Munich: Hofbräuhaus am Platz

The Granddaddy of Beer Halls

I am convinced that our time in Munich would not have been complete without a visit to a beer hall.  Lucky for us, we managed to get a table at one of the oldest (built 1589), most universally-recognized, grandaddy of all beer halls – the Hofbräuhaus.  We went there after our visit to the Christmas market at Munich Residenz.

I know, and it’s true, the place is flocked by tourists like us, but hey in our opinion and all the guidebooks that I’ve read, it is worth a visit!

The rooms on the lower floors were full and we were thus ushered to the 3rd floor, at the Festival Hall (or Festsaal in German), to see if we can be accommodated.  We were initially told that the hall was full with all the tables on hold for reservations, but the kind manager perhaps took pity on our 9- and 16-year-old boys that he asked us to wait for a few minutes, that he might be able to seat us in a table by the stage. (So tip for you guys, make a reservation!)

The cheery atmosphere in the hall was contagious.  Everyone seemed to be having fun socializing, raising their Maßkrug (a 1 litre beer mug, the minimum in Hofbräuhaus), and tapping the wooden tables at the end of every performance.  You see, this beer hall has a small stage where a nightly performance of Bavarian folk song and dance is held.  The show was a treat especially to those trying to get acquainted with Bavarian culture.

Here’s the shocker for me:

In between small sips of wine and beer, our history buff teen slipped us some trivia about the beerhall.  He said that the Hofbräuhaus has played host to Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party, and that several of Hilter’s most important speeches were, in fact, delivered in the very same hall we were in.  Hmm…

Anyway here are some pictures at the beer hall and snippets of the night’s performance:

Here’s a snippet of the folk dance performance that night:

And here the boys were getting their dark beer and white wine.

Some tips for those planning on visiting Hofbräuhaus:

1. If you can’t choose which beer hall to go to yet, choose this one.  Mozart used to frequent this place and Vladimir Putin, too.  John F Kennedy, Louis Armstrong and George H.W. Bush visited it too!
2. Most of Hofbrauhaus was destroyed during WWII.  It was rebuilt but it looked the same as before.  I guarantee that Bavarian history can still be felt here.
3. Book a table especially if your group is big.
4. I did not enjoy the apple strudel here, you’ll probably be luckier with the bratwurst.
5. Here is the website of the beer hall: https://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/our-food.html
6. Here is the other trusted website for Hofbauhaus: https://www.muenchen.de/int/en/sights/attractions/hofbraeuhaus.html

–xoxo–

Here are the other posts on our Bavarian and Austrian holiday:

1. Munich: Start of our family’s tales from last winter
2. Munich: Viktualienmarkt Biergarten
3. Munich: BMW Museum and BMW Welt
4. Munich: Theatine Church and Odeonplatz
5. Munich: Christmas Markets
6. Munich: Hofbrauhaus Beer Hall
7. Munich: City Aparthotel München
8. Salzburg: Birthplace of Mozart and Silent Night
9. Salzburg: Hohensalzburg Fortress 
10. Salzburg: Residenzplatz Christmas Market
11. Salzburg: Salzburg Cathedral
12. Salzburg: Silent Night 200 at Salzburg Museum
13. Salzburg: Silent Night Tour by Bob’s Special Tour
14. Salzburg: Silent Night at Oberndorf and Laufen
15. Salzkammergut: Road Trip to Hallstatt
16. Salzkammergut: Christmas Market at St Wolfgang
17. Salzburg: Krampus Run at Hellbrunn Palace
18. Salzburg: Imlauer Hotel Pitter Salzburg
19. Obergurgl: A Week in the Austrian Alps
20. Obergurgl: Chalet Obergurgl Luxury Apartments
21. Obergurgl: Hohe Mut Alm Mountain Restaurant
22. Obergurgl: Snowstorm on Christmas Eve
23. Obergurgl: Day After the Storm
24. Obergurgl: Snowshoeing
25. Hochgurgl: Tobogganing
26. Hochgurgl: Hochgurgl Cable Car Ride
27. Vienna: First Impressions
28. Vienna: Hofburgkapelle and Imperial Armoury
29. Vienna: Schönbrunn Palace
30. Vienna: Imperial Treasury and Hofburg
31. Vienna: Prater
32. Vienna: New Year’s Eve Fireworks and Waltz
33. Vienna: Hilton Vienna Plaza
34. Stuttgart: The Mercedes-Benz Museum
35. Stuttgart: The Porsche Museum