats, chocolates and its celebrated coffee. The light and airy first-floor restaurant exudes elegance and serves shoppers classy lunch snacks, such as seafood and carpaccio, and indulgent oysters and lobster in the evening.
Dienerstrasse 14-15
Tel: (089) 21350.
Website: www.dallmayr.de
Price: $$
Mangostin
United under one roof are three exotic experiences: Papa Joe's Colonial Bar and Restaurant, serving colonial food, Keiko, a Japanese restaurant, and Lemon Grass with Thai cuisine and an open wok kitchen. All three are in the same price range and offer Asian delicacies, from sushi, tempura and bento to a variety of stir fries and noodle dishes. Décor is oriental with East Asian sculptures and plants decorating the space. The biggest attraction, however, must be the huge Mangostin garden on balmy summer evenings, and the sensational Sunday brunch buffet (reservations essential).
Maria-Einsiedel-Strasse 2
Tel: (089) 723 2031.
Website: www.kuffler-gastronomie.de
Price: $$$
Cheap
Chinesischer Turm
Not one of the most stylish places in Munich but definitely among the most famous and popular. Situated in the picturesque English Garden and open all year round, the ‘Chinese Tower' serves huge amounts of original Bavarian beer and traditional food. Punk or politician, student or star, everybody can be seen here.
Englischer Garten 3
Tel: (089) 383 8730 or 3838 7327.
Website: www.chinaturm.de
Price: $-$$
Hofbräuhaus
Probably the most famous brewery and restaurant in Germany, the world-renowned Hofbräuhaus guesthouse caters primarily for tourists, although it still attracts some Bavarian stalwarts. It sprawls over three floors, with the typical beerhall boasting long wooden tables and dramatically low chandeliers. Vaulted ceilings, rustic décor and live oom-pah music make this a highly atmospheric venue. During the summer, it is possible for guests to sit outside in the courtyard. The beer is superb, as are the hearty local dishes, including the tasty Munich specialty, ‘white sausage' served with sweet mustard.
Platzl 9
Tel: (089) 2901 3610.
Website: www.hofbraeuhaus.de
Price: $
Nightlife
The area around Münchener Freiheit in Schwabing is the best-known nightlife district, with innumerable bars, cafes, restaurants, jazz venues, dance clubs and crowds of students and youthful revelers. In recent years, a large number of hip new bars have opened up on the streets radiating out from Gärtnerplatz, while the Glockenbachviertel, just south of Sendlinger Tor, is the main focus of the gay scene. Haidhausen offers a more alternative scene.
The city has a range of bars and clubs to suit most tastes but admission and drink prices can be shockingly high and bouncers have a reputation for being particularly choosy. There is a trend towards bar-bistros, bar-cafes and, as in the rest of Germany, Feierabend (after-work) disco, which run 1800-2200 on weeknights and are increasingly popular with a slightly older tourist crowd, bopping to 60s, 70s or 80s music. The hippest club nights in the city are often one-offs, so it pays to ask around.
Licensing laws are not restrictive and Munich's clubs and pubs stay open until late. The legal drinking age in pubs and clubs is 18.
Munich Found (www.munichfound.de) has English-language listings, while Prinz (www.prinz.de) is its German-language counterpart.
Bars: One of several good bars and cafes on Türkenstrasse, Alter Simpl, Türkenstrasse 57, is famous for its links to the satirical magazine Simplicissimus and retains its bohemian ambience. Tresznjewski, Theresienstrasse 72, has an arty flair and long after midnight, when it is usually jam-packed, it becomes very flirtatious, as does legendary Schumann's, Odeonsplatz 6-7, where the cocktails are to die for. In the ultra-hip Gärtnerplatz quarter, cocktail bars like Ksar Club, Müllerstrasse 31, Holy Home, Reichenbachstrasse 21, and Lizard Lounge, Corneliusstrasse 31 are always so packed with a stylish crowd that it is next to impossible to get a seat. News Bar, Amalienstrasse 55, close to the Ludwig Maximilian University, is a popular student hangout.
In the Gärtnerplatz area, some of the little bars like Morizz, Klenzestrasse 43, and Café Glück, Palmstrasse 4, which originally opened as trendy gay hangouts, have been discovered and colonized by Munich's straight population. If you want to find the latest hip gay bars, the Café im Sub gay center, Müllerstrasse 43, serves up info as well as drinks.
The Hofbräuhaus, Platz 9, is a Munich institution, although for a less raucous experience, head to the Augustiner Gaststätte, Neuhauser Strasse 27. If you prefer your beer al fresco, visit the beer garden in the colorful Viktualienmarkt (see Shopping). For an alternative to beer, head to the Pfälzer Residenz Weinstube, Residenzstrasse 1, for a good selection of German wines and a buzzing atmosphere.
Clubs: Top spots include the Alabamahalle, Domagkstrasse 33 (www.alabamahalle.de), with varied club nights in a massive space and Babylon-2, Rosenheimerstrasse 143 (www.babylon-online.de), the largest club in Munich, with huge, packed dance floors and a laser show that is well worth seeing. Far more intimate, the Atomic Café, Neuturmstrasse 5 (www.atomic.de), is a trendy spot in the city center, featuring pop and rock music, touring DJs and some live bands. New York, Sonnenstrasse 25 (www.nyclub.de), is the most reliably fun gay club.
If you're feeling flash, head to P1, Prinzregentenstrasse 1 (www.p1-club.de), an upmarket club, frequented by Munich's jet set - exclusive, expensive and notoriously difficult to get into. To warm up for these high-profile locations, go to the nearby Park-Café, Sophienstrasse 7 (www.parkcafe089.de), which has a similar vibe but which, over time, has lost much of its exclusivity.
Live Music: Muffathalle, Zellstrasse 4, (www.muffathalle.de), is a major popular culture venue with live music, theater and dance performances. The on-site cafe serves food and drink during the day, transforming into a fun and friendly club venue in the evenings. Big-name acts perform at the Olympiahalle, Spiridon-Louis-Ring 21 (www.olympiapark-muenchen.de), next to the Olympic Stadium, as well as at the enormous Elserhalle, Rosenheimerstrasse 143 (www.georg-elser-hallen.com).
The Nachtcafé, Maximiliansplatz 5 (www.nachtcafe.ygg.de), offers blues, jazz and rock for a somewhat older crowd and as the name ‘night cafe' suggests, the venue closes late. Admission is free but food and cocktails are pricey. If country and western is your scene, try the Rattlesnake Saloon, Schneeglöckchenstrasse 91 (www.rattlesnake-saloon.com), on the outskirts of town. Top quality live jazz, including appearances by world stars, can be enjoyed daily at Jazzclub Unterfahrt, Einsteinstrasse 42 (www.unterfahrt.de), and Jazzkombinat, Ainmillerstrasse 1 (www.jazzkombinat.de).
