Signature Dishes of Munich

Must-try dishes

Weisswurst

Veal and pork sausage poached in water, served with sweet mustard, a Brezn and a Weissbier. Eaten before noon by tradition. Munich's pre-noon ritual since 1857.

History: Invented by Munich butcher Sepp Moser on 22 February 1857 at the Gasthaus Zum Ewigen Licht near Marienplatz, supposedly when he ran out of pig casings for Bratwurst and improvised with thinner veal casings. The white colour comes from poaching rather than grilling. The pre-noon-only tradition stems from the original lack of refrigeration: sausages made at dawn had to be eaten before the church bells rang midday.

Where to try it: Schneider Bräuhaus, Wurststandl Teltschik, Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, Augustiner-Stammhaus

Watch out for: Gluten (from pretzel), Sulphites (optional in sausage)

Schweinshaxe

Roast pork knuckle with crackling skin and tender meat, served with potato dumplings, red cabbage and dark gravy. The defining Bavarian beer-hall plate.

History: 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.

Where to try it: Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, Augustiner Klosterwirt, Andechser am Dom, Paulaner am Nockherberg, Hofbräukeller

Watch out for: None

Leberkäs

Finely minced beef and pork loaf, baked in a tin, served sliced hot or cold in a soft roll (Leberkäsweckl). Munich's classic mid-morning street snack.

History: Leberkäs (literally liver-cheese, though it contains neither in the Bavarian version) is a Bavarian and Austrian baked meat loaf made of seasoned ground beef and pork. The Munich version omits liver entirely. Served thick-sliced in a soft roll with sweet mustard, the Leberkäsweckl became the city's classic working-class lunch by the early 20th century, sold from every butcher counter.

Where to try it: Vinzenzmurr Marienplatz, Wurststandl Teltschik, Hofbräuhaus am Platzl

Watch out for: Gluten (from roll), Mustard

Obatzda

Bavarian beer-garden cheese spread: ripe Camembert mashed with butter, paprika, onion and caraway. Served with radishes, pretzels and Brezn.

History: Obatzda was invented in 1920 by Katharina Eisenreich at the Bräustüberl Weihenstephan in Freising, using overripe Camembert that could not be served as a cheese course. The mixture, spiced with paprika and caraway, became a standard beer-garden Brotzeit (snack plate) item across Bavaria and is now sold at every Munich beer-garden and Wirtshaus.

Where to try it: Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, Augustiner Klosterwirt, Augustiner-Stammhaus, Hofbräukeller

Watch out for: Dairy

Brezn (Bavarian pretzel)

Lye-dipped pretzel with a dark mahogany crust and a soft, salty interior. Munich's universal accompaniment to beer, Weisswurst and Obatzda.

History: The pretzel, derived from monastic baking of the early Middle Ages, took its Bavarian form (Brezn) by the 19th century, with the distinctive lye dip giving the dark crust. Munich's Brezn is wider and softer than the northern Pretzel; it sits at every breakfast table, every beer-garden counter, and accompanies every Weisswurst order in the city.

Where to try it: Hofpfisterei, Rischart, Julius Brantner Brothandwerk, Privat-Bäckerei Wimmer

Watch out for: Gluten

Knödel (Bavarian dumplings)

Bread or potato dumplings, served as a side to roast meats or as a main with mushroom or plum filling. The Bavarian carbohydrate of choice.

History: Knödel are the Alpine answer to pasta or rice, made from stale bread (Semmelknödel), grated potato (Kartoffelknödel) or both. Bavarian recipes date to at least the 17th century. Munich's Wirtshaus tradition uses Knödel as the universal side for Schweinsbraten and Schweinshaxe, with sweet plum Knödel (Zwetschgenknödel) as a seasonal autumn dessert.

Where to try it: Wirtshaus in der Au, Andechser am Dom, Augustiner-Stammhaus, Spatenhaus an der Oper

Watch out for: Gluten, Egg, Dairy

Schweinsbraten

Bavarian roast pork shoulder with crackling, served with Knödel and dark beer gravy. The Sunday-lunch Wirtshaus classic across Munich.

History: Schweinsbraten descends from Bavarian rural slow-roasting traditions, where the cheaper pork shoulder was cooked low and slow with beer and caraway. The Munich Wirtshaus version, plated with a bread Knödel and a dark beer gravy, became the canonical Sunday-lunch order during the 19th century; the Augustiner-Stammhaus version, served since 1829, is the city's longest-running iteration.

Where to try it: Augustiner-Stammhaus, Hofbräukeller, Wirtshaus Ayinger am Platzl, Spatenhaus an der Oper

Watch out for: Gluten (in gravy)

Currywurst

Sliced bratwurst topped with curry-spiced tomato sauce, served with fries or a roll. The classic Munich after-midnight street snack.

History: Currywurst was invented in Berlin in 1949 by Herta Heuwer; the Munich version arrived in the post-war years and became a staple of the city's late-night Imbiss scene by the 1970s. Bergwolf in Glockenbachviertel is the city's most-cited counter, with weekend hours until 04:00 and a vegan option on the carte since 2010.

Where to try it: Bergwolf, Vinzenzmurr Marienplatz, Wurststandl Teltschik

Watch out for: Mustard, Gluten (in roll)

Weissbier (Bavarian wheat beer)

Cloudy, yeasty top-fermented wheat beer, typically 50 percent wheat, served in a tall vase glass with a lemon slice (optional). The Bavarian breakfast beer.

History: Wheat beer was a royal monopoly in Bavaria from 1602 to 1798, when only the Wittelsbach court could brew it; Schneider Weisse in the Tal acquired the brewing licence in 1872 and remains Germany's oldest wheat-beer brewery. Weihenstephan in Freising, north of Munich, has brewed wheat beer continuously since 1040 and is the world's oldest brewery.

Where to try it: Schneider Bräuhaus, Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, Augustiner Klosterwirt, Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu

Watch out for: Gluten