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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 cozy, 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.
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.
Vietnamese specialities, including Banh Mi sandwiches served on crusty rolls and Pho Bo (noodle soup with beef), are available at this attractive café, a short stroll from the Isar River.
With three locations—one in Maxvorstadt at Klenzestrasse 69, one in Schwabing at Haimhauserstrasse 11, 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.
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.
Pop by for a coffee, aperitif, cocktail, and vegan bites and baked goods at this funky art-filled university café and bookstore near the Brandhorst and Pinakothek museums. It also hosts occasional evening concerts.
A variety of affordable Middle Eastern sandwiches and plates, including falafel (considered one of the best versions in the city), shawarma, and hummus, are available to go.
Hearty, healthy breakfasts (served until 4 pm) and weekend brunch are popular at this charming vintage-style café.
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.
This café, on a busy street between the Stadtmuseum and Viktualienmarkt, is as Bavarian as you can get, though it serves neither typical great slabs of meat nor Knödel. The fryers are turned on in the early morning for Viktualienmarkt workers and stay on for those still standing after a night out; at midday, lines of people wait for helpings of freshly cooked Schmalznudel, a selection of doughnut-type creations, from apple to sugar-coated to plain.
Open since 1775, Tambosi is Munich's longest-running café. Its location is superb, partly sitting in full view of Theatinerkirche on Odeonsplatz and partly in the Hofgarten. Watch the hustle and bustle of Munich's street life from an outdoor table on the city side, or retreat through a gate in the Hofgarten's western wall to the café's tree-shaded beer garden. If the weather is cool or rainy, find a corner in the cozy, eclectically furnished interior.
Munich's oldest café, dating from 1775, is home to an Italian restaurant that is serviceable, if somewhat overpriced— excepting the pizza, which is a relative bargain. The real draw is the outdoor seating, either on the terrace in full view of Theatinerkirche on Odeonsplatz or in the quiet, tree-shaded beer garden in the Hofgarten.
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