Delightful breakfast at the Viktualienmarkt beergarden
We would like to show you something very well hidden today. Who would think that you can have a quiet time of comfort and enjoyment in the middle of a world famous tourist attraction? We didn´t believe either until our good friend Ralf showed us how and where. Ralf loves to celebrate long Breakfast times at Munich’s Viktualienmarkt beergarden, especially on Saturdays. “Viktualien” is an old word for food. Nowadays, this grocery market has changed into an exquisite deli market with a rich offer. And Ralf has identified the most delicious food at the place over time. We are thrilled since we first went there with him.
Welcome to the Heart of Munich
The Viktualienmarkt is located in the heart of Munich – in the truest sense of the word. The settlement called “Munich” was first mentioned in 1158, after a bridge across the salt trade route had been built and a nearby market was established. This market has been moved to its present location in the year 1806 for reasons of capacity. But it can be found near to it´s original place, the Marienplatz and also near Munich´s oldest church, which the locals refer to as “der alte Peter”.
What you Should Bring Along
To make it a perfect breakfast, you should bring a few things: a bread knife and one for cheese, a fork for small delicacies and a small plate or the traditional Bavarian wooden plate version – the “Brettl”. A beer garden tablecloth (white and blue diamond pattern, about 2.40 meters long and 90 centimeters wide) is not a must, but it puts the finishing touches on your breakfast event. There is also no need to wear traditional Bavarian clothing – “Tracht”. Only a few visitors of the Viktualienmarkt dress like this, but nevertheless it´s appropriate. You can´t be wrong wearing “Dirndl” or “Lederhosn” in Munich. Time is what you really need. Better plan a stay of several hours.
The Viktualienmarkt Beer Garden
The best time for breakfast on Saturdays is about 9:00 am, when the Viktualienmarkt is still relatively empty. You should have finished your food shopping until 11:00 am and you also should have managed to get a table at the market beer garden at that time. After 11:00 am the market usually gets crowded. In every traditional beer garden across Bavaria, you can either buy food or bring your own. The Viktualienmarkt beer garden is special about one thing. They only serve up to 20,000 liters of beer from one brewery and passes the baton on to the next one, so that every Munich brewing company has the chance to sell its products there. When we last visited the market beer garden, we had good luck with the weather and also with the beer – It was just my favorite brewery’s turn.
The Best Stalls and their Best Food
The “Bäckerliesl” is not only stall, but also the name of the owner and oldest “Standl-Frau” (female vendor) at the Viktualienmarkt. You should buy a big peace of her best bread “Bauernkruste”. You definetly will not regret it, when you have a peace left to take home at the end.
We continue with Luigino´s Bio Feinkost. Following the recommendations of our personal food coach Ralf, we buy some fantastic cheeses there: Some Swiss mountain cheese, a piece of wildflowers cheese and a bite of truffle Gouda. Luigino’s runs it´s own cheese dairy. The food quality is overwhelming. You will be served very nicely and also get good advice on request.
If it´s true that you eat with your eyes first, then the next stop is truly a feast for the eyeballs. Just the sight of Sevdas – Südländische Spezialitäten is a colorful delight. We buy some hot peppers in oil, a portion of olive salad, several pickled dried tomatoes and Turkish shepherd salad. Last but not least, we take a small bowl filled with spicy feta cheese cream.
There are several good options, if you want fresh juice or smoothies. One of them is just around the corner: Schenk´s frisch gepresste Säfte. The staff members are cheerful and joking.
Let´s Talk about Coffee…
There is hardly any Munich citizen who would believe it to be possible to get a cup of coffee for only 80 cents in her city, at least at the Viktualienmarkt. But here is the proof: Go halfway around Karnoll´s Back- und Kaffeestandl. You will find a small window where you can get some unbelievably inexpensive coffee.
Enjoy Your Meal
Now you have almost all the ingredients together. The only thing missing is beer or “Radler” (a refreshing mixture of beer and lemonade). They serve it right next to the beer garden tables. You can´t miss. The designations of beer quantities are part of the basic knowledge for tourists visiting Bavaria: A “Maß” (pronounce it like “muss”) means one liter. It´s the usual serving amount in beer gardens. But you can also get a “Halbe” – half a liter, if you want. Enjoy your meal and have fun!
If you liked this post, also check out my articles on the following topics:
- organic farm stores near Munich
- the best picnic spots around Munich
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- art nouveau walk in Munich (Schwabing)
- magical evening walks around Munich
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How interesting!!! I have never been to Munich, but have really been meaning to. Next year we are planning a Europe trip and most definitely will have to put this place on the list of things to do. Love beergardens, so I am sure I will love this place.
Thanks for your wonderful comment, dear Soraya! I’m sure you will create great memories visiting the Viktualienmarkt. Munich and its surroundings
has a lot to offer. Be sure to plan enough time.
I love the Viktualienmarkt! I love the little stand with the scented dried flower and herb hanging things. I get my mom stuff from there all the time! Great post.
Great to here that, dear Susanna. Thanks very much for your comment. I know this stand, it’s amazing 🙂
I was in Munich a few weeks back and had no idea! The food in this post looks wonderful.
Thanks for the compliment…Oh, that’s really a pity. I hope you liked my city.
I really loved Munich. Sadly, I arrived on the day of the shooting and so my entire first evening was spent inside the hotel room. I would have liked to get out a bit more as I had limited time there. It’s a beautiful city though.
What a great idea! I love the thought of going along, buying the freshest of foods in the market and then having a big sociable picnic and eating it straight away!
Thanks a lot, Amanda! The great thing is that the most traditional beergardens allow to brin along your own food.
That’s awesome and fairly unique I think. I can’t think of a similar thing in England. Most places say only consume stuff you have bought on the premises.
This dates back to an old Bavarian tradition. Beergardens were once the places where the breweries sold their beer.
It was stored under the ground. In order to keep the beer cold, chestnut trees were planted. Above, the beer was sold.
People came there by bicycle to buy beer and brought their own food because they didn’t sell food there at that time. Not all Bavarian beergardens allow
this today, but the most authentic places still cultivate this great tradition.
What a fantastic idea! I love the idea of embracing the local culture by eating the food and sampling the drink, thanks for all the tips!
Thank you very much for your nice comment, Katie.
I love a good beer garden. My first thought was, how convenient that you can bring your own food. My second thought was, why would you bother when there’s so many tasty looking options there?
I love that they rotate the breweries out! Do you have any idea how long it takes them to serve 20,000 liters?
Thanks for your interested comment, Emily!
The point is that the food stalls sell food very different from the beergarden food. It’s very high quality or gourmet food which is not only from Bavaria
but also from close Italy, for example. The mixture of Bavarian and mediterranean foods is very
typical for Munich being close to Southern Europe and sharing sometimes a similar lifestyle.
The breweries change about every six weeks.