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Munich claims to be Germany's gourmet capital. It certainly has an inordinate number of fine restaurants, but you won't have trouble finding a vast range of options in both price and style.
Typical, more substantial dishes in Munich include Tellerfleisch, boiled beef with freshly grated horseradish and boiled potatoes on the side, served on wooden plates. Schweinebraten (roast pork) is accompanied by dumplings and sauerkraut. Hax'n (ham hocks) are roasted until they're crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. They are served with sauerkraut and potato puree. Game in season (venison or boar, for instance) and duck are served with potato dumplings and red cabbage. As for fish, the region has not only excellent trout, served either smoked as an hors d'oeuvre or fried or boiled as an entrée, but also the perchlike Renke from Lake Starnberg.
You'll also find soups, salads, casseroles, hearty stews, and a variety of baked goods—including Breze (pretzels). For dessert, indulge in a bowl of Bavarian cream, apple strudel, or Dampfnudel, a fluffy leavened-dough dumpling usually served with vanilla sauce.
The generic term for a snack is Imbiss, and thanks to growing internationalism you'll find a huge variety, from the generic Wiener (hot dogs) to the Turkish döner kebab sandwich (pressed and roasted lamb, beef, or chicken). Almost all butcher shops and bakeries offer some sort of Brotzeit, which can range from a modest sandwich to a steaming plate of goulash with potatoes and salad. A classic beer garden Brotzeit is a Breze with Obatzda (a cheese spread made from Camembert and paprika served with freshly sliced rings of onion).
Some edibles come with social etiquette attached. The Weisswurst, a tender minced-veal sausage—made fresh daily, steamed, and served with sweet mustard and a crisp pretzel—is a Munich institution and, theoretically, should be eaten before noon with a Weissbier (wheat beer), supposedly to counteract the effects of a hangover. Some people use a knife and fork to peel off the skin, while others might indulge in auszuzeln, sucking the sausage out of the skin.
Another favorite Bavarian specialty is Leberkäs—literally "liver cheese," though neither liver nor cheese is among its ingredients. Rather, it's a sort of meat loaf baked to a crust each morning and served in pink slabs throughout the day. A Leberkässemmel—a wedge of the meat loaf between two halves of a bread roll slathered with a slightly spicy mustard—is the favorite Munich on-the-go snack.
So small it's easy to miss, this former dairy shop now offers a limited but fine selection of Italian fare, with a menu of fresh antipasti and pasta that changes daily. The high wooden tables and counters fill up fast at this lunch-only spot, so arrive early for the quieter, cooler window seat or take your food to go.
This restaurant is one of the finest in the city, and it's vegetarian to boot, along with a selection of vegan dishes. The delightful holiday from meat here brings an eclectic choice of skillfully prepared antipasti, quiche, pizza, gnocchi, pasta, curries, and stir-fries, plus excellent wines, all served in an airy, high-ceiling room.
Recently reimagined as a trio of restaurants under one roof, Tantris, which has been around since 1971, has smartly broadened its range of modern French culinary offerings. There's the classic Restaurant Tantris, with its pricey prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus of haute cuisine (around €300 per person); Tantris DNA, featuring an upscale à la carte lunch and dinner menu; and Tantris Bar, serving cocktails and a short menu of French favorites like beef tartare.
This welcoming Italian spot serves excellent traditional homemade pastas as well as a variety of meat and seafood dishes, including Sicilian prawns in a spicy tomato sauce. The atmosphere is casual but the service is top-notch, and the owner, Guido, and his friendly bulldog, Malesh, are always on hand to greet guests.
This rustic, atmospheric pub-restaurant has been a Munich institution since 1903 when it was a meeting place for the leading writers, comedians, and artists whose pictures now hang on the dark, wood-panel walls. The beer is as good as is the food, which includes filling options like roast pork, currywurst, and a bacon cheeseburger with french fries.
Take a seat by the wall of windows or at the long blond-wood bar, in this airy, casual brasserie, which specializes in French food and wine; the light, crisp quiches, in particular, are a delight. On nice days, tables are set outside on the sidewalk of the pleasant, relatively quiet street and the Bier & Oktoberfestmuseum is right next door, highlighting the wonderful contrasts that are so typical of this city.
Inside Literaturhaus, a converted Renaissance-style schoolhouse that is now a literary center, this stylish brasserie is named after Munich writer Oskar Maria Graf, who fled to New York after the Nazis took power. The vaulted ceiling and plate-glass windows create an airy, modern atmosphere to enjoy the eclectic international menu, ranging from duck curry to leg of lamb with ratatouille, while its sprawling terrace is one of the city's best outdoor eating locations.
A good spot, especially if you're visiting the neighboring Pinakothek museums, this convivial corner bar and café attracts an interesting mix of students, artists, businesspeople, and trendy types from breakfast until late into the night. The menu features a wide range of breakfast foods, salads, sandwiches, and small selection of pastas. The restaurant's art deco touches, funky artwork, and buzzy vibe are thoroughly enjoyable.
Tucked into a quaint little square off Viktualienmarkt, this delightful Bratwurst joint, dating from 1901, cooks up specialty sausages over an open grill right in the main red-brick vaulted dining room. There's also a decent schnitzel and roast pork with potato dumplings on the menu.
In an impressive columned hall that once was the stables of the royal residence, this sprawling restaurant features three distinct indoor dining spaces—the main grill room with an open fire, a smaller area serving homemade pasta, and a casual bar with lounge-like vibe—plus an atmospheric seasonal terrace. An expansive breakfast menu includes a large selection of organic egg dishes and pancakes.
