Not if you haven’t been to Berlin 
Definitely a beautiful lobby. Worth seeing. The room itself was fine, but not memorable.
I like the Platzl Hotel, which is less grand, and smaller. It is a 4 star, located in the old town.
Have you visited the Kempinski Four Seasons in Berlin? Another beautiful hotel.
We stayed at the Platzl when we were in Munich.
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So glad you are all with me here. I am trying to book Falke 23 but despite what website says, cannot find any English translation. I can get by in basic German reading, but they are asking me where I want to sit and I hope one of you an help. We would prefer a la carte rather than tasting; this is what I see on the reservation page:
Bitte für taggleiche Reservierungen ab 16 Uhr anrufen unter 089 246 431 26 ! Reservierungsrichtlinien (AGB): Oftmals kommt unerwartet doch etwas dazwischen - kein Problem: Sagen Sie uns bitte bis spätestens um 16 Uhr am Reservierungstag kurz Bescheid oder stornieren Ihre Reservierung über das online-Tool - wir können die Plätze dann noch rechtzeitig an andere Gäste vergeben. Für taggleiche Stornierungen nach 16 Uhr oder bei Nichterscheinen (No-Show) stellen wir eine Ausfallpauschale von 40,- Euro pro Person in Rechnung! Stornierungen von Gruppenreservierungen ab 10 Personen sind bis 5 Tage vorab kostenfrei möglich.
Wunschbereich?*
- Wirtshaus
- Fine Dining (Menü-Restaurant)
Which of the three should I choose to have their best a la carte dishes?
(Its’ been a long time since I was unable to make it though making an online booking…just might sing up for an online German course; I love the language and audited one semester in college but since I rarely visited Germany, I can only make out a few words, especially the menu words!!)
Vielen danke…did I at least get that right??
It’s part of Kempinski, a European owned group, as opposed to the Canadian owned Four Seasons which has properties in Europe but none in Germany. There shouldn’t be any confusion if you call it the four seasons.
One small question: Many people refer to “my” hotel as the Four Seasons; I know that is the English translation. But it is not a member of the Canadian chain, Four Seasons…but should still refer to it as Four Seasons in English? Maybe the was the hotel that the chain took its name from (??) although doubt they would confirm this…
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Most of that long German paragraph is about reservations. They’d like you to call before 4pm for reservations or cancellations. For cancellations after 4pm or for no shows there is a fee of 40 euros per person.
I assume that you want the “Wirtshaus”, but you can ask them when you call.
German is “vielen Dank.”
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It doesn’t differentiate between a la carte or tasting menu, but my guess is the tasting menu would be available at the Fine Dining (Menü-Restaurant) vs. the Wirtshaus.
You could also just call them. Most Germans have at least a working knowledge of English, and certainly those in the hospitality business 
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Thanks so much…will go ahead and book the Wirsthaus and later on either call them or ask hotel to confirm I made the right choice. In fact…will e-mail them after booking to ask if Ii should switch to the “fine dining” if we can order there a la carte…thank you again!!
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Definitely confusing, since it’s a Kempinski. I was wondering about the name, but looks like it has a storied history, and since the hotel dates to 100 years before the Canadian hotel chain , they probably didn’t feel the need to change their name 
Wonder if it stops the Four Seasons from opening in Munich 
(actually they aren’t in Germany at all).
To get a Weisswurst Breakfast you can make Reservations at Schneider Bräuhaus in München.
In my experience they do a very good job of it and it is a nice traditional Atmosphere
Also their Weisse Beer may change your mind about Beer.
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Sounds wonderful, BierMonk!
All the German responders here are so helpful! (At least I assume you are German but even if not, thank you!!).
I will look into Schneider…open until noon so will put it at top of list!! So I need reservations?? How about later, for lunch…same type of food??? Book ahead??
Went ahead and booked Falke 23 (Sunday night) and Spatenhaus am den Opera for Tuesday, on the first floor. Wrote e-mail to manager of Falke 23 to ask about different seating areas. Also, they seem to have live music on Sunday nights so that might be really great for us.
I’m not sure if I need to book anyplace else right now…FREISENGER HOF seems tempting (??) but need to leave time for Viktualenmarkt and doner kebab, Idoes this bear any resemblance to tacos al pastor in Mexico, minus the tacos and the pineapple and the pork??). …would like to go to Schwabing too.
