Editorial
Munich gets typecast as a beer hall city. The Hofbrauhaus, the lederhosen, the litre mass of helles. All of that is real and worth doing once. But Munich also has the most serious cocktail scene in southern Germany, a wine bar tradition that runs deep into Bavarian and Austrian history, and a craft beer movement that has finally caught up with the rest of the country.
The bars below cover all of it. Beer halls included, but not as the headline. The headline is that Munich is a more interesting bar city than its tourist image suggests.
Three areas matter. Glockenbach in the south is the cool neighbourhood with the highest concentration of new cocktail bars and natural wine spots. Maxvorstadt in the centre is where the universities, the museums, and the studenty bars are. The Altstadt has the heritage spots and the beer halls. The Schwabing area in the north has neighbourhood bars that locals defend furiously.
Routinely placed in lists of the best European cocktail bars. Klaus Gabanyi has been pouring here since the 1990s and his classics are clinical. The room is small, the menu is short, the prices are fair. Reserve. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm.
Charles Schumanns daytime bar, opening at 8am for coffee and lasting through aperitif hour. The room is bright, sleek, and full of regulars who come every morning. The afternoon Negronis are calibrated. Open Monday to Saturday.
Tiki bar with a serious back bar. The rum list is one of the deepest in Germany, and the Mai Tais here are made with several aged rums layered carefully. The room is dim, the music is quiet, the crowd is mid thirties. Open daily from 7pm.
Bar inside the Haus der Kunst, with frescoed walls and a long terrace facing the Englischer Garten. The cocktails are precise, the food is good, and the room is one of the great Munich rooms. Best at sunset. Open daily.
The original 1971 Trader Vics in the Bayerischer Hof basement. Cocktails are the original American tiki classics, made well, in a room that has not changed visually in decades. Worth a single visit. Open daily.
The mother house of Augustiner, the Munich beer that locals drink most. The Helles is poured from wooden barrels here. The room is the beer hall in its honest form, less tourist crowded than the Hofbrauhaus. Open daily.
Hotel cocktail bar that takes itself seriously. The rooftop terrace looks out over the spires of the Frauenkirche. The drinks are precise, the prices are hotel level. Reserve a terrace seat at sunset. Open daily.
Smoking bar in the Munich tradition, with a humidor and a bartender who knows what to pour with a Robusto. The room is wood, leather, and quiet. The bourbon list runs to fifty bottles. Open Tuesday to Saturday.
Live music bar with a two stage layout and a calendar that runs five nights a week. The drinks are uncomplicated, the music is loud, the crowd is committed. This is the rock bar Munich quietly has. Open Tuesday to Saturday.
Small bar near the universities, with a short cocktail list and a record player by the door. Crowd is younger and engaged. The bartenders are doing their second job here, often students themselves. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 7pm.
Bar inside the legendary Tantris restaurant. The cocktails support the kitchen, which is one of the great German kitchens. Best for a single drink before dinner or after. The room is mid century preserved. Reserve. Open daily.
Beer hall focused on Schweinshaxe, the roast pork knuckle. The beer is reliable. The food is the headline, and you cannot drink in Munich without eating once. Open daily.
Rooftop on a small Glockenbach building, with a low key terrace and a serious cocktail program. Less a tourist destination, more a neighbourhood serious drink spot. The bartender will steer you. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 6pm.
Craft beer bar with twenty taps, mostly German and Czech, and a focus on Bavarian breweries that do not make it onto bigger menus. Knowledgeable bartenders, fair prices. Open Tuesday to Saturday.
Nautical themed cocktail bar with a serious rum focus. The room is small and the bartender is patient. Best for a Painkiller and a quiet conversation. Open daily from 6pm.
Wine bar with a focus on Austrian and Bavarian Naturwein. The list rotates weekly. The food is small German plates done well. Crowd is locals and food industry people. Open Tuesday to Saturday.
Glockenbach is the Munich Soho. Small streets, dense density of cocktail bars and natural wine spots, queer friendly, mid thirties dominant crowd. This is where the new wave bars are.
Maxvorstadt is studenty and cheaper. Universities, museums, art schools. Bars are smaller and more conversational. Eat the Rich is the standout but the area has a half dozen worth a stop.
Altstadt is the central old city. Beer halls cluster here. The Hofbrauhaus is on this map but skip it for Augustiner Stammhaus or Haxnbauer. The cocktail bars in Altstadt skew hotel and tourist. Bar Gabanyi is the exception.
Schwabing is the older university neighbourhood, more residential, less hyped. Substanz and Tantris Bar are the headlines. Worth an evening if you have one.
Spring through autumn is the right time for Munich. Beer gardens open, terraces fill, and the city feels generous. Goldene Bar and Zephyr Bar are at their best in May. The Englischer Garten has half a dozen beer gardens worth a Sunday afternoon.
Oktoberfest in late September and early October is the famous time but is also the worst time to be in Munich for normal bars. Most locals leave the city. The cocktail bars empty out. Visit during Oktoberfest if you want Oktoberfest. Visit a different week if you want Munich.
Winter compresses the city indoors. The cocktail bars come into their own then. Bar Gabanyi is at its best in February. The wine bars are warmer. The beer halls become indoor stoves.
In a beer hall, order a Helles in a one litre mass. Augustiner is the Munich locals choice. Spaten is also good. Pils is rarer in Munich than further north. Drink slowly. The mass is two pints.
In a cocktail bar, the German classics work: a properly stirred Negroni, an Old Fashioned with a Bavarian whisky like Slyrs, or anything the bartender suggests with Bavarian schnapps. The local schnapps tradition is deep and very different from German vodka.
Naturwein from Austria and Bavarian Franconia is worth ordering at a wine bar. The Riesling and Silvaner traditions in Franconia are some of the best on earth. Zum Wolf will steer you well.
Sixteen bars covers most of the Munich serious bar scene. Mix three beer halls, three cocktail bars, and a couple of wine bars and you have a balanced four day visit. For more on the cultural side, see our Bavarian drinking culture article. For other German cities, browse our Berlin Mitte guide. Or see all our Munich bar listings.
Beer and gastropubs editor at barsforKings. Covers craft beer bars, taprooms, and the pub, judged on cellar work, tap rotation, and whether the kitchen earns its place.
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