Sasha has sorted dining places for you by the type of cuisine:
Austrian
Weichandhof
Betzenweg 81
Phone: 089/891-1600 or 089/811-1621
EUR26 to EUR38
If you're heading to the leafy residential suburb of Obermenzing, near the start of the Stuttgart Autobahn, a stop here is strongly recommended, but even a special trip from the city center is worthwhile. The food at this old farmhouse-style restaurant is excellent, with a menu based on traditional Bavarian and regional German and Austrian fare. Roast suckling pig, pork knuckle, and Vienna-style boiled beef are staples. In summer or on warm spring and autumn evenings the vine-clad terrace beckons. In winter tiled stoves give a warm glow to the wood-paneled dining rooms. MC. Closed Sat.
Cafes
Dukatz
Salvatorpl. 1
Phone: 089/291-9600
EUR38 to EUR51
Join the literary crowd at this intellectuals' scene - a smart, high-vaulted bar and restaurant in the Literaturhaus, a converted city mansion where regular book readings are presented. English-language newspapers are among the heap of reading material at your disposal in the airy cafe that fronts the restaurant. Food is predominantly German nouvelle cuisine, with traditional dishes such as calves' head and lamb tripe offered with a light, almost Gallic touch. No credit cards.
Contemporary
Hunsingers Pacific
Maximilianspl. 5
Phone: 089/5502-9741
EUR26 to EUR38
Werner Hunsinger, one of Germany's top restaurateurs, has brought to Munich a reasonably priced restaurant serving eclectic cuisine, borrowing from the Pacific Rim of East Asia, Australia, and North and South America. The restaurant's clam chowder is the best to be found in the city, while another praised specialty is the Chilean-style fillet steak, wrapped in a mantle of onion and eggplant-flavored maize. Lunchtime two-course meals cost less than EUR10, and evening meals cost between EUR23 and EUR28. AE, MC, V. No lunch weekends.
Konigshof
Karlspl. 25
Phone: 089/5513-6142
Over EUR51
This reliable old Königshof hotel restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star, recognition at last of its place among Munich's finest and most traditional eating places. The outstanding menu is French influenced, the surroundings elegant - and if you book a window table you'll have a view of Munich's busiest squares, the Stachus, an incandescent experience at night. Reservations essential. Jacket and tie. AE, DC, MC, V.
Tantris
Johann-Fichter-Str. 7
Phone: 089/361-9590
Over EUR51
Chef Hans Haas has kept this restaurant among the top five dining establishments in Munich. You, too, will be impressed by the exotic nouvelle cuisine on the menu, including such specialties as shellfish and creamed potato soup and roasted wood pigeon with scented rice. However, you may wish to ignore its modernist look, with bare concrete surroundings and garish orange-and-yellow decor. Reservations essential. Jacket and tie. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun.
Continental
Am Marstall
Maximilianstr. 16
Phone: 089/291-6551
Over EUR51
The latest addition to Munich's luxury restaurant scene has rapidly won acclaim - and a Michelin star. The exciting menu combines the best of French and German cuisine - lamb bred on the salt-soaked meadows of coastal Brittany, for instance, or venison from the hunting grounds of Lower Bavaria. The restaurant is on Maximilianstrasse, so if you book a window seat you can while away the time between courses by watching Bavaria's well-heeled shoppers promenading. Reservations essential. Jacket and tie. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun., Mon., and public holidays.
Glockenbach
Kapuzinerstr. 29
Phone: 089/534-043
EUR26 to EUR38
This small, highly popular restaurant with dark-wood paneling serves mostly fish entrees, prepared by the acclaimed chef and owner, Karl Ederer. Book ahead to enjoy specialties such as freshwater fish ragout from Starnberger Lake. Highlights of the meat menu are Bavarian Forest lamb and free-range chicken with wild mushrooms. Reservations essential. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun. and Mon.
