Hofbräuhaus, Munich

So here we are at the Hoffbrahaus, if your visitng Munich then you will already have heard the neam. It;s one of the oldest beerhalls of Muncih and certainly featured in the rise of National Socialism. Nowadys its a ...IN PROGRESS

4 more images

The Hofbräuhaus has been called the best and worst beer hall in the world. Many of us as "tourists" complain that a place that is too "touristy." I have been guilty of that myself, many times. I want to go and see the "real thing." From what I have been told, the Hofbräuhaus is doing what it has done for a long time. It is entirely possible that they have been doing the same thing since before there were tourists. I know that it is at least 40 years because I have been going there that long.

One tip is to watch for tables with signs that say "stammtisch." These tables are reserved for local regulars. Frequently there will be a group arrival time on the card. If you are not a member of the group, you will be asked to leave when the arrival time gets close.

It is also important to distinguish between places that are “touristy” and those that are “tourist traps.” While the Hofbräuhaus may be “touristy," it is more authentic than any “tourist trap” selling fake merchandise. There are people who will complain about a place being too "touristy" and then complain when the menus are not in English. Why not learn the chorus to the Hofbräuhaus Song and join in. Brush-up on “Country Roads” by John Denver. They'll play that a few times each night.

While I like the Augustiner Bräuhaus and the Löwenbraükeller better, it is just a matter of taste. And while the Hofbräuhaus is a "tourist attraction," it is the most popular beer hall in the world because it is a "fun" place to be. Go and be part of the fun. That's what makes it popular with the locals as well. For a good time, it's hard beat the good ol' Hofbräuhaus! The following may help.

In Munchen steht ein Hofbräuhaus
Eins, zwei, g'suffa
Da lauft so manches Fasschen aus
Eins, zwei, g'suffa
Da hat so manche braver Mann
Eins,zwei,g'suffa
Gezeigt was er so vertragen kann
Schon fruh am Morgen fing er an
Und spat am Abend kam er heraus
So schon ist's im Hofbräuhaus

Favorite Dish: Everything that I have had is excellent. The dumplings are very good with everything served. The Schweinebraten is excellent as is the eisbein (pork shank). If it is made of pork, Germans do more with pork than anyone. The goulaschsuppe is also excellent. (Photo #5 shows the remainders of a finished eisbein.)

A great place to have a maas of beer, which is a litre glass to wash down your pretzel or weisswurst!

You can sit in the one of many large halls and listen to the band playing typical "Bavarian Music" or on a nice day sit out in the sunny beer garden.

Favorite Dish: Many typical Bavarian dishes too choose from Schweinshax'n , which is basically a roasted leg of pork, Original Muenchner HB-Weiswurste, which is a boiled white sausage and very tasty with the sweet mustard. But peel the sausage before eating!
And for dessert try the Bayerische Dampfnudel which is a dumpling stuffed with a plum sauce served with a vanilla sauce! Lecker!!

1 more image

During our day in Munich, we decided to visit the famous older brewery in Munich in the afternoon. We found a seat together with other people that was there already and we enjoyed our beer and a potato salad.
This is a real historical place, stated back in 1500, you can read a lot about it here
The ceiling is decorated with floral theme mural and the hall have big wooden table and benches. There was a orchestra playing german folk music in the midle of the room, the player were half drunk he he he but the music was still good :-)

1 more image

This well known beerhall was founded in 1589, but is really frequented by tourists and not locals who tend to go elsewhere. Still you get a good feeling for a beerhall here and their food is good.

Favorite Dish: weisswurz, semel & senf

First i ordered "Bavarian beef", they were out of it ( not sure what it was anyway), then ordered a salad ( with turkey) in its place. Turkey had a nice taste, but was really fatty.....dressing too creamy too and just drowning the salad. I barely ate it and it was pretty expensive for a salad.

Favorite Dish: Just the beer

2 more images

When I visit, I usually get the plate of brats with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Oh yeah don't forget the beer. I've tried the Hofbräu Original, the Hofbräu Dunkel and the Münchner Weisse. All very good. On my next tirp I'll be sure to try the other six or so varieties.

We went to the Hofbrauhaus in the middle of the afternoon for dessert. The place was busy, but we easily found a table. (It's a seat yourself type of place)

We had the best apple strudel. I highly recommend it.

Favorite Dish: Apple strudel - it was just yummy beyond yummy.

Thumbs down to their chocolate mousse cake - i didn't care for the texture, it was grainy.

The world famous Hofbrauhaus is an absolute must for visitors. If you only had two hours in Munich I would say go first to the Marienplatz and then head for a beer and bread at the Hofbrauhaus.

The venue is a historic and emblematic Bavarian beer house which is just a few minutes walk south of the city centre. Don't let this put you off but a certain Herr A. Hitler used to hold some of his National Socialist Party meetings here in the 1930s.

The Hofbrauhaus has a vast beer hall with long wooden tables and benches, a cellar resturant, more rooms upstairs and a huge courtyard beer garden. In the evenings, the beer hall is filled with the sound of a jolly thigh-slapping Bavarian 'ommpah' band. The staff (and many customers) are dressed in traditional costume (dirndl for the ladies and lederhosen with a feathery hat for the gents).

The Hofbrau beer (brewed on site) is served in giant one litre glasses called a 'Maß' (pronounce 'mass'). You can order a smaller 0.5 ltr glass but the staff will do everything in their power to dissuade you from doing so! There is a traditional 'Hofbrau Original' (a helles lager) or a Dunkel , Radler (a sort of shandy) and Weissbier. Also served are wine, coffee and spirits - but what's the point of visiting the world's most famous beer hall if you are not going to have a beer?

Favorite Dish: Hofbrauhaus serves nothing but traditional Bavarian dishes - from snacks such as Bretzen (delicious salty pretzel bread) and Weisswurst (Munich's white veal sausages) through to roasted duck and pork dishes (with the traditinal accompaniment of sauerkraut, potato noodles/dumplings, gravy etc).

Beware, the menu ('speisenkarte') is only available in German so you need to know what you are ordering. Also, the place gets terribly busy in Summer (and I suppose during the Oktoberfest and Christkindlmarkt) and it can take some time to get served.

The Hofbrauhaus also has a merchandise shop at the main entrance so you can take home a 'Maß' as a souvenir.

1 more image

This is the classic German beer hall. If you only go to one during your stay, make it this one. They have great drink, food, and a live band playing to enhance the experience.
The servers also seemed to deal well with English since we only spoke limited German.

Favorite Dish: Beer, beer, and more beer! I like the light beer, but I am sure the dark beers were good too.