Food recommendations Bavaria

We too no longer drink, however when we're in one of the great beer hall cities we come out of retirement.

Favorites are Augustiner in Salzburg and the Andechs Monastery in Andechs--SW of Munich. Of course, Munich has some great restaurant/beer halls. They're big on pig knuckles and other Bavarian favorites there.

We went to Berllin during the pandemic, and we were very surprised to see fast food, deli's and especially so many Vietnamese restaurants. On that trip, we also visited Dresden, and that was the Germany we were out to see. All the Munich breweries had restaurants there, and the German food was great.

Absolutely agree the Andechs Monastary was well worth a visit. From Munich, take a train to Tutsing, then a bus to the monastary. When you walk up from the bus area, there's a steep uphill walk. Just before that, on the left, is a nice restaurant we've enjoyed.

In Rothenberg obdT, there's a restaurant at Gasthaus Butz, great food. One block off the Rathaus platz. If you park in front of that Gasthaus, be sure to pay the parking fee. One visit, I did not... oops.

First, you are arriving at the end of the asparagus season, and if you can find a place serving it, you should partake. It is a very big deal in that part of the world. White asparagus is not what most Americans are used to, and many places will have entire menus using it in soups, salads, and various main courses. (I like mine with schnitzel.)

Second, weissewurst is a white veal sausage served boiled. It is a morning thing, usually served with potato salad and a pretzel.

Rothenberg has the Schneeboll, a pastry about the size of a baseball covered in powdered sugar (and other coatings).

My favorite snack is the cheese pretzel, which can be had with chopped ham. Check the bakeries in the morning (or the ones in the train station have them all day.)

Currywurst is actually a Berlin thing, but Bavaria had (until the late 1990's) a huge number of American military stationed in and around Munich and Nuremberg, so you find it there.

In and around Nuremberg you will find Nuremberger Bratwurst, which are smaller (about the size of your finger) and served 3-4 to a roll. Or, if you're in the right kind of restaurant, served in pairs (4, 6, 8 stuck) with potato salad or sauerkraut.

Roasted pig shoulder (Krustenschäufele) is a very regional main dish. Often served with little potato dumplings (Knodel). It is served crisp (skin on) and on the bone.

Fish is popular, and always on the menu on Fridays (you're going to be in Catholic country). Trout and carp are popular. Smoked mackerel are something you can find in the beer halls.

Chicken is usually roasted whole on a spit. You'll even see this in the snack trailers. You buy the whole, or half.

Doner is a stuffed bread with grilled meat (usually beef or chicken) and an assortment of veggies, peppers, and cheese, and a yogurt sauce. Beats any hamburger for fast food.

Pomme Frites, or pommes, are your french fries. They are everywhere. a decent place will have half a dozen various sauces. A really good place will have dozens. There are shops that only serve pommes.

You're coming just as the beer season starts. Maibock is new, the lagers and weissen beers are just coming out.

Stay away from the Hofbrau Haus in Munich, it's a tourist trap. Try Schneiders (a student hang out), the Augustiner by the Hunting and Fishing museum, or the Lowenbrau beer garden (which usually has live music.) There's a nice place on the north end of the English Gardens also.

Stay away from the Hofbrau Haus in Munich, it's a tourist trap.

Yogi Berra said about a place, "Nobody goes there; it's too crowded." The HB Haus is crowded because it's popular.

To me, a 'Tourist trap' is something unauthentic, contrived to suck tourists in. The Hofbräu Haus is authentic; it's been open to the public for 200 years - long before tourism. I love the HB Haus. I go there every time I visit Munich.

One thing I wouldn't get in Munich is Schweinehaxe (unless you want a heart attack). But, any Schnitzel with Spätzle, particularly Ziguener Schnitzel (Ops, Hungarian style Schnitzel). Umm!

I once had Forelle (trout) with Meerradish and Preitzelbeern in Schlachsahne (horse radish and cranberry in whipped cream).- strange, but very good.

The Weihenstephan beer garden in Freising is nice.

I agree with Lee about the Hofbrauhaus but not about having a schweinehaxe. I usually have more than one schweinehaxe when in Germany (if it was health food, I'd be addicted).