Spatenhaus
Residenzstr. 12
Phone: 089/290-7060
EUR26 to EUR38
A view of the opera house and the royal palace complements the Bavarian mood of the wood-paneled and beamed Spatenhaus. The menu is international, however, with everything from artichokes to zuppa romana (alcohol-soaked, fruity Italian cake-pudding). But since you're in Bavaria, why not do as the Bavarians do? Try the Bavarian plate, an enormous mixture of local meats and sausages. AE, MC, V.
Eclectic
Grune Gans
Am Einlass 5
Phone: 089/266-228
Under EUR26
This small, chummy restaurant near the Viktualienmarkt is popular with local entertainers, whose photos clutter the walls. International fare with regional German influences dominates the menu, and there are a few Chinese dishes. Try the chervil cream soup, followed by calves' kidneys in tarragon sauce. Reservations essential. No credit cards. Closed Sun.
French
Austernkeller
Stollbergstr. 11
Phone: 089/298-787
EUR26 to EUR38
Austern (oysters) are the specialty of this cellar restaurant, although many other varieties of seafood - all flown in daily from France - help fill its imaginative menu. The lobster thermidor is expensive but surpasses that served elsewhere in Munich. A rich fish soup can be had for less than EUR5. The fussy, fishnet-hung decor is a shade too maritime, especially for downtown Munich, but the starched white linen and glittering glassware and cutlery lend a note of elegance. AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch.
Bistro Cezanne
Konradstr. 1
Phone: 089/391-805
EUR26 to EUR51
You're in for Parisian-style dining at this truly Gallic bistro-restaurant in the heart of Munich's former bohemian quarter, Schwabing. Owner-chef Patrick Geay learned his craft from some of Europe's best teachers. His regularly changing blackboard menu features the freshest market products, with vegetables prepared as only the French can. Among the fish dishes, the scallops melt in the mouth, while the coq au vin is French cuisine at its most authentic. Reservations are advised. AE, MC, V.
Bistro Terrine
Amalienstr. 89
Phone: 089/281-780
EUR38 to EUR51
Tucked away self-effacingly in a corner of a Schwabing shopping arcade, this bistro is one of the area's most charming upscale restaurants. Crisp blue-and-white linen, cane-back chairs, and art-nouveau lamps give it a French atmosphere matched by the excellent Gallic-influenced menu. A cozy aperitif bar completes the harmonious picture. AE, DC, MC, V. Closed Sun. No lunch Mon.
German
Augustiner Keller
Arnulfstr. 52
Phone: 089/594-393
Under EUR26
This 19th-century establishment is the flagship beer restaurant of one of Munich's oldest breweries, Augustiner. The decor emphasizes wood - from the refurbished parquet floors to the wood barrels from which the beer is drawn. The menu changes daily and offers a full range of Bavarian specialties, but try to order Tellerfleisch, served on a big wooden board. Follow that with Dampfnudeln (suet pudding served with custard), and you won't feel hungry again for 24 hours. The communal atmosphere of the two baronial hall-like rooms makes this a good place for meeting locals. AE, MC, V.
Bamberger Haus
Brunnerstr. 2
Phone: 089/308-8966
Under EUR26 to EUR38
The faded elegance of this historic house on the edge of Schwabing's Luitpold Park disguises an up-to-date kitchen, which conjures up inexpensive dishes of modern flair and imagination. Vegetarians are well catered to with cheap and filling vegetable gratins. The cellar beer tavern serves one of the best ales in town. In summer reserve a table on the terrace and eat under chestnut trees with a view of the park. AE, DC, MC, V.
Brauhaus zum Brez’n
Leopoldstr. 72
Phone: 089/390-092
Under EUR26
This hostelry is bedecked in the blue-and-white-check colors of the Bavarian flag. The eating and drinking are spread over three floors and cater to a broad clientele - from local business lunchers to hungry night owls emerging from Schwabing's bars and looking for a bite at 2 AM. Brez'n offers a big all-day menu of traditional roasts, to be washed down with a choice of three draft beers. AE, DC, MC, V.
