Munich guide
Food & Beer Culture
Hofbräuhaus München: the famous one, open daily 11am to midnight, kitchen until 10pm. It is touristy — expect a loud room and a bus-tour crowd — but the building is genuinely historic and the beer and food are solid. Go once, don't expect a local hangout.
The Munich breakfast
Weisswurst is Munich's own sausage tradition, and there's an etiquette to it: it's a morning food, traditionally eaten before noon, peeled rather than bitten, dipped in sweet mustard, with a pretzel and a wheat beer alongside.
Other things worth ordering: Schweinshaxe (crispy roast pork knuckle), Obatzda (a soft cheese and butter spread, eaten with a pretzel), Kaiserschmarrn (a torn-up sweet pancake, usually for dessert or a very indulgent breakfast).
Beer garden etiquette
A royal decree from 1812 let beer gardens sell beer but not food, so the custom of bringing your own picnic took root and survives today at many traditional beer gardens. Look for the plain, un-clothed tables — that's the self-service section where bringing your own food is fine. Tables with tablecloths are waiter-service, and you're expected to order food there. The two systems sit side by side in the same garden, so look before you sit.
The best-known beer gardens are the Chinesischer Turm and Seehaus in the English Garden, and the Augustiner Bräustuben near the old brewery — all good for a first visit.
Prices and hours checked September 2026.
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