Munich Restaurants and Cafes, Munich, Germany (D)

Designed as a place for artists to gather and exchange helpful advice or critiques, the Künstlerhaus, or “House of Artists” in English, was founded in 1893. Today, you will find a deliciously fine restaurant, The Grill, located on the second floor. With a cool inside area and lovely outside patio seating for days of good weather, The Grill offers their patrons a very relaxing ambiance. The dishes are made to be shared, and, according to their official website, the chef, Max Lechner, takes not only season, but also origin and sustainability into consideration when choosing which meat, shellfish, and fish to offer.

Open: Monday-Thursday 6pm-midnight; Friday and Saturday 6pm-1am

Hofbräuhaus am Platzl directly translates to “court-brewery at Platzl.” The word “court” comes from the fact that the brewery was once owned by the royal family, but is now owned by the state. The Hofbräuhaus building was built in 1607 by the Bavarian Duke Maximilian I, but was not open to the general public until 221 years later in 1828. The building has been remodeled twice since then, once in 1867 and then again after WWII when everything except the ground floor was ruined from bombs. While the building was used for some years by Hitler as a site for his publicity and propaganda events, today the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl has a lively atmosphere with traditional Bavarian music flooding through the great hall. There is only one size of Hofbräu beer available, called a maß, which is one liter. It’s a lot of beer, but certainly provides you with a great photo opportunity! The menu is full of hearty traditional Bavarian food such as roast pork, pork knuckle, and sausages, but offers salads and lighter appetizers as well. For dessert I must recommend the Hofbräuhaus Kaiserschmarrn. It’s delicious, and unlike anything I ever had before.

Open daily 9am-11:30pm

A tradition that has existed in Munich for over three centuries, Dallmayr earned its reputation selling coffee composed of a very high quality blend of beans. The Dallmayr legacy began as a small family-owned grocery store and is now an international name, with the main store in downtown Munich receiving about 2.5 million visitors annually. The store is most famous for its “Prodomo” coffee blend, which is so delicious due mainly to the fine raw beans that make it up. Coming mostly out of Ethiopia, Dallmayr’s “coffee specialists” visit the regions of Sidamo and Harrar to hand pick the selection. But besides coffee, inside of the Dallmayr shop you will find a wide range of fine foods, from seasoned olives and light, fresh lox to creamy exotic chocolate truffles and cooled white wine; the Dallmayr café has something that impresses everyone.

Open Monday-Saturday 9:30am-7pm

Located around the corner from the large field where Oktoberfest takes place each year, Spektakel is a Bavarian restaurant with a very unique atmosphere. Full of wooden tables and booths and decorated in a forest-like motif, the restaurant has a surprise waiting for its guests. The food is very high quality and quite reasonably priced. Unlike many Bavarian restaurants, this place even offers an array of impressive salads and other non-meat dishes. Spoiler Alert: the surprise awaiting the guests is a once or twice per meal surround-sound entertainment where the restaurant comes to life and makes you feel like you are actually in the middle of the rainforest during a mid-summer downpour. Do not worry, you don’t really get wet.

Open: Monday-Friday 11am-“into the night”; Saturday and Sunday 10am-“into the night.”

Vinzenzmurr is a chain of butchers based in Munich. They are very famous, well-known, and much-loved by the locals in town. With the butcher on sight, they provide very fresh meat in the dishes served. Each day of the week a different meal is offered, such as Hungarian Goulash Soup, Premium Ham Steak, and Greek Home-fried Potatoes, or perhaps Potato Soup, Grilled Chicken Breast with Vegetables, and Italian Noodle Casserole. You can get each of these dishes separately or as one meal. Some of the restaurants also have a salad bar, but most of them do not have sit-down seating. There is a bar, perhaps with a couple stools, and high-top tables to stand at, or you can take the food to go.

Open: Each chain can open and close at a different time, but the ones in the downtown area are generally open Monday-Saturday 8am-8pm.

The new Rathaus, or town hall in English, is the large gothic building in the middle of Marienplatz and has served as Munich’s town hall since 1874. Located in the basement of the Rathaus, is the Ratskeller, a very traditional Bavarian restaurant and beer cellar. The tables are covered in white table cloths and decorated with small flowers, and the low ceilings are covered in beautiful paintings. All of these things, plus a bit of dim mood-lighting, create a very warm atmosphere for the guests. The prices are a little higher than other Bavarian restaurants, but the food is also known for consistently being top-notch.

Open: daily from 10am-midnight

Weisses Brauhaus is a very Bavarian restaurant that even has “lung” and other innards on the menu. Open since 1872, guests come here to get the real Bavarian experience in food, drinks, and atmosphere. In the morning this restaurant, which is known for serving up some of the best weisswurst sausages in Munich, is full of locals getting their breakfast. If you can’t handle a real beer with your morning meal, there is alcohol-free beer or other drinks as well.

