On winter days, street life seems to coalesce around Munich’s famously awesome Christmas Markets. As if the city is attempting to compensate with this festive intensity for the hopeless scarcity of daylight. Or for the seasonal loss of its fountains, hidden from view by robust wooden winter coverings. Here, Munich is in good company, a number of Continental and Nordic European cities share this tradition. Berlin is blanketed by no less than 80 Weihnachtsmarkte. Vienna is notoriously sprinkled with decent size Holiday markets on central medieval squares, in the imperial gardens, and now even on a hotel rooftop. Some Christmas markets in Europe’s city centers offer over two hundred chalets and stalls selling spiced drinks, treats, handmade crafts. Some go back 500 years or more. Thanks to their scenic quality, Copenhagen’s Tivoli, Rome’s Piazza Navona, Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt, and Vienna’s Rathausplatz rightfully capture a large share of headlines and travel snapshots. Stuttgart’s 17th century Weihnachtsmarkt or Dresden’s 15th century Striezelmarkt may be Germany’s oldest and most famous central Christmas markets.
Munich’s 15 or so winter markets impress by sheer diversity of their scene. The one on Marienplatz – like those on the medieval squares of Brussels, Rome, or Prague – is framed by a spectacular, fully enclosed envelope of buildings, its local density far more impactful than its kiosk count and other headline stats. Whether you settle on the Neuhausen Weihnachtsmarkt, the Sendlinger Tor, Stachus, or the Chinesische Turm market in the Englischer Garten, you will not run out of gluewein to keep you warm. But my personal favorite among the major ones – for its central location, its street-extending, pass-through layout, and the quality of the surrounding architecture – is the old Viktualienmarkt. And if you arrive after Christmas, the remaining outdoor markets may be the only places that still offer the mulled wine, as it conspicuously vanishes from restaurants and cafes as if suddenly no longer in demand. But Munich’s smaller, offbeat markets are as good as any – there is no need to go out of your way here – so check out the one under the towers of Isartor, the Eastern city gate complex from the mid-1300’s just a few long blocks East of the Viktualienmarkt. This tiny open space, encircled by a fragment of the city wall and gate, hosts a few busy stands and stages the making of Feuerzangenbowle – an even richer variation on Germany’s most popular winter concoction, consisting of a sugar cone set on fire inside a giant kettle filled with rum and melted into gluhwein – for public consumption. Accompanied by a video projection of the 1940’s vintage film that made this drink popular.
Gluhwein paradise, if you time it right. No, mulled wine was not created in Bavaria – wine has been spiced and heated since the Roman times – although it sure seems like Munich ought to be somewhere very near the historical birthplace of this drink. Gluhwein – when it’s not in season, tea with rum becomes urban Middle European traveler’s best friend, more reliable and less seasonal – is the only alcoholic drink a non-alcoholic should be able to enjoy form late morning hours on a cold and grey day, with absolutely no guilt and no need to justify. This centuries old alternative to spiced chai latte is infinitely better, there is simply no comparison between the red wine and the milk base. Mulled wine is not limited to this region and is part of a daily ritual for many a skier, from the Rockies to the Carpathians. But what makes it special in Bavaria, Austria, and broader Central Europe is how seriously locals take this winter staple. Schuhbeck’s Orlando, a restaurant at the Northern end of Platzl, a picturesque square that for some reason is more littered by tour groups than any other place in Munich, is surprisingly worth a try, when its gourmet gluhwein is in season, by itself or with bread and sausage. Try it, but don’t be surprised if you reach the same conclusion on your way out of the restaurant, that the best way to enjoy gluhwein is still at one of the outdoor markets, a more holistic, unifying, and democratic experience. As to Alfons Schuhbeck, I believe he is better known as a purveyor of gourmet specialty foods: check out his enclave of vaulted boutiques each specializing in Gewurze, Musli, Tee or Chokolade next door on Platzl, and his high-end gourmet venue behind the fogged glass storefront on nearby Pfisterstrasse.
You won’t get bored looking for interesting restaurants in Munich – looking is the operative word – with mixed results. Wurstel stands, outdoor markets, bread based options, and ethnic eateries, especially Turkish, will not disappoint – wish I could say the same about traditional Bavarian restaurants – and between the gluhwein, the pretzels, the sausage, and the manti, there is little reason to look for grown-up, sit-down, gourmet alternatives. Check out Lezizel Manti on Corneliusstrasse near Gartnerplatz, a cozy dumplings bar and tea room popular with locals and good for groups.
Tourists crowd gimmicky beer halls – if you have seen one, you have seen them all – to some, the larger and more elaborate ones, like Augustinerkeller, could be a cultural experience. Still, I would save my calories instead for Alter Hof – not exactly hidden from view but set in the interior courtyard of the early 14th century residence of Louis IV, the only Wittelsbacher to serve as the Holy Roman Emperor before the Habsburgs took over, and thus not the lowest hanging fruit for the mass tourist – it offers great wine options, including German, and a modern take on delicious local food. Or for Zum Durnbrau, a quaint and welcoming Bavarian with centuries of tradition, tucked away on the eponymous Durnbraugasse lane, two long blocks along Tal from Viktualienmarkt towards Isartor and a sharp turn towards Hochbruckenstrasse. I assume opulent, worldly, on-premise restaurants at the city’s high-end hotels are not near the top of the list of experiences most people seek. And for breakfast – sure, Munich‘s best upscale cafes Luitpold, Dallmayr, Ella, Oskar Maria or Treszniewski will do a fine job but, wait, there is a better option for starting the day here – nothing matches the richness, presentation, thoughtfulness or variety of hotel buffet breakfasts across German-speaking Europe. The main meal of the day is a matter of pride and honor and is taken very seriously by the hospitality industry here.
