My husband and I are leaving for Germany soon - have been planning this trip for so long I can't believe it is actually almost here

I am just looking for some last minute restaurant, cafe and biergarten recommendations.

We will be in Munich for 5 nights, Nuremburg for 4, Reutte Austria for 3, and Munich for 1 more night before our flight home.

Why not just leave this all to chance, so it depends on where you happen to walk, who you happen to meet and talk to, and just plain ole providence.

Harzer

Have a great trip, J! In Munich, we enjoyed the Ratskeller in Marienplatz (but I admit that we're not food sophisticates). They do have a non-smoking dining room, and at some point, you may value that, though if you take most of your meals outdoors, it will be a moot point. Still, we liked the food quite a lot.

At any rate, have a wonderful time!

Munich restaurants:
--Hackerhaus on Sendlingerstrasse was our favorite. Great atmosphere, wonderful German food and that great Hacker-Pschorr bier.

--Andechser am Dom just off Marienplatz. Their schnitzel was the best we had in our three week tour of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Excellent beer, too. Indoor and outdoor eating areas, reasonable prices.

--Donisl--next to the Neues Rathaus on Marienplatz. Best prices for traditional german food. Oompa music at night. Crowded--expect to be seated by others.

Have a wonderful trip J_. Germany is awesome and the food is great.

Happy travels! You should have a wonderful time.
Our favorite Nuremberg restaurant is:
Heilig Geist-Spital
Spitalgasse 16
Phone 0911/22-17-61
Prices Main courses 7.20€-20€
Credit Cards AE, MC, V

650 year old tavern in the old town. Loads of atmosphere, good food, good beer (duh) and wine, good service, not expensive. By the way, while you're in Nberg, try and have a Wolfhoher beer. Terrific and hard to find outside Franconia. And if you head up to Bamberg for a day trip, give us your opinion of the local rauchbier...

Having spent some time in Nurmburg we can recommend the Barfuss Braueri down in the pedestrian district near the main markt platz. I do not have the address but it can be found easily. It was a great restaurant down in some ancient grain cellars in the lower level of a building. A glass elevator took you down one level from the street. It was gorgeous, reasonable, full of atmosphere and the beer and food excellent. It is a fairly new renovation though but kept historic.

Thanks for the recommendations I have put them on my list. And thanks for the well wishes. This trip is going to be great.

I think there is something to be said for leaving things to chance, but I am not entirely comfortable with that. I don't schedule out all our meals or anything, but I like to have some recommendations in my back pocket - maybe a couple must-eats and some good canditates to choose from when hunger strikes I have hypoglycemia, so food is always on my mind. I also hate to waste a meal opportunity on something less than yummy. So I am always planning ahead.

BTilke - I am absolutely looking forward to trying the rauchbier. I have had some California rauchbiers and enjoyed them very much. Always reminds me of smoked meat, which is a wonderful thing The Blackend Voodoo Lager by Dixie Brewing Co. also has a smoke undertone that is quite nice - not exactly a rauchbier, just an undertone. So I am quite excited to get to Germany and try some of the originals.

J_Correa - I've got my own countdown to Germany going... this time next week, I'll be sitting in Terminal E, Boston Logan airport waiting to board my flight. Two glorious weeks! Of course, it's mostly work, but...

Munich: We enjoyed the Liebighof im Lehel-- http://www.liebighof.de/ Had some very pleasant Bavarian dishes at reasonable prices. It's not far from the Bavarian National Museum and Schack Galerie. One of the museum guards recommended it.

In Hohenschwangau, we had a lovely dinner at the Alpenhotel Meier, actually on the outskirts of town on the road to Schwangau. http://www.alpenhotel-allgaeu.de/engl/e-willkommen.htm

If you get up to Bamberg on a daytrip from Nuernburg, try the Schlenkerla Brauhaus if your into beer. The Hotel Brudermuhle restaurant is very good, or walk across to the other side of the river by the old Rathaus (city hall), just after you get across the bridge on the left is a reasonable, cozy restaurant called Rathaus Schaenke.

I'm going in September so I'm "stealing" some of these recommendations. I agree it's good to have some sure things. Even if you end up not going to one of the restaurants at least you know of a good place in case you don't find anything else.

And you are the only other person I've come across that knows about Blackened Voodoo Ale. My husband is getting some today! Enjoy your trip, I know I'll be waiting for your report!

Dohlice - I love the Blackened Voodoo. It is hard to come by around here, but we do have a New Orleans-style restaurant that openned up last year that serves it. Mmmmmm My husband and I went to New Orleans on our honeymoon, which was when I discovered the Blackened Voodoo. It is a great beer for hot weather because although it is dark, it is a lager, so it isn't heavy.

Have a great trip J!!! When do you get back? We leave July 27th. Looking forward to reading your trip report.

katzen - We get back just after you leave. Unfortunately my trip report wont help you for your trip, but we can compare notes when you get back Have a great trip. Since we are only a few days away from our trip, every time I look at the clock, I find myself calculating what time it is in Germany and speculating as to what I would be doing at this very moment if I were already there. LOL.

It really is a great summer beer, isn't it? I had it first at a place called The Lousiana Community Grill which unfortunately closed. But, there is a distributor that carries it. Even the label is delicious!