19 Best Restaurants in Munich, Germany

So small it's easy to miss, this former dairy shop now offers a limited but fine selection of Italian fare, with a menu of fresh antipasti and pasta that changes daily. The high wooden tables and counters fill up fast at this lunch-only spot, so arrive early for the quieter, cooler window seat or take your food to go.

This cozy, atmospheric pub-restaurant has been a Munich institution since 1903 when it was a meeting place for the leading writers, comedians, and artists whose pictures now hang on the dark, wood-panel walls. The beer is as good as is the food, which includes filling options like roast pork, currywurst, and a bacon cheeseburger with french fries.

This flagship beer restaurant of one of Munich's oldest breweries opened in about 1812. It is also the location of the unbeatable Augustiner beer garden, which should be at the top of any visitor's beer garden list. The menu offers Bavarian specialties, including half a duck with a good slab of roast suckling pig, dumpling, and blue cabbage. If you're up for it, end your meal with a Dampfnudel (yeast dumpling served with custard), though you probably won't feel hungry again for quite a while.

Take a seat by the wall of windows or at the long blond-wood bar, in this airy, casual brasserie, which specializes in French food and wine; the light, crisp quiches, in particular, are a delight. On nice days, tables are set outside on the sidewalk of the pleasant, relatively quiet street and the Bier & Oktoberfestmuseum is right next door, highlighting the wonderful contrasts that are so typical of this city.

A good spot, especially if you're visiting the neighboring Pinakothek museums, this convivial corner bar and café attracts an interesting mix of students, artists, businesspeople, and trendy types from breakfast until late into the night. The menu features salads, sandwiches, and small selection of pastas—solid, affordable fare that won't exactly wow you—but the restaurant's art deco touches, funky artwork, and buzzy vibe are thoroughly enjoyable.

Tucked into a quaint little square off Viktualienmarkt, this delightful Bratwurst joint, dating from 1901, cooks up specialty sausages over an open grill right in the main red-brick vaulted dining room. There's also a decent schnitzel and roast pork with potato dumplings on the menu.

Vietnamese specialities, including Banh Mi sandwiches served on crusty rolls and Pho Bo (noodle soup with beef), are available at this attractive café, a short stroll from the Isar River.

With three locations—one in Maxvorstadt at Klenzestrasse 69, one in Schwabing at Haimhauserstrasse 11, and this one in Lehel—Café Dukatz has made a name for itself with its delicious house-baked, French-style pastries. They also serve fine coffee and freshly pressed juices, as well as sandwiches, salads, and mainly vegetarian quiches for a quick lunch.

This old-fashioned Wirtshaus is one of the few places that serve Augustiner beer exclusively from wooden kegs, freshly tapped on a daily basis—beer simply doesn't get any better than this. Antlers and a wild boar look down on actors, government officials, apprentice craftspersons, journalists, and retirees, all sitting side by side at the simple wooden tables enjoying good traditional Bavarian fare.

The Hofbräuhaus is the most famous beer hall not just in Munich but in the world—a kitschy multiroom space with a pounding oompah band and singing and shouting drinkers contributing to the festive atmosphere. The courtyard beer garden provides an escape from the noise in good weather, and there's also a quieter upstairs restaurant where the food is fine, although there are better places in Munich for Bavarian cuisine.

This cozy, alpine lodge–style restaurant in a small street behind the Rathaus is a treat for those craving an old-world tavern, complete with live accordion playing and yodelers who perform most nights, telling jokes and poking fun at their adoring guests in unintelligible Bavarian slang. The food is traditional Bavarian and the tasty beer is from the Ayinger brewery.

Pop by for a coffee, aperitif, cocktail, and vegan bites and baked goods at this funky art-filled university café and bookstore near the Brandhorst and Pinakothek museums. It also hosts occasional evening concerts.

A variety of affordable Middle Eastern sandwiches and plates, including falafel (considered one of the best versions in the city), shawarma, and hummus, are available to go.

This historic brewery-tavern, first opened in 1880, offers great value Bavarian dishes. The best part about this place, however, is the cozy, secluded little beer garden (April–October) with huge chestnut trees, tucked in the back amid the apartment blocks in the heart of Munich's University district.

Hearty, healthy breakfasts (served until 4 pm) and weekend brunch are popular at this charming vintage-style café.

On a side street between Gärtnerplatz and Isartor, Nero serves up excellent thin-crust pizzas with fresh ingredients imported straight from Italy—try the Diavolo, with spicy Neapolitan salami—as well as solid pastas and great steaks. The restaurant's high ceilings and large windows give it an open, spacious feel, or you can sit upstairs in the lounge for a cozier experience.

Located on leafy Hohenzollernplatz, this family-owned takeaway spot specializes in house-made Greek and Georgian street food; try a pita burger or stuffed flatbread—all available in meat and vegetarian versions.

This café, on a busy street between the Stadtmuseum and Viktualienmarkt, is as Bavarian as you can get, though it serves neither typical great slabs of meat nor Knödel. The fryers are turned on in the early morning for Viktualienmarkt workers and stay on for those still standing after a night out; at midday, lines of people wait for helpings of freshly cooked Schmalznudel, a selection of doughnut-type creations, from apple to sugar-coated to plain.

Young professionals mix with students at this lively restaurant, a symphony in red and orange in an ode to the 1970s, whose 13 different breakfasts are a big draw: the Vorstadt Classic includes bacon and eggs, rolls, and several other kinds of bread, along with a plate of salami and homemade jam. Quick daily lunch specials are a good value, while the atmosphere at dinner is relaxed, complete with candlelight. There is another location in Altstadt at Maximilianstrasse 40 (089/2554–7010).