Munich’s old-school coffee and cafe culture will, on first look, appear as underdeveloped as its retail scene is overbuilt, stuck somewhere between a countertop Nespresso machine at a local bread shop and waiter service at Dallmayr, a pleasant imitation Viennese coffeehouse, minus the history, content or context. Café Luitpold on a posh Briennerstrasse block is an exception: this institution is among the most elegant, spectacularly old world, and comfortable anywhere, with beautiful indoor spaces and a sidewalk terrace under an iconic awning – just check the black and white retro photographs of Munich – and wouldn’t look out of place in Paris or on Madison Avenue.
But dig deeper, and Munich’s coffee scene is quite advanced – you will encounter plenty of modern espresso counters and pleasant sit-down cafes if you are willing to look – and is not fixated on a pure play, traditional coffeehouse. The city’s traditional konditorei scene is full of pleasant surprises, and Arzmiller in Theatinerhof, a picturesque courtyard off Theatinerstrasse, or Backspielhaus, tucked away behind the government buildings on the narrow Kardinal-Dopfner-Strasse off Odeonsplatz at the start of Ludwigstrasse, or Kreutzkamm on Pacellistrasse at Lenbachplatz are a few examples. If you are looking for a familiar bread and coffee place with cult-like following – busy as if under siege by students, marble tables barely visible past all the notebooks, laptop screens, and tablets – Munich is no stranger to that scene either. To get a taste, try Aran Brotgenuss & Kaffekult in the elegant Funf Hofe block between the crowded Theatinerstrasse and the patrician Kardinal-Faulhaber-Strasse, just NW of the Marenhof. Cotidiano on Maxburgstrasse near Lenbachplatz or near Gartenplatz are good options for coffee and more. On devastatingly commercial Tal, a block East from Sparkassenstrasse, pop into Bar Elf, a fairly generic and familiar place, for a shot of espresso, standing at the bar.
The cafeterias of the great museums in Kunstareal, Munich’s museum quarter are pleasant enough, if you keep your expectations within reason – the outdoor area of Cafe Glyptothek and the appropriately named Cafe Klenze in the Alte Pinakothek with its Viennese coffeehouse feel clearly stand out. Nearby, Brasserrie Treszniewski, an institution behind the three Pinakothek museums (and not to be confused with its casual near namesake Trzesniewski specializing in open faced toasts on Dorotheergasse in Vienna) and Ella in Lenbachhaus, an extension to Munich’s gallery of contemporary art with a view of the Konigsplatz may be worth a try if you plan a protracted visit to the Kunstareal quarter.
But in Munich, coffee establishments – like many other things – seem inseparable from shopping: most great cafes are collocated with trendy designer stores or in midblock shopping galleries. The bread/cheese/ espresso counter inside the uber-welcoming and cool Manufactum Warenhaus, a gourmet food/designer household/clothing store on Marienhof, next to Dallmayr, powerfully draws you in from the street, whatever your mission. The mainstays of Munich’s coffee scene are the cafés and espresso counters of its pedestrian shopping maze of Altstadt – from Kafe Brasserie Kunsthalle and Emporio Armani Caffe in the Funf Hofe, to the elegant but casual Cole & Porter Café-Bar in the Hofstatt arcade atrium with outdoor space off Sendlingerstrasse, to Patolli further down that street – ranging from cozy to clean line modern, they are offer high quality coffee and alcohol, and generally do not disappoint. Just don’t expect traditional Austria where the city’s shopping thrust and Italianate character demand something else. Perhaps a hybrid between a sitdown place (also offering open faced toasts) and an Italian espresso counter (also serving champagne and oysters), both about more than the caffeinated drinks on the menu.
Nothing screams Munich – the sophisticated Munich a visitor may wish to find – more than Alois Dallmayr, the city’s most established brand, and possibly the city’s more convincing epitome than Siemens or BMW. Dallmayr, founded 300 years ago presents Munich at its most sophisticated – with its fixation on old world charm and quality and its meticulous attention to detail. Confidently flanking the full length of Marienhof, the quiet if not abandoned sibling of the touristy Marienplatz on the other side of Neue Rathaus, the Biedermeier facade of the Stammhaus – the flagship store – of this legendary deli empire is among Munich‘s most inviting, well-proportioned, and elegant. Behind the form, this institution does not disappoint in content either. Think Eataly – but the original version, only old, dense and crowded – or more like London’s Harrods but less consumerist. This design conscious store – it draws you in with the smell of its gourmet coffee and tea, the ergonomics of its professional espresso machines, with the shiny barista appliances – hosts a vibrant cafe, a bistro, and a small eponymous two Michelin star restaurant where the wine list is said to outnumber guest capacity 16 to 1.
Café Dallmayr on the second floor is relaxed but old school – don’t give up right away if you can’t get past the gourmet shoppers crowding the vaulted ground floor isles, and keep looking for that narrow stairway – and offers a quasi-Viennese sitdown experience – marble table-newspaper-melange-sausage-cheesecake formula – or as close as central Munich ever gets to it. When it comes to breakfast places in the DACH region – an acronym Germans use to describe the German speaking Sprachraum of Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy’s South Tyrol as a unit – boutique hotel on-premise buffet is impossible to beat, in packaging and gastronomic terms they are simply that good. I would not let that stop me from checking out Café Dallmayr for a proper breakfast and a cultural, if not a gourmet, experience. And if espresso by the bar, standing, is more your style, Dallmayr’s champagne and oyster bar – briefly starting its daily offering with croissants and cappuccinos – and its next door neighbor, part kitchenware and clothing store, part grocery experience, part espresso counter, will not disappoint.
