Don’t be surprised if some Germans bring their well-behaved dogs into the first floor dining room at Spatenhaus. I remember seeing a well -behaved English bulldog as a guest at a neighboring table, on my second last visit. 
I keep a plastic Bento box and a few Ziplocs in my purse for these moments.
Ok, now we are reminding me of when my Mom was in the senior center in NYC at the end of her life. They got breakfast and dinners with their rooms (very nice rooms, I do admit). We used to snicker at all the ladies (mostly women would do this) who would eat half their unsalted fish or meat (No sodium there!!) and would sneak dump the rest, with all the veg and often the rolls, into their huge handbags which were LINED with plastic bags!!
Long even before that, we were eating lunch with my aunt at the old Ratner’s, famous Jewish dairy restaurant on Lower East Side of Manhattan. They were famous for, among other things, their onion rolls. No sooner had my aunt sat down when she proceeded to rise up again, reach across the table, and dump the entire basket of the onion rolls into her purse. But not discreetly enough to catch the eye of one of the old-school Ratner’s waiters (a separate topic entirely!). who made a beeline for the table and proceeded to excoriate my aunt, telling her that the role were to be eaten on site. “If you do not finish your roll, you leave it here” (proclaimed loudly in heavy Yiddish accent). My aunt is having none of that!!! “You gave these to us at our table. We can eat them here and if we do not, it is ours to take home…!!”
Oy vey…lots of back and forth, manager called, on and on…in the end my aunt got her rolls, which at the time were probably about ten cents each but price did not matter. It was the IDEA that once those rolls were placed at her table, they were hers to do as she pleased.
I know this is nothing unusual in there annals of New York Jews born in the Depression and living through some bad years…but it’s persisted even to this day–look at me!!!
Forget the rolls; I can buy them, but you know that if that breakfast is great, some of the meats and cheeses will be spirited away for savoring later!!! Not only that, if you want to see the “grab and take home anything left on the table,” you need not look further than certain enclaves in south East Florida where, due to a huge concession on my part in the interest of placating the person I live with, I spend about three months a year, with the fourth month devoted to solo travel to Andalucia, where I carry this unusual anthropological custom with me…a few chunks of cheese, a few slices of jamon (Shonda!!), chunk of membrillo…
Last year I again stayed at my usual hotel in Madrid where breakfasts are plentiful and feature real regional meats and cheeses, not that pre-sliced supermarket junk, migas (be still my heart!), fresh fruits, fresh plan yogurt, (none of those cartons of fruit yogurt) etc etc. For me in Spain, it’s meat and cheese for breakfast, and the migas, maybe a small slice of tortilla. So after using the zip loc technique, I finally decided to ask my favorite waiter: is it ok if I bring this up to my room for later?
Next thing I know, en entire rolling cart has been filled with heaps of jamon Iberico, fresh (raw) cheese that I love, slices of Manchego and even much better cheeses, a platter of migas, glass of cava, bowl of yogurt, who know what else.
Upon leaving the dining room, I am followed by Yones, rolling this silver cart, right to my room; here he is, before all choices have been added to my cart, checking to see what is missing!!
So the “ghetto’shetl” not sure what to call it…maybe just Great Depression, mentality among certain 'Americans now translated to silver carts filled with a buffet of choices, just IN CASE I feel slight tinge of hunger during the day…
I stepped up a bit later in the day and actually bought my lunchtimes in-room snacks! (Not that I skipped the purloined breakfast snacks…just an additional pick me up during those long hours between lunch and dinner!!)
Where have I meandered now, from the shetl, to LES New York in the 1960s, to Madrid, to the takeout caviar…!!
Pardon me…now back to Munich but that was a fun discussion!!
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I often have eyes bigger than my stomach when there is a buffet, so I need the baggies.
Even though I was born in the early 1970s. 
I was having fun plating my beautiful breakfasts in Munich in 2014 and 2019.
I had worked out a formula of one roll (Semmel or Brötchen), one pastry, some meat, some smoked fish, some cheese, a little fruit or veg. Just the right amount so I wouldn’t need to take a nap.
Maybe a bowl of Rotegruetze (a mixed berry summer pudding often with vanilla sauce)- more of a Berliner/ Northern specialty, but you may find it at your lovely hotel, as a second course.
