Wandering around in Munich

Last week I arrived in Munich and fancied a late lunch. I had wondered about local fast food e.g. a "Currywurst" but in the end tried Rostkartoffeln 'Bayerische Art' (Bavarian style fried potatoes). Fried potatoes are often used with dishes like Zwiebelrostbraten (sliced roasted beef with fried onions and potatoes) or with a schnitzel and are usually served with finely chopped chives.

In this case the potatoes were served with Nürnberger Bratwürste. On my first afternoon I wandered around the Viktualienmarkt then wandered north to Sparkassenstraße to have a look at Haxnbauer in the historic Scholastikahaus.

The local word for a hock is Haxe so it is unsurprising that the restaurant is famous for Schweinshaxe or grilled pork hocks. I have not been there since my first year in Munich back in 1987, but I see that the grills are still visible from the street.

On the menu it is possible to ordered sliced hock or half a hock. However for those with a huge appetite you can order a whole hock for €3.20/100 g of pork or €3.90/100 g of veal.

I did not go in but wandered further down Neuhauserstraße which was the main shopping street as far as Karlsplatz. Although McDonalds and Burger King are in evidence it is clear that local fast food still dominates - a refreshing change from the UK!

In the shopping centre under Karlsplatz there are many food outlets such as this one offering sausage, meat and pasta dishes. There are also asian and Turkish outlets too. Returning along Neuhauserstraße I passed the Augustiner Restaurant.

For reasons I cannot fathom, most English-speaking tourists gravitate to the Hofbräuhaus. I much prefer the Augustiner establishment which has superior beer and good food.

This cafe had a counter directly on the street selling coffee and pizza.

At the tradeshow there were Bavarian snack and lunch items for sale as well as a few full-blown restaurants. One lunchtime I could not resist renewing my acquintance with Weißwürste. As usual it was served with a Breze (not a "pretzel"!) and sweet mustard (Hausmachersenf).

On returning to the airport I had to change from the U-Bahn to S-Bahn at the Ostbahnhof.

I was pleased to see that the bakeries are still popular offering a huge variety of filled rolls, cakes and bread. Many people get their breakfast or lunch at a bakery.