Vietnamese specialities, including Banh Mi sandwiches served on crusty rolls and Pho Bo (noodle soup with beef), are available at this multicultural café, a short stroll from the Isar River.
With two locations—one in Maxvorstadt at Klenzestrasse 69 and this one in Lehel—Café Dukatz has made a name for itself with its delicious house-baked, French-style pastries. They also serve fine coffee and freshly pressed juices, as well as sandwiches, salads, and mainly vegetarian quiches for a quick lunch.
This happy combination of Munich tavern and international bistro is set on Hans-Sachs-Strasse, one of the city's most interesting streets. Juicy schweinsbraten and burgers satisfy any meat cravings, and there are Asian and Mediterranean dishes for vegetarians; the dining room features beautiful ceiling murals and in warmer weather, the sprawling terrace is the place to be.
This old-fashioned Wirtshaus is one of the few places that serve Augustiner beer exclusively from wooden kegs, freshly tapped on a daily basis—beer simply doesn't get any better than this. Antlers and a wild boar look down on actors, government officials, apprentice craftspersons, journalists, and retirees, all sitting side by side at the simple wooden tables enjoying good traditional Bavarian fare.
In 1893 Augustiner, the oldest brewery in Munich, built this sturdy Wirtshaus to sustain travelers on the 12-km (7-mile) trek from Munich to the castles at Schleissheim. Today, it's as much a forum for good eating and drinking as it was more than 100 years ago—a place where you can enjoy hearty Bavarian food in a dining room festooned with antlers, in the cozy, quiet bibliothek (library), or out on the terrace.
The Hofbräuhaus is the most famous beer hall not just in Munich but in the world—a kitschy multiroom space with a pounding oompah band and singing and shouting drinkers contributing to the festive atmosphere. The courtyard beer garden provides an escape from the noise in good weather, and there's also a quieter upstairs restaurant where the food is fine, although there are better places in Munich for Bavarian cuisine.
Madam Anna Ekke is a super nice location for all-day dining: cozy inside, there's also a seasonal terrace for warm summer nights. The menu includes variety of cakes and tapas, ideal for a quick snack in-between meals or even for a big shared meal in the evening. The bar, Frau Bartels, is just a couple of steps away for those who don't want to go home just yet.
This historic brewery-tavern, first opened in 1880, offers great value Bavarian dishes. The best part about this place, however, is the cozy, secluded little beer garden (April–October) with huge chestnut trees, tucked in the back amid the apartment blocks in the heart of Munich's University district.
Hearty, healthy brunch is served on weekends until 4 pm. This charming vintage-style café is also popular for after work drinks and the Italian Mucki's evening every Thursday.
On a side street between Gärtnerplatz and Isartor, Nero serves up excellent thin-crust pizzas with fresh ingredients imported straight from Italy—try the Diavolo, with spicy Neapolitan salami—as well as solid pastas and great steaks. The restaurant's high ceilings and large windows give it an open, spacious feel, or you can sit upstairs in the lounge for a cozier experience.
One of Munich's most popular taverns is dedicated to Nürnberger Bratwürste (finger-size grilled sausages), a specialty from the rival Bavarian city of Nuremberg. They're served by Dirndl-clad waitresses who flit between crowded tables in the dark-paneled dining rooms with remarkable agility; in warmer months, tables are placed outside beneath the towering Frauenkirche.
From the ivy-covered façade to the vaulted dining room ceiling, everything about this stylish restaurant set in a 16th-century grain mill is appealing. The kitchen interprets Bavarian dishes in a modern fashion, with a concise menu focusing on locally sourced fish and game, though a smattering of vegetarian dishes are also available. A reasonably priced weekday prix-fixe lunch menu offers four small courses (including vegetarian options).
Having opened in the early 20th century, with polished wood paneling and antlers on the walls, Halali is an old-style, fine-dining restaurant that is the place to try traditional seasonal dishes of venison, pheasant, partridge, and other game in a quiet and elegant atmosphere. There's a three-course weekday lunch menu with a gentler price point, but don't think of arriving without a reservation.
Located on leafy Hohenzollernplatz, this family-owned takeaway spot specializes in house-made Greek and Georgian street food; try a pita burger or stuffed flatbread—all available in meat and vegetarian versions.
If you've developed a taste for Weissbier, this Munich institution—beautifully restored to something approaching how it would have looked when first opened in the 1870s—is the place to indulge. The tasty wheat beer from Schneider, a Bavarian brewery in existence since 1872, is served with hearty Bavarian dishes by famously straight-talking waitresses.
You'll have great views of Munich's grand opera house and the Bavarian National Theater, not to mention the hand-painted ceilings, on the second floor of this restaurant, though the outdoor tables facing Max-Joseph Square are best for people-watching. The kitchen turns out a mix of Bavarian and Austrian fare, plus a handful of lighter fish dishes, and what's considered the best Wiener schnitzel in the city. The menu for the first floor and terrace is less expensive.
Munich's oldest café, dating from 1775, is home to an Italian restaurant where you are paying to see and to be seen. The real draw is the outdoor seating, either on the terrace in full view of Theatinerkirche on Odeonsplatz or in the tree-shaded beer garden in the Hofgarten. The pizza is your best bet if you want to be part of the Munich \"Schickeria\" (society) but want to keep your expenses in check.
This stylish Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant at the Viktualienmarkt uses whatever organic produce is in season to craft modern, brilliantly composed dishes, available as a four- or six-course tasting menu.
In the setting of an old apothecary, diners can enjoy specialties from Venice and other northern Italian regions, such as rabbit-stuffed ravioli and whole salt-crusted sea bass, created by chef Gianni Ianniccari. Service is good-humored and conscientious, and the menu changes regularly.
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