The schweinehaxe I had at the Hofbrauhaus was very good - tender and tasty meat, crackling thick and crispy. Glancing at other tables, I was suprised at the amount of people who put aside their crackling. A guilty pleasure to be tried at least once.

I have to laugh at the idea that tourism didn't exist 200 years ago. Tourism in Europe has existed since the Romans had the place, and probably before. When Vesuvius blew up and covered Pompeii Pliny could write about it because he was on vacation visiting relatives. Between 1700-1940 a tour in Europe was common if you could afford it, and as the middle class grew so did tourism. Tourism isn't new.

The Hofbrau Haus remains in business because of tourism. You won't find many locals eating (or drinking) there. To me that's a sure sign, but please, keep going if you like it.

If open and make reservations:
Alpengasthof Vorderbrand Schönau am Königssee
Gasthof Auzinger Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden
Bärenwirt Salzburg
I like the Pizza here - La Baita Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Strawberry season is also big in Germany, with temporary booths on city streets. Pifferling season is perhaps more exotic for Americans. There are all-Pifferling menus too. Delicious.

I would note that pork knuckle or shoulder skin can be really hard to penetrate. You need a good set of cutlery and a sturdy table.

I will second the recommendation for Augustiner Brewery in Salzburg. This is a huge brewery started by Augustine monks in 1621. It is huge and when I was there (with a friend), the outdoor beer gardens were ablaze with lights and filled with people, laughing and carousing. This is not a “sit down and order” restaurant – instead you visit one of the many food stands scattered throughout the buildings, pick what you want to eat and carry it to your table. If you want a beer, you pay at the beer stand, pick up a large stone mug and take it to get filled from the large wooden barrel that all Augustiner beer is stored in.

It was a lot of fun and the food was good. My friend and I each got a plate of ribs, served with a potato, sour cream and cabbage salad then grabbed a beer and headed outside to eat. The food was excellent. We were there on a Saturday night and it was evidently a very popular spot, both with locals and tourists. The buildings also housed cavernous eating rooms and there were lots of people eating inside, but the majority seemed to be enjoying the outside tables. FYI, parking was very easy.

One restaurant I particularly enjoyed in Munich was Cafe Beethoven, located off Beethovenplatz on Goethestraße. It is an outdoor cafe that sits on a quiet tree-lined street, and had a variety of patrons when we were there. The inside held a grand piano, which is evidently used for evening music events, but we sat outside and enjoyed the mild sunny weather. The food was very good. I had pork medallions wrapped in bacon, served with dumplings and green beans. I also enjoyed the best apple strudel I have ever had. It was incredibly delicious and came with a warm cream sauce.

Also, I'm another fan of Hofbräuhaus. Yes, it can be touristy but it's still fun and the food is really good. So don't feel like you always have to eat where locals eat. You're a tourist and it's fun to experience places like that. :-)

A visit to Munich should always include a visit to a Munich beer garden (weather permitting).
And of course you can also drink something different than beer. Typical drinks for my teenagers are Apfelschorle (apple juice with sparkling water) and Spezi (a Cola and Fanta mixed drink. Kids love it, I don't know why).

In a Munich beer garden you can bring your own food, but of course you can also buy hot and cold meals there.
A typical small meal in a beer garden is Obazda (a Camenbert-based spread) with a giant pretzel (Breze).

There is a beer garden at the Viktualienmarkt, especially here it makes sense to buy your food among the delicacies at the market and then eat in the beer garden.
Other well-known beer gardens are the Chinese Tower and the Seehaus in the English Garden, the Augustiner Garten in Arnulfstrasse or the Hirschgarten beer garden, the largest in Munich.
The Hirschgarten also sometimes serves another specialty, Steckerlfisch.
Steckerlfisch is a fish grilled on a stick. My prefered fish is a mackerel.

I highly recommend the Paulaner am Nockherberg in Munich. It is an upscale restaurant that is part of the Paulaner beer family. Make a reservation for the restaurant. It is more food and less beer focused than the attached beer garden. If you have seen my posts, then you know I am there for the beer as well!