Restaurants in Munich for Foodies
 

My boyfriend and I will be in Munich the last weekend of September for Oktoberfest. Figuring that we will at some point want to eat something other than beer and pretzels, does anyone have any restaurant recommendations? We are both foodies and enjoy everything from great street food to high end restaurants. Thanks

As I'm heading to Munich in Feb'08 I would love to see some suggestions as well. lynda

For traditional Bavarian food, excellent quality but not posh, i.e. affordable prices, I'd recommend Spöckmeyer (Sendlinger Straße, just round the corner from Marienplatz, same block as the Kaufhof).

Spatenhaus is very good with traditional German food.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...D42976.html((b))

We really enjoyed the Andecher am Dom, which is right behind the Frauenkirche, around the corner from the Marienplatz. The food is good - schnitzel, roast meats, and so forth - and they have a nice outside patio area in the front of the restaurant, which is very comfortable.

A very nice traditional place: Liebighof im Lehel. http://www.liebighof.de/

We just got back from Munich earlier this month. Food is a very important part of our travels, so we seeked out the better places to eat beyond the standard tourist restaurants. Here's my impressions of the few restaurants that you may appreciate if you are a foodie.

SCHUHBECKS on Plaztl was fantastic. Food was almost excellent though the appetizers could have been a little better, but I can understand the challenge of uplifting Bavarian/Austrian overcooked meats to gourmet level. Nevertheless the service was flawless with a team of multi level waiters, it felt like dining in a multi star French restaurant. The experience was worth the money plus they have a great wine selection. Their best dish was Boeff Lamotte which is a sliced steak covered with a thick delicious foie gras and sauce. The other beef/veal dishes are not as impressive. 78 eur/3 course and 88eur/4 course, 93 eur/5 course.

LENBACH on Ottostrasse was a great surprise. It's one of those lounge theme restaurants in a grand palace redesigned by Sir Terence Conran. Great concept but after 10 years it's not quite the big success one would expect. Their downfall is service. Our two waiters forgot everything and got so distracted by their own poor communication. Despite all the incapable service, we'd go back there just for their Taglioni with parmesan & fresh truffle. It's as good as those in the italian restaurants in Frankfurt. The butterfisch was also incredibly delicious if anyone is looking for a great fish dish. My wife was also very happy with the Thai fusion crustacean dishes she ordered. The wine list was not as good as Schuhbeck but still decent. This huge place turned into a lounge club in the small hours of the night. 49 eur/4 course. Physically the place looks impressive complete with two large torch fires in their front door. The later you go the better the atmosphere.

BLAUER BOCK is a good german foodie restaurant just southwest of the Viktualienmarkt. It's a very nice modern restaurant in an old corner hotel with the same name, though completely unrelated. Their traditional 3 course lunch prix fixe is a bargain (16 euro), the service is decent and very attentive.

KAEFER is a nationally known gourmet caterer with several restaurants & bistros in Munich alone. The original Kaefer is on Prinzregentenstrasse which has a great foodie supermarket below. The less expensive bistro is by the Odeonsplatz serving different style food. I would consider it an expensive tourist restaurant because the food is not quite distinctive,but better quality.

DALLMEYER is like the Fauchon of Munich located just across the street from the cityhall (Rathaus). Even if you don't eat there just walk through the food halls.

Here are the websites:

www.shuhbeck.de
www.lenbach.de
www.restaurant-blauerbock.de

We enjoyed eating at the Wirthaus in der Au. Here is a connection to a page from Rick Steve's and his recommendations. http://www.ricksteves.com/tvr/pledge...tsleep_mun.htm

I strongly second DAX's recommendations. These restaurants offer modern, innovative cuisine. Schuhbeck is VERY good and VERY expensive. My personal favorite is the Lenbach which is moderately priced and offers good value for money. And, as mentioned, the atomosphere is breathtaking...

The venues which have been recommended by other posters are in a completely different league - with plump, heavy food which is specially prepared for tourists.

