Editorial
Munich's bar scene is more layered than the lederhosen-and-litre-steins image suggests. The best bars in Munich include world-class craft beer taprooms, excellent cocktail lounges in Schwabing and Glockenbach, and a clutch of neighbourhood Kneipes that have been doing honest drinking since the 1950s. We covered 21 venues across three days. Here are the 10 that matter.
Jaded Monkey runs a speakeasy near Karlsplatz led by New York bartender Bill Fehn, pouring signatures like the Monkey's Gimlet and a milk-clarified rum punch.
Bar Garcon plays vinyl all night near the Viktualienmarkt, a small marble-topped bar that builds cocktails from European spirits only.
Lola Bar hides behind velvet curtains in the Glockenbach quarter, a red-velvet room with a long cocktail list, a popcorn machine and weekend DJs.
Schall und Rauch packs the university crowd into Schellingstrasse in Maxvorstadt, a student bar serving Indian plates and strong, low-priced cocktails.
Schwarzreiter Tagesbar runs the casual side of the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski on Maximilianstrasse, serving young Bavarian plates and cocktails from morning to late.
Munich's cocktail scene is concentrated in Glockenbach and Schwabing, where a new generation of bartenders is working with Bavarian ingredients and challenging the assumption that Munich is only a beer city. Our detailed guide to Munich's best cocktail bars explores the precision and innovation defining the city's cocktail culture across neighborhoods.
Munich's best-kept drinking secrets sit in residential neighbourhoods far from the Marienplatz crowds. These venues reward the visitor willing to take the U-Bahn a few stops from the centre.
Munich rewards the visitor who resists spending every evening in the same three beer halls. The craft beer scene here is excellent, the Glockenbach cocktail bars are as good as anything in Germany, and the hidden gems in Schwabing and Maxvorstadt show a city with more range than its reputation suggests. Give Munich three evenings and allocate one of them entirely to Glockenbach.
Tom specialises in beer and whisky with a particular focus on German brewing culture. He has been visiting Munich for eight years and maintains strong opinions about which beerhall is worth your time.
Five editor-curated guides, each ten bars, each tuned to a specific moment. The Munich bars our editors send first dates to, and the ones we send proposals to, and everything between.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 by the barsforKings editorial team