Below restaurant tips is the follow-up information for my guided walking tours through the Old Town of Munich. If you were a participant in one of these groups you can see all mentioned restaurants of the tour listed below.
In case you didn´t join my tour until now, but you are interested to do so, you can contact me directly under my Blog email address.
Also if you are not planning to join my tour you have a wide selection of restaurants here, from which you can pick your favourites during a stay in Munich.
All the mentioned restaurants are in the Old Town of Munich in the wider area of Marienplatz. The listing is following the course of my tour. All mentioned restaurants are my favourite choice of restaurants/cafes/bars – which are certainly no tourist traps, instead mainly popular among the local community. Of course due to their central location you will also find tourists over there :-)
So here is the list for your culinary discovery tour in the heart of Munich:
Marienplatz
Rischart – is a very popular Cafe with a great variety of cakes, sweets and savouries plus a nice view over Marienplatz www.rischart.de
Ratskeller – is a traditional German restaurant located in a historic new-gothic cellar beneath the famous town hall. They also have a very popular Sunday family brunch plus occasionally special events like candlelight-dinners or party-dinners during the carnival season www.ratskeller.com
Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady)
Around the most famous cathedral of Munich with its significant two towers, you can find a couple of traditional Bavarian restaurants. However these are more the tourist hot spots – food quality is average here with a higher price tag.
For some drinks often accompanied with live music and a real fun ambiance I would recommend the Irish pub in one of the corners opposite the church – Kilians Irish Pub www.kiliansirishpub.de - if Irish is not your thing, you will find an Australian Bar in the same place.
Bayerischer Hof
One of the most famous luxury hotel in Munich, where many famous guests have already stayed. One among them was Michael Jackson, who came here a couple of times and who got a memorial just opposite the hotel entrance.
My tip here would be the rooftop terrace with fantastic views over the centre of Munich. During summer a very pleasant place for a summer cocktail and during winter you can warm up yourself with some hot Glühwein sitting by one of the fires. Prices are very high, but the atmosphere is worth it – Blue Spa Bar & Lounge www.bayerischerhof.de
Fünf Höfe
These modern shopping arcades are hosting various shops, an art museum and a couple of restaurants, deli´s and bars.
The ones I would like to highlight here are Schumann´s Bar – very minimalistic, but a real institution here in Munich. The place to see and be seen during the day. You will find a lot of regular guests from Munich’s High Society or Schickeria, how we call it here, stopping by for a quick coffee www.schumanns.de/en/index.html
At the other end of the Arcades you will find a nice, cosy tea store, where you can sit in for a warming cup of handpicked tea together with a scone – the traditional British way. If you are a tea lover it is also a good place to buy your tea for home – The Victorian House Sconery & Tea to go www.victorianhouse.de (they have other branches in different places in the city as well).
Just around the corner, already in the pedestrian area beside the Fünf Höfe, is another favourite of mine – Aran Brotgenuss www.aran.coop – here you can enjoy hearty German dark break together with delicious spread toppings of your own choice. Also their coffee is very nice.
Further recommendations within the Fünf Höfe would be the fast-food Thai restaurant Kaimug www.kaimug.de and the healthy salad and sandwich chain Dean & David www.deananddavid.de
Hofgarten/Odeonsplatz
Another favourite hot-spot for Munich locals is the Tambosi www.tambosi-odeonsplatz.de at the entrance of Hofgarten (small public park). Actually it is not the average food quality or the high prices that I can recommend here, but sitting on their terrace on a sunny summer day feels almost like sitting somewhere in Italy. There you will experience why Munich is called the most northern town of Italy. During the summer month they are also running a huge restaurant area within the park, which is a good choice for some pasta or pizza.
Right in the middle of Hofgarten you can spot a historic pavilion, the Dianatempel – during summer free dance sessions are held here in the later afternoons varying from Salsa to Tango.
Also at Odeonsplatz you can find another historic restaurant Pfälzer Residenz Weinstube – www.pfaelzerweinstube.de the place to be for all wine lovers. Located in some of the majestic halls of the Residenz München (the former residence of Great Electors and Kings) you can enjoy hearty dishes together with tasty wines mainly from the “Pfalz” wine region. During summer they are also hosting the famous Pfälzer Weinfest in the courtyard.
