Restaurants in Munich

Munich Beer Gardens & Beer Halls

Munich is famed for its breweries and beer halls, many of which have outdoor beer gardens where you can quaff their brews and order hearty Bavarian food at reasonable prices. If you’d rather nibble than dine, order typical beer garden snacks like a homemade Brezeln (pretzel), Radl (large white radishes), or another Munich specialty, Obatzda, a mix of soft cheese, butter, and paprika served with bread. For a glass or mug of beer, expect to pay 5€ to 8€, depending on its size. Note: most beer gardens require you to pay a deposit for the mug of beer, which you get back when you return the empty mug. Oom-pah-pah bands, zither players, or accordionists sometimes add to the jovial atmosphere. The beer halls and gardens are typically large and casual, with communal seating (so try not to be shy!).

Two of the city’s most famous beer halls, the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl and Augustiner Grossgaststätte, are described in the “Where to Eat” section, above. Beyond those, we recommend the following:

One of Munich’s largest and most popular beer gardens, Biergarten Chinesischer Turm, Englischer Garten 3 (tel. 089/383-8720; U-Bahn Giselastrasse), is located in the Englischer Garten at the foot of the Chinese pagoda. Also in the English Garden, a 5-minute walk north of the Chinesescher Turm, you’ll find the Seehaus, a lovely beer garden adjacent to the Kleinhesseloher See lake, Kleinhesselohe 3 (tel. 089/381-6130; U-Bahn Münchner Freiheit). Ignore the restaurant, but do hit the beer garden, which is open daily from May to October from 10am to 1am. South of the city center, in the Tiergarten, Gaststätte zum Flaucher, Isarauen 8 (tel. 089/723-2677; Bus 52), has tables set in a tree-shaded garden near the zoo, overlooking the Isar River. This beer garden is open daily from May to October from 10am to midnight; November to April, it’s open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10am to 9pm.

While autumn in Munich is all about Oktoberfest, the largest beer festival in the world, spring is celebrated with Starkbierzeit, a lesser-known beer festival that heralds the end of Lent and the opening of the city’s beer gardens. One of the best places to celebrate Starkbierzeit is the brewery-restaurant-beer garden Paulaner am Nockherberg, 77 Hoch Strasse (tel. 089/14599120), in southeast Munich. Paulaner serves the original Starkbier, a sweet, strong brew called Salvator, and pairs it with a traditional dish of crisp-skined ham hocks served with sharp mustard. Their beer garden is a convivial spot with old chestnut trees and a playground for the kids. To reach Paulaner, take the U-Bahn to Kolumbusplatz, then bus 54 to Silberhornstrasse and streetcar 25 to the Ostfriedhof stop.