Bavarian Food Best at Oktoberfest and in Munich

Beer, Wursts, Schnitzel, Grilled Fish Define Festival Foods

Sep 10, 2009

Brez'n are Best with a Mug of Beer, Munich Tourism

German food is somewhat heavy and certainly hearty, making it the perfect reason to visit Oktoberfest, Munich, and the region of Bavaria in general this fall.

While the best reason to visit Munich during Oktoberfest is the festival itself, its link to food and drink (a.k.a. beer and wursts) is undeniable. Generally speaking, Bavarian food is somewhat heavy and certainly hearty, with dishes like sauerbraten, sauerkraut and onions, sausages, schnitzel, pork knuckles. dumplings, and Obatzda (Camembert cheese and butter spread with pepper and caraway seeds) high on the list of "favorites." Any of these are a perfect accompaniment to the Bavarian measure (1 liter) of beer.

At the time of the 1810 wedding of Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese, the occasion of the first Oktoberfest the spring's stockpiled beers had to be depleted to make room for the fall's production. March (Marzen) is the last month that beers would typically be made due to the unpleasant taste that beers made in warmer months developed. With alcohol being a natural preservative, these beers were made with higher alcohol content, thus the name "Oktoberfest" or "Marzen" style beers are what is served at the festival.

Munich Brewers Supply Beer Tents

Augustiner, Hacker-Pschoor, Hofbrauhaus, Lowenbrau, Paulaner, and Spaten-Franziskaner are the traditional German brewers of Oktoberfest beer since they all brew or bottle beer within Munich's city limits. Their beers are served in the tents, also known as "festhalls" (festival halls) daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and from 9 a.m. on weekends. With more than 6 million people visiting the festival each year, it is wise to make a reservation at one of the tents at the official Oktoberfest site.

Traditional Bavarian food and beer is served at most of the tents, but wine or Champagne is available at the "Weinzelt," where 15 varieties are on offer including the local Nymphenburg sparkling wine. Tired of wursts? The "Ochsenbraterei" tent serves spit-roasted ox and the "Fischer Vroni" tent specializes in grilled fish on a stick.

Munich Restaurants, Taverns, and Brew Houses

Even when people leave the "Wiesn" (fairgrounds), there are loads of place to satisfy one's hunger and thirst in brew houses, taverns, and restaurants in the center of Munich. Here are some popular ones to look for.

Augustiner am Dom (Frauenplatz 8) is located across from Frauenkirsch, Munich's onion-domed Church of Our Lady. Specialties here include a wurstel platter (four bratwurst, two spicy red bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potato salad), and roasted pork with potato dumpling in a dark beer sauce.
Bayerischer Donisl (Weinstrasse 1) is an old wine tavern near Marienplatz that serves traditional fare with main dishes of wursts and sauerkraut. Bavarian music begins nightly at 6:30 p.m.
Wirsthaus Ayingers (Am Platzl 1a) serves meals like baked pork joint with sauce and dumplings, wurst platters, and schnitzel.
Hofbrauhaus (Am Platzl 9) is one of the city's most popular year-round attractions and bills itself as "the biggest pub in the world." Bavarian music and dance accompany huge portions of food, including "house specials" like suckling pig roasted in beer with potato dumpling and red cabbage, brew masters pork steak with herb butter, or Weiner schnitzel with potato salad. There's also a huge gift shop of Hofbrauhaus merchandise, including their famous mugs emblazoned with "HB" that make great souvenirs.

The copyright of the article Bavarian Food Best at Oktoberfest and in Munich in European Culinary Travel is owned by Margaret Johnson. Permission to republish Bavarian Food Best at Oktoberfest and in Munich in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.