Germany - München (Munich)... so many Biergarten

Please accept my advance apologies in-advance if I offend anyone one...


With so many beer gardens in the city of Munich, are they all the same?

I'm staying downtown Munich (in mid-June), or at least that what I think... and I want to try several different places... but are they all the same?

I've read on the FT boards to try, augustiner-restaurant or augustiner keller.


First of all, I don't speak-a-lick of Germany, except what I may learn before I get there... (and yes, my pronuciation will be shameless)... Any tips?


thanks..

The biergartens are easy even without any German. Just go up and ask for a maß of helles and then proceed to the cashier to pay for it. When are you going? The quickest introduction to them would be the small one in the Viktualienmarkt. It is also the one most likely to be open if the weather is crap(unfortunately quite common). The next one to go to would be the Chinesicher Turm biergarten in the Englischer Garten if the weather is nice. It is huge and easy to figure out as a tourist. The Seehaus biergarten further north in the Englischer Garten is in a fantastic setting and definitely worth a visit. The Augustiner Keller biergarten at Hackerbrucke west of the Hauptbahnhof is awesome especially at night. Huge and serving the best helles in Munchen. Also the way the empty glasses are collected is something I doubt you will see anywhere else.;). Problem is it seems to be hardly ever open if the weather isn't really good. There are plenty of others such as Hirschgarten,Taxisgarten. Here is a short list:http://www.muenchen.de/Stadtleben/Eating_out/37111/02abeergardens.html. I'm sure that list is comprehensive enough for one trip.:D
Enjoy them. On a good day being in one is about as good as it gets anywhere.

The main difference is that the more central locations, e.g. the Augustinergarten near Hackerbrücke and the Biergarten in the English Garden attract more tourists and are a little bit more expensive.

Others like the Taxisgarten or the Michaeligarten attract more locals.

The main concept of course it the same. They are typically branded with one sort of beer producer like "Augustiner", "Löwenbräu" (disgusting) or other. The typical local (Munich) beer is called "Helles".

The other difference is typically the quality of the food. Some are more down to earth, some are a little more upscale (people, food, prices)

It should also be easy enough to get in touch with locals, I don't know how old you are but if you are travelling alone, just look out for others. Typically lots of Americans and other tourists around, also younger locals will also enjoy hanging out with fun people they don't know. Older ones might have language issues ;)

As for vocabulary, all you need to know is "Bier, Schnitzel, Breze, Weisswurst, süßer Senf" :-)

Oh my, my post is full of stereotypes :D

Schnitzel? I have never seen any local eat Schnitzel in a beergarden....
That's how we recocnize "Preißen" (everybody from outside Bavaria)
Better try the local stuff. Weisswurst, Obazta, Breze, Beer.
Oh and only whimps order a "Halbe" in the Beergarten :-D which is half a liter instead of the usual Maß which is a Liter.



The main concept of course it the same. They are typically branded with one sort of beer producer like "Augustiner", "Löwenbräu" (disgusting) or other. The typical local (Munich) beer is called "Helles".

The other difference is typically the quality of the food. Some are more down to earth, some are a little more upscale (people, food, prices)

It should also be easy enough to get in touch with locals, I don't know how old you are but if you are travelling alone, just look out for others. Typically lots of Americans and other tourists around, also younger locals will also enjoy hanging out with fun people they don't know. Older ones might have language issues ;)

As for vocabulary, all you need to know is "Bier, Schnitzel, Breze, Weisswurst, süßer Senf" :-)

Oh my, my post is full of stereotypes :D

There are finer differences: the first one is price, you can certainly pay far more at the cool locations (chin turm, seegarten) within the city. The second is quality of food: the more traffic the location gets the better or worse the food.

One thing to remember is that at a beer garden you can bring your own food, you only have to buy beer @:-):cool:

Schnitzel? I have never seen any local eat Schnitzel in a beergarden....
That's how we recocnize "Preißen" (everybody from outside Bavaria)
Better try the local stuff. Weisswurst, Obazta, Breze, Beer.
Oh and only whimps order a "Halbe" in the Beergarten :-D which is half a liter instead of the usual Maß which is a Liter.