Cafe am Beethovenplatz
Goethestr. 51 (am Beethovenplatz)
Phone: 089/5440-4348
EUR26 to EUR38
This charming institution is much more than a café. Beethoven is on the menu - along with countless other composers, whose piano and recital works are performed nightly on and around a grand piano in the large, art nouveau dining room. An international breakfast menu is served daily, followed by creative lunch and dinner menus. The pork is supplied by a farm where free-range pigs are fed only the best natural fodder - so the Schweinebraten is recommended. Reservations are advised as a young and intellectual crowd fills the tables quickly. No credit cards.
Durnbrau
Dürnbräug. 2
Phone: 089/222-195
Under EUR26
A fountain plays outside this picturesque old Bavarian inn. Inside, it's crowded and noisy. Expect to share a table; your fellow diners will range from businesspeople to students. The food is resolutely traditional. Try the cream of spinach soup and the boiled beef. AE, DC, MC, V.
Erstes Munchner Kartoffelhaus
Hochbrückenstr. 3
Phone: 089/296-331
Under EUR26
In Munich's First Potato House tubers come in all forms, from the simplest baked potato with sour cream to gratin creations with shrimp and salmon. When potatoes were first introduced to Germany, they were dismissed as fodder fit only for animals or the very lowest strata of society. Frederick the Great was largely responsible for putting them on the dining tables of even the nobility, and now the lowly potato is an indispensable part of the German diet. This restaurant is great fun and a great value, too. Reservations essential. AE, MC.
Hackerhaus
Sendlingerstr. 14
Phone: 089/260-5026
Under EUR26
Since the 15th century beer has been brewed or served here, the birthplace of Hacker-Pschorr, a still-active Munich brewery. Today the site is a cozy, upscale restaurant with three floors of wood-paneled rooms. In summer you can order a cheese plate and beer in the cool, flower-decorated inner courtyard; in winter you can snuggle in a corner of the Ratsstube and warm up on thick homemade potato broth, followed by schnitzel and Bratkartoffein (panfried potatoes), or take a table in the Bürgerstube and admire its proud centerpiece, the world's largest beer mug. AE, DC, MC, V.
Halali
Schonfeldstr. 22
Phone: 089/285-909
EUR26 to EUR38
The Halali is an old-style Munich restaurant - polished wood paneling and antlers on the walls - that offers new-style regional specialties, such as venison in juniper-berry sauce and marinated beef on a bean salad. Save room for the homemade vanilla ice cream. Jacket and tie. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun.
Haxenbauer
Munzstr. 2
Phone: 089/2916-2100
Under EUR26
This is one of Munich's more sophisticated beer restaurants. There's the usual series of interlinking rooms and sturdy yet pretty Bavarian decoration. But there is a much greater emphasis on the food here than in similar places. Try the Schweineshaxn (pork shanks) cooked over a charcoal fire. AE, MC, V.
Hundskugel
Hotterstr. 18
Phone: 089/264-272
Under EUR26
This is Munich's oldest tavern and also one of the city's smallest. You'll be asked to squeeze up and make room for latecomers looking for a place at one of the few tables that clutter the handkerchief-size dining room. The tavern dates from 1440 and in many ways doesn't appear to have changed much over the centuries. Even the menu is medievally basic and a bit hit-and-miss, although any combination of pork and potato or sauerkraut can be recommended. No credit cards.
Max-Emanuel-Brauerei
Adalbertstr. 33
Phone: 089/271-5158
Under EUR26
This historic old brewery tavern is a great value, with Bavarian dishes rarely costing more than EUR 10; at lunchtime that amount will easily cover the cost of an all-you-can-eat buffet including a couple of beers. The main dining room has a stage, so the bill often includes a cabaret or jazz concert. In summer take a table outside in the secluded little beer garden. AE, MC.
Nurnberger Bratwurst Glockl am Dom
Frauenpl. 9
Phone: 089/220-385
Under EUR26
Munich's most original beer tavern is dedicated to a specialty from a rival city, Nuremberg, whose delicious Nurnberger Bratwurste (finger-size sausages) form the staple dish of the menu. They're served by a busy team of friendly waitresses dressed in Bavarian dirndls, who flit between the crowded tables with remarkable agility. In summer tables are placed outside under a bright awning and in the shade of the nearby Frauenkirche. In winter the mellow dark-paneled dining rooms provide relief from the cold. No credit cards.
