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Munich has a lively night scene ranging from beer halls to bars to chic clubs. The fun areas for a night out are in Altstadt, Isarvorstadt (Gärtnerplatz and Glockenbachviertel are arguably the best in the city), and Schwabing around Schellingstrasse and Münchner Freiheit. Regardless of their size or style, many bars, especially around Gärtnerplatz, have DJs spinning either mellow background sounds or funky beats.
However many fingers you hold up, just remember the easy-to-pronounce "Bier bitte" ("beer please") when ordering a beer. The tricky part is, Germans don't just produce one beverage called beer; they brew more than 5,000 varieties. Germany has about 1,300 breweries, 40% of the world's total.
In Munich you'll find the most famous breweries, the largest beer halls and beer gardens, the biggest and most indulgent beer festival, and the widest selection of brews. Even the beer glasses are bigger: a Mass is a 1-liter (almost 2-pint) serving; a Halbe is half a liter and the standard size. The Hofbräuhaus is Munich's best-known beer hall, but you are more likely to find locals in one of the English Garden's four beer gardens or in a Wirtshaus (tavern).
In summer, last call at the beer gardens is around 11 pm. Most of the traditional places stay open until 1 am or so and are great for a few hours of wining and dining before heading out on the town. Most bars stay open until at least 3 am on weekends; some don't close until 5 or 6 am.
Munich has dozens of beer gardens, ranging from huge establishments that seat several hundred to small terraces tucked behind neighborhood pubs; the rest of the beer gardens are a bit farther afield and can be reached handily by bike or S- and U-bahn. Beer gardens are such an integral part of Munich life that a council proposal to cut down their hours provoked a storm of protest in 1995, culminating in one of the largest demonstrations in the city's history. They open whenever the thermometer creeps above 10°C (50°F) and the sun filters through the chestnut trees that are a necessary part of the scenery.
Everybody in Munich has at least one favorite beer garden, so you're usually in good hands if you ask someone to point you in the right direction. You do not need to reserve. No need to phone either. If the weather says yes, then go. Most—but not all—allow you to bring your own food, but if you do, buy your drinks from the beer garden and don't defile this hallowed territory with something so foreign as pizza or a burger.
There are a few dance clubs in town worth mentioning, but the larger the venue, the more difficult the entry. In general, big nightclubs are giving way to smaller, more laid-back lounge types of places scattered all over town. If you're really hankering for a big club, go to Optimolwerke in the Ostbahnhof area. Otherwise, enjoy the handful of places around the City Center.
Munich also has a decent jazz scene, and some beer gardens have even taken to replacing their brass oompah bands with funky combos. Jazz musicians sometimes accompany Sunday brunch, too.
Among Munich's largest beer gardens (5,000 seats)—and in fact its oldest—Augustiner Keller is one of the more authentic beer gardens, with excellent food, beautiful chestnut shade trees, a mixed local crowd, and Munich Augustiner beer.
The only true beer garden in the center of the city, and therefore the easiest to find, is the one at Viktualienmarkt. The beer on tap rotates among the six major Munich breweries to keep everyone happy throughout the year.
Frequented by students and hipsters, this lively two-story bar near the main train station is famous for its cheap drinks and kitschy atmosphere.
The young sommeliers here take a fresh, modern approach to wine, departing from the typical German Rieslings and French Pinot noirs (though those are on the menu, too) and offering many lesser-known varietals. The well-curated list of wines by the glass includes natural and biodynamic options; ask for the separate card of rare (and pricier) wines, also by the glass. The loungelike space and small garden terrace attract a well-heeled crowd; weekend evenings are particularly lively.
This is one of the city's midsize beer gardens but undoubtedly one of the best. Its location just off pretty cobblestoned Wiener Platz makes it attractive enough, plus the food's good, and it serves the same beer as the Hofbräuhaus. There's a play area for children as well as a lounge area with sand and sun loungers.
Since 1997, Jazzbar Vogler has staged jazz concerts in its intimate, dimly lit space.
For more than 40 years, Unterfahrt has been the place for the serious jazzologist.
Out in the district of Nymphenburg is the huge Königlicher Hirschgarten, Munich's largest beer garden, with 8,000 seats. It's also a family-oriented beer garden; it even has a deer reserve. To get there, rent bikes and make a day of it in the park and beer garden, or take the S-bahn to Hirschgarten, then walk about 15 minutes. No matter how you get there, it'll be worth it.
