Munich after trade fair closing time
02 November 2009
Looking for somewhere to grab a stein and a bite to eat? You need Roger Sherman’s local knowledge…
As you arrive at Messestadt West on the U-Bahn and turn left for the trade fair centre, you will miss seeing behind you a smart hotel, an enormous shopping centre, and many apartment and office buildings. The hotel, the Dorint, is smart and functional and good for meetings, with a good but rather pretentious restaurant. In the shopping centre you can buy everything from a pretzel to the latest Bayern Munich football kit. There’s also a large pizzeria, a Running Sushi, and an excellent Kaltenberg Bierstube, where traditional Bavarian grub is served, during and after show-time, to which you might choose to escape at lunch-time.
Munich would not be Munich without its beer. A couple of large ones, drunk in those wonderful tailor-made branded glasses at any of the places listed below, more than compensates for a tough day at the trade fair and make no mistake, the beer is good in Munich. With seven thumping breweries in town – even if one or two have now sold their souls to America or Belgium – and the 500 or so smaller breweries throughout Bavaria, it should be. The other good thing to note is that even if beer itself is already registered in Bavaria as a food (we kid you not), all the places on our recommended list this year serve good proper food too – and it’s not all pork, either!
Beer cellars (Bierkeller) – although not all of them are cellars, they’re more like aircraft hangars. Ones you should try include:
Hofbrauhaus, in the middle of town, behind the town hall (Rathaus) in a small road called Platzl: This is the most well-known of all Munich’s beer-halls and if you’ve never been to one, it’s probably best to get this one out of the way first. It’s vast, deafening when full, an oompah band is going at full blast, and the tourists possibly outnumber the Germans. Not, to our mind, the most representative of Munich’s Bierkeller, but it’s worth a visit.
Augustiner Keller, in the middle of the pedestrianised Neuhauserstrasse, (on the right going towards the Rathaus at Marienplatz). Good food, and although it’s popular, it’s a touch more genuine than some of the others.
Rathauskeller, underneath the Town Hall, with rather obscure entrances along the side of the gothic-looking Rathaus. However, it’s vast, with a rabbit-warren of nooks and crannies. Not only is the food and beer excellent and of a wider variety, but an order for wine will not be looked down on! There are private rooms available and also secluded areas behind high wooden seats, which make it easy to talk business.
Donisl, alongside the Town Hall. Great place on several floors, which looks like nothing from the outside.
Zum Spatenhaus is opposite the Opera House and is more of a restaurant than a beer-hall. Recommended for a good meal with colleagues and clients. Wide menu, where even vegetarians are treated as normal human beings!
Durnbräu in, surprisingly, Durnbräugasse, a small turning off a road called simply Tal, just a few minutes walk from the Torbräu Hotel. This is a delight, and just mentioning it shows the high esteem in which we hold our readers. Durnbräu is quite small, and you should not expect a raucous evening here. The beer is served in beautifully crafted, lidded beakers and the accompanying food is of a high Bavarian standard. It’s the sort of place which only the German word “gemütlich” can adequately describe. Try it.
Now, not everyone wants to sample beer or Munich’s beer-dens. There are some who just don’t like that sort of thing. Not a problem, because Munich is a city with a myriad of different restaurants and bars. Italian restaurants are particularly numerous; there were over 500 the last time someone tried to count, and Italians call Munich ‘Monaco di Baviera’! Here are a few, tried and tested by Munich’s UK representatives. During Productronica, reservations are advisable.
Perazzo, Oskar-von-Miller-Ring 36, close to Odeonsplatz is a high quality Italian and excellent for an evening meal with people you want to impress!
Il Borgo, Georgenstrasse 144, not far from Ostbahnhof station is where the waiter will ask: “Fish or meat?” and all you have to do is choose the wine. The local Italian population heavily supports it, so you must book.
Casale, Ostpreussenstrasse 42, is about five minutes in a cab from the fairgrounds. It’s a quiet, gracious family restaurant with outstanding food and is a fine place to talk business.
San Martino, Martin-Empl-Ring 8 is tucked away in Riem, about 15 minutes walk over the motorway from the trade fair centre. This is a delightful small restaurant and hotel, with a very high standard of cuisine.
Limoni, Amalienstrasse 38 is an excellent place that is small, with menus on the blackboard. Try the surprise five-course example! Very friendly service and the food is unusual. Also good for business, but not much privacy.
Finally, for those who want a straightforward pizza (but a good one) try La Baia, Milchstrasse 10. The nearest station is Rosenheimerplatz
And one French restaurant, Le Gaulois, Horwarthstrasse 4, is off the Leopoldstrasse in North Munich. Check tablecloths, wooden tables and chairs, and Charles Trenet playing in the background. A touch Bohemian, but with a wide and varied menu, and the fish is particularly good. Also for fish, the Austernkeller, Stollbergstrasse 11, near the posh Maximilianstrasse, and five minutes from the opera, is all gilt and mirrors, but well-served. If you’re in a champagne mood, this is the place. Meet your friends at the small bar and drink the first bottle there.
In fact, there are dozens and dozens of other really good places to eat, and we haven't mentioned the clubs and bars. Finally, here 's a good link if you're looking for somewhere to eat, and the restaurants on this site are divided both by area and cuisine. Viel Spass!
www.toytowngermany.com/munich/restaurants_in-munich.html.
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