Munich
Munich's best speakeasies hide behind unmarked doors and ask you to whisper passwords. The speakeasies on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — the central districts all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.
ALTSTADT · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Andechser am Dom draws a steady local crowd in Altstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
ALTSTADT · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Atelier Restaurant Bar draws a steady local crowd in Altstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
ALTSTADT · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Augustiner-Grossgaststatten draws a steady local crowd in Altstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.
MAXVORSTADT · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Augustiner-Keller draws a steady local crowd in Maxvorstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.
THE CENTRE · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Augustiner Stammhaus is the mother house of Augustiner — the Munich beer that locals drink most. The Helles is poured from wooden barrels rather than pressurise. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
THE CENTRE · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Bar Centrale is Munich's best Italian bar — a genuine neighborhood fixture that operates from morning espresso to late-night Negroni without skipping a beat. Lo. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
THE CENTRE · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Bar Gabanyi is routinely placed in lists of Europe's best cocktail bars. Klaus Gabanyi has been pouring here since the 1990s and the bar is committed to classic. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.
ALTSTADT · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Bar Mural draws a steady local crowd in Altstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.
MAXVORSTADT · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Bar Puccini draws a steady local crowd in Maxvorstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
LEHEL · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Blitz Club Bar draws a steady local crowd in Lehel. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
Use this guide either as a single curated route through Munich or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten speakeasies that any serious drinker in Munich would tell you to put on the list.
Andechser am Dom draws a steady local crowd in Altstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
Atelier Restaurant Bar draws a steady local crowd in Altstadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
Looking beyond Munich? See our guide to the best speakeasies worldwide, or compare speakeasies city by city.