München Residenz and Opera
Dallmayr
A food destination of its own are the famous food halls of this gourmet food store and restaurant. It already belongs to one of the main sights of Munich, however you can also find many locals here who are stocking up for a special culinary occasion or are having their fancy lunch in the Bistro section or a sweet treat in the Cafe on the first floor. Also take-away packed lunch is available. Once you are entering the food halls the different flavours and colours are overwhelming. Packed souvenir packages you can find on the first floor and also the freshly grinded coffee is worth to take home www.dallmayr.com
Alter Hof
In the streets around the historic building Alter Hof, you can find many culinary delights and with its small, narrow streets this area let you feel more like somewhere in a medieval countryside town than in a modern city
Places to check out here are:
Haxengrill – www.haxengrill.com is on one side for sure a popular tourist restaurant, but you will find on the other hand also many real locals there – because beside all the regular traditional Bavarian dishes that are served here, they are famous for pork and veal knuckles roasted in perfection. They have a generation long family recipe how to marinate them and if you like to try this popular local dish, you won´t find any better place for that. The restaurant is furthermore located in a very historic building the Scholastikahaus, which has been lavishly renovated by the restaurant owners.
The Restaurant Pfistermühle next door (www.pfistermuehle.de) is also a good address for some extraordinary culinary delights - however on the expansive side. The historic building and the cosy atmosphere is already worth that extra money.
Platzl
Is after Marienplatz the most visited square in Munich as you can find THE Institution of Munich here, the world famous Hofbräuhaus www.hofbraeuhaus.de - it is for sure not on my recommended listing as this is a pure tourist place. However if you are a Munich first-timer and you don’t have the chance to visit the real Oktoberfest – that´s the place for you to go to get some of that Disneyland Bavarian atmosphere. For me as a Munich local I maximum would go there in summer to have a beer in the shady “Biergarten” outside – but also only if I am in the area. And one more tip for those who want to visit – if the music on the ground floor is too loud for you, they do have more quiet dining rooms on the first floor.
Another hot-spot of this square is the Hardrock Cafe, which I do not need to explain more I guess www.hardrockcafe.com
Since long time very popular among the Japanese tourists in Munich is the Shoya Izakaya www.shoya-group.de also at the Platzl square. Despite to be in a tourist spot they offer real good and authentic Japanese food, which is on a high quality level since so many years. I love their food, but usually prefer for a quick lunch their other branch just one minute away Shoya-Imbiss (in Orlandostraße 5), which is a small street-food kind of eatery.
However there is another treasure at Platzl, a real spice imperium – Schuhbecks Gewürzladen. You will find an unimaginable variety of spices – pure or already in exotic ready-made mixtures. You need to experience that yourself with a visit there – and don´t miss to walk up to the first floor. You will find yourself in the oriental ambiance of an Arabic spice bazaar. You won´t imagine yourself anymore in the middle of a Bavarian city.
Another signature building at Platzl is the impressive Orlando Haus - that has experienced quite a lot of gastronomic changes. Currently it is home to the fancy Ornella restaurant (www.ornella.de) a quite pricey Italian eatery - that is serving its own twist of modern Italian cuisine plus some real enjoyable drinks.
Ledererstraße
I will mention this specific street here as it is the location for some of my most favourite laid-back bars. The street is in proximity to the Platzl area, but below places are still mainly frequented by Munich locals, as they are very unspectacular, but it is exactly that relaxed atmosphere which makes them special.
Lux Bar www.hotel-lux-muenchen.de – has a dark and cosy atmosphere and is my favourite spot for a post-shopping drink. They do great long-drinks and cocktails and if you get hungry you can move over to their small restaurant area. The bar/restaurant is part of a small Boutique Hotel as well, which would be a good choice for your accommodation in the heart of Munich.
Cortiina Bar www.cortiina.com – is also part of a small design hotel and the bar is basically their lobby lounge. On a cold winter day it is one of my favourite cosy places in town to meet some friends and have a feel-good cup of tea or coffee.
Bar Centrale www.bar-centrale.com - I actually have to admit that I can´t imagine Munich without the Bar Centrale. It is a total unspectacular and minimalistic place, but still has that special something. Even the letters on the outside signboard need an urgent remake, but nobody really cares about that (and they are anyway left-overs from the previous Cafe). It´s a bar that let you feel right in the middle of Italy and this is also why the crowds of regular guests have never turned their back on this place. They do serve some small food items, but you mainly stop here for your coffee a-la-Italy or your Aperol Sprizz in summer.
Obacht` www.obacht-shop.de - apart from culinary delights you can also do some nice shopping in this street. The small Obacht` Shop offers all kind of Munich and Bavarian souvenirs - however not the boring common ones. The shop is a real treasure box for souvenirs with a twist - creative and original items. It´s really worth to have a look here.
Im Tal
Coming back to the main shopping areas of the centre I first would like to recommend a non-culinary place in this street. It has nothing to do with food, but as I have tried it myself, I would like to mention this special attraction. Time Ride – www.timeride.de/muenchen - is a fantastic virtual reality ride through the Bavarian history. It feels so real and beside you can learn a lot – highly recommended for all tourists as well as locals. Great fun for the whole family. You can get your tickets directly there or online. The virtual reality show has different time slots, depending on the amount of visitors.