Only Preißen eat Weisswurst after 11am and when do most people typically go the Biergarten? :rolleyes:

Only Preißen eat Weisswurst after 11am and when do most people typically go the Biergarten? :rolleyes:

Klugscheisser :-) Afterall the 11am rule is outdated. As the weisswurst used to be raw meat it had to be eaten fast (before Noon). Today it's is already scald and there is no danger in eating them after 11 :-) But if you are even more of a "Klugscheisser" you should know to only eat them before eleven on Saturday :-p And don't forget to peel them. The otherday at the Augustiner there were these russian Ladys and they ate them with the skin - guess what - the didn't like them :-)

Something just came to my mind - interstingly the Hofbräuhaus has a nice beergarden. Usually people from Munich don't go to the Hofbräuhaus - it was built for tourists only :-) Been there once or twice - beeing right dowtown it was quiet and nice.

No the grammar Nazi strikes: the plural of Biergarten is Biergärten. My favorite in Munich is the one at the Chinesischer Turm. Yes it is more touristic but still the location is very nice as the whole English Garden is.

Something really worth to watch are the surfers at the Eisbach.

I tend to avoid places that sell Erdinger. Their weissbiers have an unpleasant aftertaste to me. I'm a fan of Augustiner beers and they have more than one beer hall in the city.

I've never peeled a weisswurst, and they have all tasted good to me with some mustard, even after 10-11 AM, especially when accompanied by a good weizen.

I tend to avoid places that sell Erdinger. Their weissbiers have an unpleasant aftertaste to me.

^

Aba Weisswürscht mit da Haut san ja nur no greislig....

Klugscheisser :-) Afterall the 11am rule is outdated. As the weisswurst used to be raw meat it had to be eaten fast (before Noon). Today it's is already scald and there is no danger in eating them after 11 :-) But if you are even more of a "Klugscheisser" you should know to only eat them before eleven on Saturday :-p And don't forget to peel them. The otherday at the Augustiner there were these russian Ladys and they ate them with the skin - guess what - the didn't like them :-)

Ja, I find it amusing when I see people attacking a Weißwurst without peeling. It can´t taste very good with the skin on.

I wrote an article last year with some history of the Biergarten.

For those who are interested in the topic, it is on line here (http://www.executiveroadwarrior.com/2010/07/munichs-beer-gardens/).

I mention and include photos of several in the area.

Ja, I find it amusing when I see people attacking a Weißwurst without peeling. It can´t taste very good with the skin on.

Especially as the skin is kind of thick and rubber like. It's not like on other sausages where you can easily eat it. We have Weisswürscht every Saturday at home and i was born here - i have seen people suck the sausage out of the skin which is kinda popular - but they don't eat the skin either.

Especially as the skin is kind of thick and rubber like. It's not like on other sausages where you can easily eat it. We have Weisswürscht every Saturday at home and i was born here - i have seen people suck the sausage out of the skin which is kinda popular - but they don't eat the skin either.

Ja, I thought of this thread (and your comment) when I went with a friend to the Loreley Biergarten in Brooklyn on Friday. He had the Wurstteller and I had to stop him from eating the Weißwürscht with the skin on.

I'd also stick to places that sell Augustiner and Hofbräu, and avoid Löwenbräu, neither do I like Hacker, I think Spaten is OK, so is Paulaner.

Augustinergarten near the Hackerbrücke is a very nice place IMHO, rarely crowed (compared to the Chinescher Turm Biergarten, which I think is also OK). But I agree with those who say that the best places are those outside downtown, the smaller (and cheaper) ones.

Regarding food: When I'm in a Biergarten I rarely need more than of the the Riesenbrezn for the time between breakfast and dinner, I get all my calories in a liquid form during this period.

On a day where the weather is less Biergarten-like I'd go to the Andechser Keller am Dom.

I'd also stick to places that sell Augustiner and Hofbräu, and avoid Löwenbräu, neither do I like Hacker, I think Spaten is OK, so is Paulaner.


This is a very personal and subjective issue, which Bier one prefers. I happen to like Hacker but I also like Augustiner a lot as well. I'm not a Löwenbräu fan but I know plenty of people who would disagree.