No doubt hotel has lavish breakfast that will keep me pretty full until dinnertime since we are not the earliest of risers!
Found one more to ask about…looks fantastic!! (???)
Thanks again to all for so much help!!!
Just one more question: I had Tafelspitz (forgive spelling, please!!) at a now-extinct Austin restaurant in New York. WOW!!! Can I find the boiled beef in Munich and where??? Or is this not a Bavarian dish?
I am getting hungry out of control from looking at these menus…schweinshatze, (veal?) schnitzel, spanferkel,
beef or chicken consommés with dumplings, pretzel, cheese…
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German born and bred here, and you’re welcome.
I suppose döner kebab and tacos al pastor have the rotating vertical spit in common, but not much else. The meat is usually veal, beef, or chicken. A good döner is a thing of beauty.
Lingua this is fabulous!!!
And I see that some doner places serve borek, which I adore (we have some pretty good burek in a Bosnian place in Queens, NY, but I will be so happy to try the real thing in Munich, as well as the doner…Maybe I can find a good doner place near the hotel (??)
I will now read the Berlin reports you so kindly linked here; I’ve been there only once, so long ago (before the unification; I remember the guards with the big dogs coming onto the sleeper train and asking for pass!!) so do not remember much and did not have the money for any really great places, and did not know about doner back then!!! I need to go back; I know it is a very different and fabulous city now…
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Here’s the last three years worth of eatings 
Indeed. Traveled from the Ottoman Empire via Lebanon to Mexico with Lebanese immigrants and the lamb was eventually replaced by pork there.
There’s a good episode of Ugly Delicious (S1 E2) on Netflix with Jonathan Gold talking about this, and the first episode of Taco Chronicles is about it too.
Hans Kebab could check two birds with one stone. I can’t vouch for them but they get very good reviews. Guten Appetit.
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Here is (I hope) a link to my post about our most recent trip (our third) to Munich last summer. Its a great town,with much to enjoy, with its large parks and the river for recreation and the relaxed feel of the people who seem to be able to balance work and play. I will add some comments down below relating to prior visits etc.
Spatenhaus is close to where you are staying as is Brenners (we have not been) an Italian that I believe VikingKaj used to recommend here and on CH. Since you are coming from Sicily probably Italian food would be a whole different thing. At Spatenhaus, a few years back we dropped in there for late morning brunch on the plaza. I ordered Kaiserschmarrm and it was superb, the whole experience with the great Dallmeyer coffee they serve and the prosperous relaxed customers was very enjoyable. My husband order the leberkase (a very airy light but solid pork thing which I dont care for much but theirs was a good version - I recommend this brunch experience if you can fit it in. Maybe to revive after a visit to the Residenz or the English Garden.
At the Spatenhaus an der Oper resto proper we have eaten inside there 3 times in the downstairs area which is very nice. We have had all kinds of good things there, very good cooking of traditional dishes. Doubt you could do much better anywhere else for pork, potato dumplings, red cabbage, etc etc. Good beef and fish also. I would particularly like to recommend their house potato and cucumber salad, which I have been meaning to try to recreate from recipes online. It is delicious. They also have a resto upstairs that is more formal and I think with a slightly diferent menu - worth looking into.
Re beer, I am also not a beer drinker - except for Radlers which I learned to drink in Munich. I am married to a beer drinker and there is nothing nicer than drinking the very clean Munich beers (not like the nasty american brews) under the trees in a beer garden to cool off on a hot summer day. They make the radlers with the Helles beer and in Munich the also may offer a drink called a “Russ’n” which is made like a radler but with the weissbeer (wheat beer) which is also relatively light. Both are excellent.
I think someone else has mentioned Der Pshorr which is a big beer hall near the Victuelmarkt- serves a menu slightly downmarket from Spatenhaus, we have always had good experiences there. It tend to be more peaceful indoors than on the tables outside which are usually mobbed.
I am sure there are other excellent meals to be had in the quadrant you are staying in - but they havent been discussed here or on CH in my memory. I have been trying to get to a place called Halali, a little farther away, for 3 visits now but we never have any appetite at dinner time I hope you do better.
Except for those differences and the Sauce and the Topping it is exactly the same. (said with humor not snark!)
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You can always make an extra Brötchen with a Filling of your choice and pop it in your Purse or Pack to hold you over.
Almost everywhere we stay have no problem with that.
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I’m glad to read that I’m not the only one who does that!!!
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