18 editor-picked german restaurants across 1 city.
A guide to german restaurants worth a trip, by city. We list operators, signature dishes, and the rooms locals book first.
Spatenhaus an der Oper, opposite the Bavarian State Opera in Munich's Altstadt, pours Spaten beer and cooks classic Bavarian; the suckling pig is the signature.
Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Suckling pig with red cabbage
Order: The Wiener Schnitzel with cucumber salad; the suckling pig with braised red cabbage if you want one big plate.
Tip: Book the upstairs room for opera pre-shows; the ground floor is the casual side.
Andechser am Dom in Munich Altstadt pours the Andechs Monastery's beers a minute from the Frauenkirche; the kitchen cooks classic Bavarian for the lunchtime crowd.
Signature: Schweinshaxe, Andechs Doppelbock
Order: The Schweinshaxe with potato dumplings, washed with a half-litre of Andechser Doppelbock.
Tip: Daily 10:00 to 01:00; the Weinstrasse terrace is the room's best summer seat.
Weisses Bräuhaus on Tal is the Schneider Weisse flagship in Munich's Altstadt, in business since 1872; this is one of the city's strongest pre-noon Weisswurst rooms.
Signature: Weisswurst with sweet mustard, Kronfleisch
Order: Weisswurst with sweet mustard and a Brezn before noon; pair with Schneider Weisse Original.
Tip: Kronfleisch (organ-meat) is the house specialty for lunch and dinner; lighter eaters stick to the Schweinsbraten.
Augustiner-Stammhaus on Munich's Neuhauser Strasse, in business since 1829, is the city's oldest Augustiner room; ask for the 1897 Muschelsaal hall.
Signature: Schweinsbraten, Augustiner Helles vom Holzfass
Order: The Schweinsbraten with two dumplings; pair with Augustiner Helles tapped from the wooden cask.
Tip: The Muschelsaal (Seashell hall) is the most atmospheric room; ask when reserving.
Augustiner Klosterwirt sits under the towers of Munich's Frauenkirche in the Altstadt; the gasthaus pours Augustiner Helles vom Holzfass to 400 indoor seats.
Signature: Schweinshaxe, Obatzda with Brezn
Order: The Schweinshaxe with dumplings; pair with Augustiner Helles tapped from the wooden cask.
Tip: Daily 09:30 to midnight; the open-air terrace is the spot in summer with Frauenkirche views.
Hofbräuhaus on Platzl has poured Hofbräu beer in Munich's Altstadt since 1589; the ground-floor Schwemme hall seats 1,000, the upstairs Festsaal handles groups.
Signature: Schweinshaxe, Mass Hofbräu Original
Order: Mass of Hofbräu Original (one litre) with Schweinshaxe and a pretzel.
Tip: The ground-floor Schwemme is walk-in only; reserve the Bräustüberl upstairs for parties of four or more.
Wirtshaus in der Au on Munich's Lilienstrasse, between Deutsches Museum and Gasteig, cooks Bavarian; the room is best known for its Knödel and dumpling sampler.
Signature: Knödel (dumplings), Spinatknödel
Order: The Knödel sampler: spinach, semmel and a sweet plum for dessert.
Tip: Walk to it after the Deutsches Museum; book Friday and Saturday two weeks ahead.
Paulaner am Nockherberg above the Isar in Munich's Au is the birthplace of Paulaner beer; this is where the Salvator Doppelbock tapping kicks off Lent annually.
Signature: Salvator Doppelbock, Schweinshaxe
Order: The Salvator Doppelbock with Schweinshaxe and a soft pretzel.
Tip: Starkbierfest runs the last week of February through mid-March; the rest of the year is calmer.
Hofbräukeller on Wiener Platz in Munich Haidhausen is the calmer Hofbräu room: the city's locals come here instead of the Hofbräuhaus tourist hall for the same beer.
Signature: Hofbräu Helles, Bavarian roast pork
Order: A Mass of Hofbräu Helles with the Schweinsbraten and dark gravy.
Tip: The beer garden on Wiener Platz is one of the city's most family-friendly; bring a picnic for the self-service section.
Wirtshaus Ayinger am Platzl is the Ayinger Privatbrauerei flagship across from Hofbräuhaus in Munich's Altstadt; eight draught beers run on tap year-round.
Signature: Schweinsbraten, Ayinger Bräu-Helles
Order: A half-litre of Bräu-Helles with the Schweinsbraten and a soft pretzel; weekday lunch sets are the bargain.
Tip: Quieter than its Hofbräuhaus neighbour; the upstairs is the spot for parties of six or more.
Schneider Bräuhaus on Tal in Munich's Altstadt is the Schneider Weisse flagship since 1872; one of the city's strongest pre-noon Weisswurst rooms.
Order: Weisswurst with sweet mustard and Brezn before noon; pair with Schneider Weisse Original.
Tip: The Kronfleischküche dishes are the house specialty for the lunchtime crowd; book Friday evenings ahead.
Wirtshaus in der Au on Munich's Lilienstrasse, between Deutsches Museum and Gasteig, is the city's best room for Knödel and dumpling sampler plates.
Order: The Knödel sampler: spinach, semmel and sweet plum dumpling for dessert.
Tip: Open evenings only weekdays; Saturday and Sunday lunch is the easier reservation.
Andechser am Dom pours the Andechs Monastery's beers a minute from Munich's Frauenkirche; the casual Bavarian room locals send out-of-towners to for Schweinshaxe.
Order: Schweinshaxe with potato dumplings and a half-litre of Andechser Doppelbock.
Tip: Daily 10:00 to 01:00; the Weinstrasse-side terrace catches sun till evening in summer.
Augustiner-Stammhaus on Munich's Neuhauser Strasse pedestrian zone has been pouring Augustiner since 1829; the city's oldest Augustiner room.
Order: Schweinsbraten with two dumplings; pair with Augustiner Helles tapped from the wooden cask.
Tip: Ask for the Muschelsaal (Seashell hall) when reserving; it is the most atmospheric room.
Augustiner Klosterwirt sits under the towers of Munich's Frauenkirche; the gasthaus pours Augustiner Helles vom Holzfass to 400 indoor seats.
Order: Schweinshaxe with potato dumplings and an Augustiner Helles vom Holzfass.
Tip: Daily 09:30 to midnight; the open-air terrace has Frauenkirche views in summer.
Hofbräukeller on Wiener Platz in Munich Haidhausen is the calmer Hofbräu room; the city's locals come here rather than the Hofbräuhaus tourist hall.
Order: A Mass of Hofbräu Helles with Schweinsbraten and dark gravy.
Tip: The beer garden on Wiener Platz is family-friendly; the self-service section lets you bring a picnic.
Wirtshaus Ayinger am Platzl is the Ayinger brewery's Munich flagship across from Hofbräuhaus; eight draught beers run on tap, the kitchen cooks regional Bavarian.
Order: A Mass of Bräu-Helles with Schweinsbraten and a soft pretzel; weekday lunch sets are the bargain.
Tip: Quieter than the Hofbräuhaus neighbour; book upstairs for parties of six or more.
Cafe Glockenspiel on the fifth floor above Munich's Marienplatz cooks Bavarian and Mitteleuropean classics with the city's best view of the Glockenspiel.
Order: Wiener Schnitzel with potato salad; pair with the view at 11:00 or 17:00 when the Glockenspiel sounds.
Tip: Entrance through the Rosenstrasse passage; reserve the terrace tables for the Glockenspiel time slots.
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