Open: daily from 8am-1am

Do not get confused; Prinz Myshkin is a delicious vegetarian restaurant in Munich, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “healthy eating.” The menu is full of fresh, decadent dishes that fall into several categories such as “From the Oven,” “From Far East,” “From India,” “Classics,” “Salads,” “Pizzas,” and “Pastas.” There is definitely something for everyone here, including vegans and people who don’t normally stick to a vegetarian diet. The wide range of mouth-watering desserts is something to look forward to as well. The restaurant has gotten great reviews from top newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times and Vogue, so you may want to call ahead or book online for a reservation.

Open: daily 11am-half past midnight

Located in the heart of downtown Munich, directly within Marienplatz square, Woerners is a café that serves decadent cakes, bite-sized pralines, ice cream, fancy coffees, and Glühwein (mulled wine), just to name a few. Especially during the warmer months of the year, patrons fill the outside seating, which spills into Marienplatz and gives a front-row view of the famous Rathaus (town hall). During the summer many people cool down by sipping on a refreshing Aperol Spritz, which is a bright orange cocktail made by mixing sparkling wine and Aperol.

Open: Monday-Saturday 7:30am-7:30pm Sunday 10am-7pm

Born out of a bakery owned by the Müller family, in 2003 a sweet, quaint café-restaurant came to life in the Westend of Munich. Directly translated into English, Müller & Söhne means Müller and Sons, which is a good name for this cute locale, as it is run by the whole family. Simple brown tables and chairs fill the room; a deep-red color is painted onto the back wall; and a small vase of charming flowers sit on each table. This is a place to come for a fresh meal and some time to unwind. The daily menu is ever changing, but generally consists of seasonal soups, salads, pasta, and meat and potato dishes. Homemade desserts also available.

Open: Monday-Friday 9am-3:30pm and 6pm-11pm

Café Isarpost 8 Seasons is located in the building that used to be the post office at Sendlinger Tor. Since 2008, however, it has been a luxurious café/bar with tall white pillars holding up very high stucco ceilings. During the day, the Café Isarpost 8 Seasons serves up fine breakfasts and coffee beverages, but in the evening it turns into one of the trendiest clubs in town. With well-placed colorful lighting and chic seating, this is currently the place to see and be seen.

Open: Café: Monday-Saturday 7:30am-10pm; Sunday 9am-8pm Club: Tuesday 7pm-4am; Friday and Saturday 10pm-5am

A Kosher bar and restaurant in the heart of Munich, self-proclaimed to be the only Kosher restaurant in all of Munich, Einstein has an open, cool, modern seating area, as well as a high-top bar for its patrons to enjoy. While the fresh menu changes daily, the dishes are generally a fusion of Jewish-Israeli and Oriental foods. Everything offered is available as take-away, as well, although the ambiance is so calming, it would be a shame not to eat-in.

Open: Sunday-Thursday 12:00pm-3:00pm and 6pm-midnight (warm food only available until 10:00pm) and Friday 11:30am-3:00pm

If one of the reasons that you are visiting Munich is to find delicious desserts and pastries, then this is the cafe for you. Full of gooey doughnuts, cakes, and sticky-buns, Café Rischart is heaven for someone with a strong sweet-tooth. In addition, they also offer an array of hearty sandwiches and some of the best Bavarian soft-pretzels around.

Open: There are several Café Rischarts around Munich, but the one in the Marienplatz square is open Monday-Saturday 6:45am-9pm and Sunday 8am-8pm.

Being that Germany is home to over 3.5 million people from Turkey, it would only make sense that their traditional food has migrated to Munich, as well. A german-ized version of the Turkish Döner Kebab that is similar in nature to the Greek gyro in America has become very popular, and the Alpen Bistro is a small restaurant that serves very high-quality food. The Döner Kebab can be eaten on a plate (more like the traditional Turkish dish) or wrapped in a pita, which is the German-ized variation. There are a handful of tables, or you can take your Döner to go.

Open: daily 9am-9pm

A very cute café /restaurant/bar with a whole lot of personality and a room full of comfy sofa-chairs and couches, Trachtenvogl is a great place to hunker down inside of if it is cold, or when you just need to rest your tired body. They have an array of tasty breakfasts and lunch sandwiches, as well as several rich desserts to choose from. And, especially great during the cold months, they are known for offering up over 30 different types of hot chocolate, including extra bitter, salty almond, orange-cinnamon, and white-chocolate blueberry.

Open:Sunday-Thursday 10am-1am; Friday and Saturday 10am-2am

Part French-style café, part art gallery, part antique store, the Marais café offers much to its customers. In the way of food, Marais offers up sweet temptations such as gateau au chocolat and tarte tatin, as well as savory paninis and sandwiches. If it’s your thirst you wish to quench, look forward to thick frothy coffees, hot chocolate, juice, or a local much-loved soda called Afri Cola. By reservation only, they also host regularly scheduled evening soirées in which a special 4-course meal is served.

Open: Tuesday-Saturday 8am - 8pm; Sunday 10am - 6pm