True True - if you want really good beer do Augustiner. Otherwise look for some nice beergarden you like and hang out there. it's not about the brand - it's about having a good time. Oh and even if you americans aren't used to it - share a table it's fun :-)

Ja, I thought of this thread (and your comment) when I went with a friend to the Loreley Biergarten in Brooklyn on Friday. He had the Wurstteller and I had to stop him from eating the Weißwürscht with the skin on.

:-D Loreley Beergarten? Hope you had a good time.

:-D Loreley Beergarten? Hope you had a good time.


Naja, New York has a lot of Biergärten nowadays.

It was quiet (New York has been cold and grey, Friday we had 8°C) so we were inside the restaurant.

A review (with Fotos) of Loreley is here (http://www.executiveroadwarrior.com/2010/08/loreley-beer-garden-and-restaurant-brooklyn-review/).

True True - if you want really good beer do Augustiner. Otherwise look for some nice beergarden you like and hang out there. it's not about the brand - it's about having a good time.
It looks like we all agree about Augustiner but you are right, the trip to the Biergarten is about the experience and having fun.



Oh and even if you americans aren't used to it - share a table it's fun :-)Not sure if they will get used to it or do it but... good idea! :)

For those of you who might want to try the beers of northern Bavaria, the Nürnberger Frühlingsvolksfest starts this weekend and runs through the 1st weekend in May. The Tucher tent will be open for business, and plenty of small restaurant / biergarten places also selling Franconian beer.

And lest I forget (although not really Germany related), the Prague Beer Festival starts in May as well.

First of all, I don't speak-a-lick of Germany, except what I may learn before I get there... (and yes, my pronuciation will be shameless)... Any tips?


thanks..

In my experience (mainly at my favourite beer garden, the Hirschgarten), you don't need any language skills at all.

The scenario goes something like this:

1. Collect a clean Mass (litre mug) from the cabinets.
2. Wash it again in the huge sinks, to make it look like you are a regular and know what you are doing.
3. Take it to the counter and plonk it down in front of the fierce-looking Herr manning the barrel.
4. Said Herr fills it up and plonks it back down in front of you. (At this point, it looks as if you have got half a mug of foam, and you are being ripped off. Believe me, you aren't, the beer will settle at just about the one-litre mark.)
5. Move on to cash till, proffer a 10 euro note or similar, get change.
6. Find somewhere to sit and enjoy!

For those of you who might want to try the beers of northern Bavaria, the Nürnberger Frühlingsvolksfest starts this weekend and runs through the 1st weekend in May. The Tucher tent will be open for business, and plenty of small restaurant / biergarten places also selling Franconian beer.

And lest I forget (although not really Germany related), the Prague Beer Festival starts in May as well.

Munich has the fruehlingsfest (its mini version of a spring oktoberfest) starting April 29 for two weeks. They can't start as early as NUE because of easter ;)

Ja, I find it amusing when I see people attacking a Weißwurst without peeling. It can´t taste very good with the skin on.

Munich's star chef Alfons Schuhbeck (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfons_Schuhbeck), supposed to be the owner of several ginger plants in Bavaria, recently said during a cooking show on ZDF that peeling a Weißwurst is "a Schmarrn".

Btw, I agree with railways for the Hirschgarten to be the best Biergarten.

I have Bavarian blood runing through my vessels, but I do not zuzel the Weisswurschd.

Btw, I agree with railways for the Hirschgarten to be the best Biergarten.

I usually go to the Augustiner Keller, but I'm going to try Hirschgarten when I'm in Munich next month.

In my experience (mainly at my favourite beer garden, the Hirschgarten), you don't need any language skills at all.

The scenario goes something like this:

1. Collect a clean Mass (litre mug) from the cabinets.
2. Wash it again in the huge sinks, to make it look like you are a regular and know what you are doing.
3. Take it to the counter and plonk it down in front of the fierce-looking Herr manning the barrel.
4. Said Herr fills it up and plonks it back down in front of you. (At this point, it looks as if you have got half a mug of foam, and you are being ripped off. Believe me, you aren't, the beer will settle at just about the one-litre mark.)
5. Move on to cash till, proffer a 10 euro note or similar, get change.
6. Find somewhere to sit and enjoy!

