Roast pork knuckle with crackling skin and tender meat, served with potato dumplings, red cabbage and dark gravy. The defining Bavarian beer-hall plate.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Schweinshaxe descends from southern German rural pork-butchery traditions; the knuckle, the working part of the leg, is cured then slow-roasted to render fat and crisp the skin. The Munich beer-hall version, plated with semolina or bread Knödel and braised red cabbage, was codified by the Wirtshaus tradition in the late 19th century and became the canonical Hofbräuhaus order.
Common allergens: None
Tip from the editors. Scoring the skin deeply, almost to the meat, is what makes the crackling shatter properly. Don't skip it.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
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.
Augustiner Klosterwirt under the Frauenkirche towers in Munich's Altstadt runs Bavarian dishes and Augustiner Helles vom Holzfass to midnight; a calmer late-night beer hall.
Try: Schweinshaxe and Augustiner Helles
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.
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 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.
More cities are in research. Want schweinshaxe covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.