Pfalzer Weinprobierstube
Residenzstr. 1
Phone: 089/225-628
Under EUR26
A warren of stone-vaulted rooms, wooden tables, flickering candles, dirndl-clad waitresses, and a vast range of wines add up to an experience as close to everyone's image of timeless Germany as you're likely to get. The wines are mostly from the Pfalz (Palatinate), as are many of the specialties on the limited menu. Here you'll find former chancellor Kohl's favorite dish, Saumagen (meat loaf, spiced with herbs and cooked in a pig's stomach). Reservations not accepted. No credit cards.
Spockmeier
Rosenstr. 9
Phone: 089/268-088
EUR26 to EUR38
This rambling, solidly Bavarian beer restaurant, spread over three floors, is famous for its homemade Weisswurst. If you've just stopped in for a snack and don't fancy the fat sausage, order coffee and pretzels. The daily changing menu also offers more than two dozen hearty main-course dishes and a choice of four draft beers. The house Eintopf (a rich broth of noodles and pork) is a meal in itself. The Spöckmeier is only 50 yards from Marienplatz; on sunny summer days tables are set outside in the car-free street. AE, DC, MC, V.
Weinhaus Neuner
Herzogspitalstr. 8
Phone: 089/260-3954
EUR26 to EUR38
Munich's oldest wine tavern serves good food as well as superior wines in its three nooks: the wood-paneled restaurant, the Weinstübl, and the small bistro. The choice of food is remarkable, from nouvelle German to old-fashioned country. Specialties include home-smoked beef and salmon. AE, MC, V. Closed Sun.
Weisses Brauhaus
Tal 7
Phone: 089/299-875
Under EUR26
If you have developed a taste for Munich's Weissbier, this is the place to enjoy it. Other beers, including a very strong Aventinus, are available, but the accent is unmistakably on the Schneider brewery's famous specialty, the Schneiderweisse, a yeast-fermented wheat beer. It's served with hearty Bavarian dishes, mostly variations of pork and dumplings or cabbage, by some of Munich's friendliest waitresses, good-humored women in crisp black dresses, who appear to match the Jugendstil features of the restaurant's beautiful interior. No credit cards.
Italian
Vinaiolo
Steinstr. 42
Phone: 089/4895-0356
EUR26 to EUR51
Less than two years after opening in the bohemian Haidhausen district, this Italian restaurant won a Michelin star - a record even for Munich. Despite its quick rise to fame, Vinaiolo, decorated in a restful pastel green, preserves its understated charm, and even if you order just a plate of pasta, the charming Italian staff does not bat a collective eyelid. But why stick with spaghetti when the menu is rich with such specialties as oxtail in red-wine sauce and tender wings of the giant ray fish? Reservations are advised. AE, MC, V.
Seafood
Austernkeller
Stollbergstr. 11
Phone: 089/298-787
(French)
EUR26 to EUR38
Austern (oysters) are the specialty of this cellar restaurant, although many other varieties of seafood - all flown in daily from France - help fill its imaginative menu. The lobster thermidor is expensive but surpasses that served elsewhere in Munich. A rich fish soup can be had for less than EUR5. The fussy, fishnet-hung decor is a shade too maritime, especially for downtown Munich, but the starched white linen and glittering glassware and cutlery lend a note of elegance. AE, DC, MC, V. No lunch.
Vegetarian
Bamberger Haus
Brunnerstr. 2
Phone: 089/308-8966
Under EUR26 to EUR38
The faded elegance of this historic house on the edge of Schwabing's Luitpold Park disguises an up-to-date kitchen, which conjures up inexpensive dishes of modern flair and imagination. Vegetarians are well catered to with cheap and filling vegetable gratins. The cellar beer tavern serves one of the best ales in town. In summer reserve a table on the terrace and eat under chestnut trees with a view of the park. AE, DC, MC, V.