Coming back to culinary delights, next one is actually a combined one. The Turmstüberl www.turmstueberl.de is located on top of the Valentin Museum within the ancient walls of the historic Isartor. In order to get to the Cafe you have to walk through the museum and have to pay the entry fee of 2.99 EUR per person – Valentin-Karlstadt-Musäum www.valentin-musaeum.de – is a quirky museum dedicated to the former entertainers Karl Valentin & Lisl Karlstadt. Karl Valentin was mainly popular in the 20ies and was often called the Charly Chaplin of Germany. For non-German speakers the museum might not be very interesting, but a visit to the Cafe in the top of the tower is worth the entry fee. The Cafe itself is like a museum with a collection of many different curiosities. Food is very average there, so better only go for a coffee/drink.
Dreifaltigkeitsplatz
This small cobble stone square is situated behind Munich´s most famous market place Viktualienmarkt. You should come here if sausages are your thing – and yes, we Germans are famous for them. Try out a large variety grilled to perfection at the Bratwurstherzl www.bratwurstherzl.de
If fish is more your thing, then you will also find your place to go at the same square. The Poseidon www.fisch-poseidon.de – is a fish shop cum bistro, where you can either buy your fish for home or enjoy it on the spot.
Same concept you can also find opposite on Viktualienmarkt at Fisch Witte www.fisch-witte.de
Westenriederstraße
Is an extension of the Viktualienmarkt street and is also one of my favourite foodie destination. First of all because of my number one Bavarian restaurant, Beim Sedlmayr www.beim-sedlmayr.de – formerly owned by a popular Munich actor. This is the kind of restaurant where you will mainly find local people, who almost came all their life here and are now in the well-deserved retirement age. This kind of freshness and honest cooked food, you can usually only find at home.
On days where I like to eat less hearty and more healthy – the Asian inspired organic restaurant above the organic supermarket tegut...Basic, is my choice to go – they have a very good salad and vegetable buffet plus varying daily dishes all in organic quality www.basicbio.de
For the sweet treat after – usually an espresso together with some chocolate candy I like to go to the cute Chocolate & More shop www.chocolate-and-more.de where they sell a fantastic quality of chocoloate and cacao items - organic sourced and fairtrade products are their core value. The very friendly owner and her daughter are running this place with a lot of charm and they often venture out on trips to South America for example to trace their products back to the roots and to make sure that the local farmer community will get their faire share.
Viktualienmarkt
Of course the variety of food offerings is immense over here and also a feast for the eyes. This is a place mainly to explore for yourself and have some snacks up to your own taste, therefore I won´t dedicate much recommendation for this market area. I will just mention two of my favourite spots here:
Especially on cold days I love to take a hot soup at the Münchner Suppenküche www.muenchner-suppenkueche.de, where you can find a large variety of local plus exotic soups.
To pimp my tea at home with some healthy honey options I often visit the Honighäusl www.honighaeusel.de – where they sell very interesting honey varieties beside the common local ones.
Alter Peter
Another famous church of Munich and if you like to be sporty and don´t mind to climb 306 stairs the visit from the viewing platform on top of the church tower is rewarding, especially on clear days.
For those who prefer cake rather than a climb you can find three excellent Cafes around the church. One would be another branch of Rischart (I have already mentioned this brand at Marienplatz), this one is especially recommended for nice summer days, as you can sit outside on the large terrace overlooking the Viktualienmarkt.
Further you have the Cafe San Pietro and Cafe Piemonte both from the same owner – the size of their cake slices are hard to compete with.
Rindermarkt
Coming to the backside of Marienplatz I can recommend La Burrita www.laburrita.de, which serves delicious filled burritos and quesadillas along with some well-mixed cocktails.
Not directly at the Rindermarkt, but close by in a small shopping arcade is the Opatija Easy am Viktualienmarkt www.opatija-restaurant.com – a meat lovers paradise serving traditional Balkan food. They also have a very nice new branch, Opatija easy im Tal.
And last but not least for some take-away of nuts and dried fruits, pure or covered in delicious chocolate I can recommend a visit to the Spanisches Fruchthaus www.spanisches-fruchthaus.de in the historic Ruffinihaus at the corner of Rindermarkt.
So that was my personal potpourri of culinary places in the heart of Munich. I hope you like them as well! Bon appetite while exploring them!
And if you are looking for a tailor-made tour in the various parts of Munich or the region around, please reach out to me at any time.