Best After Work Bars in Munich

Munich's most iconic hotel bar draws the city's media and finance crowd for good reason. The hand-mixed Martinis are textbook, the bar staff know your name by the second visit, and the dark-wood room strikes exactly the right note between boardroom and pleasure. Order the Felix Negroni and settle in. The Altstadt location means you are five minutes from the S-Bahn and the whole evening is sorted. Hotel Bar

A craft cocktail bar that grew out of a sound engineer's apartment and still carries that intimate energy. The playlist rotates between krautrock and vintage soul. We recommend the Aperol Spritz remix with house-made citrus bitters and the tasting board of small-batch schnapps. Regulars include half the Pinakothek's curatorial staff, which tells you everything about the room. Craft Cocktails

Spirits-forward and serious without being stuffy, Barwerk built its reputation on a staggering selection of German aquavit and aged rum. The long zinc bar seats 18, every stool earns its place. Go early on a Wednesday when the bartender walks through the week's new arrivals with a tasting glass and no pretension. Spirits Bar

The Glockenbach's answer to a London private members club, minus the exclusivity. Neon Gold is loud by 7pm on Fridays and the terrace fills fast. The house cocktail program runs seasonal — summer brings a yuzu and elderflower Gimlet that our editors return for annually. Tables need reserving Thursday onwards. Cocktails

A Haidhausen wine bar that proves Munich does natural wine as well as Bavaria does lager. The blackboard list changes weekly and runs 70 percent German with the rest from Alsace and Northern Italy. Cheese platters are a serious side business. The neighbourhood crowd is loyal and knows to arrive before 6pm. Wine Bar

Schwabing's bird-themed bar is small, atmospheric, and impossible to leave quickly. Botanical cocktails drive the menu with pine and elderflower featuring prominently across the seasonal list. The back room with its mismatched vintage chairs is where the longer evenings happen. Reservations for groups of four and over are strongly advised. Botanical Cocktails

Where university staff and their former students reconvene. Kollektiv Mitte runs a rotating guest bartender night every third Tuesday and the results are consistently worth showing up for. The house beer is from a small brewery in Freising and arrives unfiltered, which divides opinion and guarantees conversation. Neighbourhood Bar

An Altstadt beer hall that navigated the modern era without losing the soul. Die Zeche pours 14 taps of Bavarian lager and wheat beer alongside a short but honest schnaps list. The long communal tables fill with accountants and architects by 5:30pm sharp. Arrive late and you stand. It is what it is and it works perfectly. Beer Hall

The taproom attached to Giesinger Brauerei is a short U-Bahn ride south but worth every minute of the commute. The brewery's small-batch specialties rotate monthly and you drink them at the source for roughly half what they cost elsewhere. Our editors come for the Export Lager and the unpretentious crowd that cares only about the beer. Brewery Taproom

Bar Tabak occupies a corner of the Glockenbach that the tourists have not reached and the locals intend to keep that way. The wine list skews Franconian. The food is bar snacks only but the charcuterie board with Allgauer mountain cheese is a full meal in disguise. Thursdays draw the biggest crowd of the week. Wine Bar

A proper old-school Altstadt pub that has served the same Augustiner since before most of its regulars were born. No cocktail list. No playlist curated by an algorithm. Just cold draught, a loud room, and Munich doing what Munich does without needing to explain it. The after-work crowds here are the loudest in the city. Traditional Pub

This compact Au neighbourhood bar may be the most honest after-work option in the city. No reservations, no cocktail list with hand-drawn illustrations, just Paulaner on tap and decent bar food at prices that have stayed sensible. The regulars include nurses from the nearby Klinikum and teachers from the Gymnasium next door. Neighbourhood Bar

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.

Vega Bar mixes classic and contemporary cocktails on Georgenstrasse in Schwabing, opening at 7pm for a steady crowd of regulars.