Munich Restaurants

Munich has dining establishments at every price level, from gourmet institutions to beer halls, Döner (gyros) shops, and sausage stands.

If you're like most visitors, you'll want to sample stick-to-your-ribs Bavarian specialties--and why not, unless you're morally opposed to roasted meats, sausages, dumplings, and cabbage?

You'll find plenty of restaurants and beer halls and beer gardens where cholesterol is king, starting with the Ratskeller in the city hall on Marienplatz, which has been serving beer, meals, and snacks since 1874.

Not far away, the city-owned Hofbräuhaus is an essential stop on most tourist itineraries, but other beer halls and gardens are just as tempting. Another classic Munich establishment, the Dallmayer coffeehouse and delicatessen, has a restaurant and a café-bistro--admittedly pricey--on the premises.

Personal recommendations and advice:

• Don't underestimate the appeal of Hofbräuhaus: It offers good beer, food, and fun at reasonable prices, plus an outstanding folklore show and buffet in the Festival Hall upstairs. And no, it isn't just a tourist trap: About half the guests (up to 30,000 on a busy day) are regulars from the Munich area.

• Across the river from Munich's shopping zone, Unions-Bräu-Haidhausen is a pleasant family-run alternative to the big-name, brewery-operated beer halls. (It's a good place to go if you're hungry, with generous portions of sausages, schnitzels, and other Bavarian specialties at reasonable prices.)

• Restaurant prices include taxes, and service is often part of the deal. If your bill has the phrase "inklusive Bedienung" or similar wording, you can round the bill up slightly when paying the server; otherwise, give a tip of 10 to 15 percent. (In Germany, it's customary to give the tip directly to the server, and not to leave it on the table. For example, if the bill is 20 euros and you want to leave a 3-euro tip, you can indicate "23 euros" when paying, or you can simply accept your change and hand over the tip.)

• Table-sharing is commonplace in beer halls and beer gardens, so if you're shy about plonking yourself down at a table with strangers, go early (before 6 p.m.) to get first dibs.

• For inexpensive food at any hour, visit the food courts and stands in the Hauptbahnhof, or main railroad station. The atmosphere is pleasant, the food can be excellent (the mozzarella-and-tomato sandwiches are superb), and you can watch trains come and go as you eat.

• Munich is loaded with bakeries, and many of them sell sandwiches along with doughnuts, coffeecake, etc. To enjoy a real treat, buy a slice of apple-walnut cake at Rischart, which has at least two branches in the pedestrian shopping zone and another in the Hauptbahnhof.

For links to restaurant reviews and guides, see our Munich Food & Drink Links page. Also see the next page in this guide--Beer in Munich--and our illustrated article on Munich's Oktoberfest.