This is one of Munich's hippest hangouts, a combination restaurant, bar, and nightclub inside a 1930s building in the Old Botanical Garden, plus a sprawling seasonal beer garden outside. It often draws a younger crowd, attracted by a thriving music scene, which ranges from DJs to live bands. There's a great atmosphere to go with the good food and drinks, even better when the sun is shining and the beer garden is open.
Set atop "Holy Hill," so named because Paulaner monks produced beer here as far back as 1627, this brewery/beer garden was entirely refurbished in early 2018. The sprawling shady beer garden, which seats 2,000 people, is a nice break from the touristy beer gardens found in much of the city. Sample handcrafted Paulaner beers made right on-site, including the potent wheat beer Faustus; many are specialty unfiltered brews you can't find elsewhere. The Bavarian cuisine here is particularly good.
As befits its name, this minuscule bar has just a handful of tables and stools, but it’s big on atmosphere, with wood-lined walls decorated with vintage posters, an antique cash register, and an old piano wedged in the corner.
The Backstage is mostly a live-music venue for alternative music of all kinds, but there's also a chilled-out club and a seasonal beer garden.
Around the corner from the Hofbräuhaus, Bar Centrale is a friendly Italian café by day, but come evening, it morphs into a dimly lit lounge, with cocktails (many with an Italian bent) served at cozy tables in the retro-looking interior. There's also a small, ever-changing menu of international dishes and a nice selection of Italian wines by the glass.
Choose from a long list of creative craft cocktails at this dimly lit late-night haunt which also features live jazz.
The famous Biergarten am Chinesischen Turm is at the five-story Chinese Tower in the Englischer Garten. Enjoy your beer to the strains of oompah music played by traditionally dressed musicians.
Everything glows golden at this aptly named bar and café within the Haus der Kunst. Among gilded wall paintings dating from 1937 and beneath a mod 1920s chandelier, hip locals sit on vintage furniture sipping classic cocktails with a modern twist.
The Hirschau, pleasantly located in the Englischer Garten, has room for around 1,800 guests and serves a rotating selection of seasonal beers plus local and international beer garden specialties. There's also live music Thursday to Sunday.
For a New York City–style corner-bar experience, check out Holy Home, in the heart of the trendy Gärtnerplatz district. A hip local crowd frequents this hole-in-the-wall that books great low-key DJs.
Cushy leather seating, brick walls, and flickering candles lend a warm, clubby vibe to this trendy bar near the Pinakotheken (art museums) and the university. There's a long list of classic and signature cocktails.
Tucked inside the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski, this sophisticated spot, outfitted with plush carpeting, leather seating, and an open fireplace, serves a wide range of sparkling wines, whiskeys, and cocktails.
Just behind the Frauenkirche, Kilian's Irish Pub and Ned Kelly's Australian Bar (adjoining bars) offer an escape from the German tavern scene. Naturally, they have Guinness and Foster's, but they also serve Munich's lager, Augustiner, and regularly televise international soccer, rugby, and sports in general. There's also free live music every evening except Sunday at Kilian's starting at 9 pm.
One of the best live venues in the city, this club housed inside a historic power station hosts up-and-coming bands as well as leading indie acts from around the world. The café-bar (open during events only) and the modest beer garden (open when the weather is good) serves surprisingly good organic food along with organic beer from the Lammsbräu Brewery.
Opened in 1967, the Ochsengarten is Munich's men-only bar for lovers of leather and rubber.
Bordering the Englischer Garten, in a wing of Haus der Kunst, P1 is definitely one of the most popular clubs in town for the see-and-be-seen crowd. It is chockablock with the rich and the wannabe rich and can be fun if you're in the mood. Seats on the seasonal terrace are highly coveted, so reservations are essential. The bouncers can be choosy about whom they let in, so you'll need to dress in style.
Established more than a decade ago, this is still one of the most lively clubs on the scene, combining dance, burlesque, and all kinds of music, all night long.
A Munich fixture since 1974, the nautical-style Pusser's Bar pours great cocktails and Irish-German black-and-tans (Guinness and strong German beer). Try the rum-based "Painkiller," a specialty of the house. Enjoy live piano music Thursday to Saturday evenings in the downstairs piano bar.
The Seehaus im Englischen Garten is on the banks of the artificial lake Kleinhesseloher See, where all of Munich converges on hot summer days. Take Bus 59 and exit at Osterwaldstrasse or U-bahn 3/6 to Münchner Freiheit and stroll through the park. The beer garden is open on weekends and holidays when the weather is good.
The crowd at Neuhausen's Taxisgarten, with 1,500 seats, is mostly local and the food here is excellent, not to mention the beer. While parents refresh themselves, children exhaust themselves at the playground.
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