As a German, I always wonder why American travel guides recommend restaurants serving mediocre food. I admit, when I am visiting Munich, from time to time I go into on the traditional beerhalls and order a dish of socalled "bavarian traditional food" - but afterwards I am fed up for the next two years.

Come and enjoy light, modern, creative cuisine!

Being a Schnitzel and Bratwurst fan, I liked Augustiner am Dom. Augustiner is also a decent brew to wash the food down.

J. Correa, I will try Andecher am Dom on our next visit. I had trouble deciding between them on our last trip.

Regards, Gary

Thanks for all the tips. We are looking forward to our trip and hopefully will be able to try at least a couple of these restaurants.

I'm with Gary Mc.... we always reserve one evening meal for the Augustiner... a couple of blocks toward the train station from Marienplatz. The Ratskeller (in the celler under the Rathaus where the glockenspiel is) is also good.

I suppose I've eaten in those places enough times over the years that I just can't enjoy their very mediocre meals anymore, however they may taste good the first few times.

Hey Dax - Although people have different tastes, budgets, and so forth, your last post about the mediocre restaurants that others of us find enjoyable is bordering on snobbish and insulting. I am sure you didn't mean it that way - that you were just voicing your opinion - but I wanted to point out how it came across in case you weren't aware.

Munich is a favorite of mine as my heritage is German and Austrian. I was there again in February for Fausching this year.

I like the Ratskellar in the Rathaus at Marienplatz 8. The locals eat here as well and the food is good. Don't forget the Cherries Jubilee for dessert! Ice cream served with the lovely cherries on the side!

Zum Franziskaner is a must for duck (ente)with knudel (dumpling)and blaukraut (cooked spiced blue cabbage). Great Beer as well and fun people. There is now a non smoking area which is actually very large.

The Pfistermuhle is divine and in a charming setting around the corner from the Hofbrauhaus--looks more like an ivy covered cottage--full of charm and the staff is friendly and the setting is very elegant. I have gone back time and time again. The food is innovative, trendy and fresh each day. Also excellent!

Cafe Tambosi (Italian)evokes the decor that Mozart would recognize and some nights (Thursdays I think) is opera night. Entertainment by Music Students fromt the local music school. Location is Odeonsplatz 18--not far from the Residenz and the Opera House.

Leopold and Dallmyr are also favorites and I have only written about dinner--lunch at the Victualian Market with a beer and brats outside in the sunshine is heaven. Do not even get me started on the Condeterei &Backeri (Coffee houses &Bakeries). I have rarely found one of those in Germany or Austria that I did not love. Bodo's is the BEST one in Munich located near Sendlinger Tor. Bodo's is also great for breakfast if your accommodation does not already include it..most do however.

I love my heritage and Bavarian food when I am in Germany.

Have a great trip--I am leaving for Munich again soon myself!

Jennifer

JCorrea, thanks for pointing it out, it didn't occur to me at all a I typed it in a rush
I should explain my recent experience because I used to look forward to a meal at the Ratskeller. Last month it was the first place that I brought my friends to eat lunch but it was very disappointing. The Haxen was not crispy but very tough & unchewable while the Kaessler pork was too dried up. We also had the Eisbein which didn't taste anything like what they used to serve. For the same price we had a much better meal at the Blauer Bock even though it's missing the traditional Bavarian atmosphere.

traveller1959--I can easily get all sorts of "...light, modern, creative cuisine!" here in Maryland. We cannot so easily get hearty Bavarian meals. We like to try local dishes wherever we travel--even if we decide we don't like it, we at least know what it's like.

Dax:

Maybe the Ratskeller had an off day. I ate there several times in February and they were consistently good. I found many local freinds (Germans)eating there as well I hope I won't be let down when I return. Thanks for the warning. Did you return anything to the kitchen?

EuroJen: I'm not daring enough to send food back to the kitchen when I travel abroad. I don't want to create a difficult American tourist image, but most of the food was left on our plates, except for the sausage sampler. We did have our Ratskeller lunch late around 1:30pm so perhaps they just served us their leftovers, but it was still very disappointing.