I speak very little German other than the courtesy greetings. So when I go to Hirschgarten, I'm a little confused concerning #1, 2, and 3? You gotta grab your own mug? Now, #4, 5, and 6 comes natural to me. :)

I speak very little German other than the courtesy greetings. So when I go to Hirschgarten, I'm a little confused concerning #1, 2, and 3? You gotta grab your own mug? Now, #4, 5, and 6 comes natural to me. :)

Yes. Just watch what others do if you're not sure - you'll soon get the hang of it. ;)

A vote for some off-the-beaten-track beergardens:

- St. Emmerams Mühle (Sankt Emmeram 41, 81925 München) located in a quiet part of the Englischer Garten. You can jump in the Isar-channel to cool down...

- Inselmühle (Beergarden only!), located in a nice garden along the Würm (Von-Kahr-Straße 87, 80999 München)

- and another "Mühle" (=mill) outside of Munich: Gasthaus zur Mühle (Mühltal 10,
82064 Straßlach), you can walk along the Isar river or watch rafters on the slide next to the beergarden.

- and a fairly decent one close to Arabellapark (Westin, Sheraton): Schlösselgarten (Cosimastr. 41, 81925 München), located right in the middle of some gardens ("Schrebergärten").

Will the biergaerten be open (weather permitting) at the end of September? I will be in Muenchen then for a few days, and plan on a day or two at the Oktoberfest but would like to enjoy something like the Hirschgarten experience as well.

Will the biergaerten be open (weather permitting) at the end of September? I will be in Muenchen then for a few days, and plan on a day or two at the Oktoberfest but would like to enjoy something like the Hirschgarten experience as well.

Absolutely! After all, that's Oktoberfest time. It's also often the best time to enjoy the beer and the beautiful Bavarian sky.

You might also be interested in this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/europe/544931-best-beer-garden-munich-germany.html) where other FlyerTalkers discuss their favorite Biergärten in Munich.

Missing from that thread is Aumeister (I liked it in particular since it was practically in my back yard).

My article on Munich's Biergärten (http://www.executiveroadwarrior.com/2010/07/munichs-beer-gardens/) covers a bit of history for those who are interested.

In my experience (mainly at my favourite beer garden, the Hirschgarten), you don't need any language skills at all.

The scenario goes something like this:

1. Collect a clean Mass (litre mug) from the cabinets.
2. Wash it again in the huge sinks, to make it look like you are a regular and know what you are doing.
3. Take it to the counter and plonk it down in front of the fierce-looking Herr manning the barrel.
4. Said Herr fills it up and plonks it back down in front of you. (At this point, it looks as if you have got half a mug of foam, and you are being ripped off. Believe me, you aren't, the beer will settle at just about the one-litre mark.)
5. Move on to cash till, proffer a 10 euro note or similar, get change.
6. Find somewhere to sit and enjoy!

I'm meeting another couple at Hirschgarten on an early Sunday evening for a few beers, something to eat, and to chit chat about the new BMW's we're going to pick up the following morning at the Welt. :)

Having never been there or met the other couple, can you suggest a meeting place? I'm going to try out your 6-step plan. :D

I was at the Hirschgarten on Monday this week. I was thrown out! Why? Because I wanted to take pictures in the biergarten (which is in a city park). The current manager is a lunatic and I am not the only person who has had bad experiences with him. If you can read German (or use Google translate), you should read the experiences of local Germans who have also had problems there. Read this: http://www.munichx.de/trinken/biergarten_muenchen/hirschgarten.php
or this:
http://www.dooyoo.de/restaurants-national/koeniglicher-hirschgarten/Testberichte/

Do beirgaertens close during the winter months? (Nov, Dec, Jan etc)
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Do beirgaertens close during the winter months? (Nov, Dec, Jan etc)
-

In normal cases: yes, they will be closed. But as soon as there is sunshine and temperature rises over about 10 degrees C you will see them reopen again.

In normal cases: yes, they will be closed. But as soon as there is sunshine and temperature rises over about 10 degrees C you will see them reopen again.


What is the criteria in the summer for them to open(especially a cold crap summer like this one)? Sure the Viktualienmarkt and Chineschiser Turm are pretty good bets but it seems like a lot of the others aren't open if it's below about 15C in the summer. I can see how ones like the AugustinerKeller can be selective but some of the smaller ones must lose serious money by not being able to open during long stretches of bad weather.