I should have posted some photos on TripAdvisor, and here, instead of only posting them on Chowhound, Instagram and FB. I’ve deleted my FB profile and IG profile a few times, so no photos of my beautiful breakfasts exist.
I might check my old Samsung phone to see if any breakfast photos are still on the phone.
What great stories! I remember those Ratners rolls from early days in NY legal pratice going out to dinner there. They were worth swiping. So many places have lavish bread services - which I hope they do not re-serve, give how prone some us our to touch the product before chosing an item. I have been known to grab a few pieces or slices, especially when we are staying in airbnbs and running low on bread. I remember this in Trapani, when we arrived on Sat night and al the shops were closing. we succeeded in collecting very few items to stock our airbnb kitchen. That night we went out to Cantina Siciliana (really pretty great, tho I DO NOT like the cous cous here or elsewhere in western Sicily) where I surreptitiously wrapped up enough bread for Jim’s breakfast in my napkin. Just did it again when we were in a relatively posh resto in Gardone Riviera! So Depression economy and the shopping realities in some travel destinations drive me to it.
thats a problem - back in the day I did not save any of the pix and text I posted on chowhound - must have assumed it was forever. These days I save posted pictures and also when I get around to it also post on google maps - its seems to be a more stable and reliable info source than most these days.
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I’m surprised to find pics as old as '06 or '07 in my cloud. How did they get there? 
Also amazing how much phone cameras improved, even just in the last 5 years.
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Falke 23 will not be open until later in October, (just received an apologetic e-mail) so now looking for restaurant for a Monday or Sunday (night of arrival from Catania) night…
Only place have booked is SPATENHAUS DEN OPERA…no major deal but I will welcome any and all ideas…
DER PSCHORR???
Would love good schnitzel! Pork but not immensely fatty (oh buy do I sound like a creep with that last comment!!). Sure all will work out but if you all have good ideas…do tell…Michelin is ok but not more than one star, if that…do not prefer tasting menus and do not want “fancy” places…
This is the traditional bavarian place that I have been trying to go to and failing on my last two trips to Munich. https://www.restaurant-halali.de/ I cant say for sure its better than Spatenhaus - Id also note that Spatenhaus is actually two restaurants, one on the groundfloor and a bit fancier one upstairs - we have never actually gone up there, it has a somewhat different menu., you might want to consider.
Some responses on a different forum to a similar question https://www.reddit.com/r/Munich/comments/14nsb8s/traditional_german_cuisine/
including 1 place with huge schnitzels
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Just a quick update; indeed the Vierjahretzeiten has weisswurst and everything else you could imagine at their extraordinary breakfast buffet! For both of us, the surprise favorite has been: The leberkase!!! Maybe the best variation on meatloaf I’ve ever had the good fortune to try!
We had a wonderful dinner last night at WEINHAUS NEUNER…decor, service, food–all tops! I will write details and post photos soon. Tonight will be upstairs at SPATENHAUS AN DER OPER…a few blocks from the hotel.
Some culture shock coming from Catania but we are loving our time here and people have been exceedingly warm and welcoming. Quite a thrill to see all the people dressed in tracht…especially the gorgeous embroidered lederhosen on the men. We are not sure if we will even go to the tents…(??)
Interesting to me is the vast variety of ethnicities in this city…just this afternoon I have met, and spoken with, a Peruvian, a Nigerian, a Togolese/German, a family from Argentina all dressed in Boca garb but shopping in the Bayern FC store, and a man from Iran. Language is not the slightest problem, even with my pathetic German, as many or most we meet are well versed in English with the exception of the taxi drivers. One taxi driver asked for a tip…I did not give one and imagine tipping taxi drivers is not the rule here…am I wrong?
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Actually, tipping your cab driver is usually done, albeit by just rounding up by a euro or two —unless they went above and beyond with your luggage.
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Thank you! I paid by credit card and was put off by his asking for a tip (no luggage, just drive to restaurant) but now I know better!!! Thanks again!
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WEINHAUS NEUNER
We liked everything about this restaurant; Rustic decor, gemutlich atmosphere, friendly and professional service, and the food! The owner, surprisingly, is French and the onion tart served as an amuse (third photo) was the best version of this dish I have ever tasted. I would have had it as a main course if offered.
I enjoyed the beef consommé with veal liver spatzle, and we both loved the (immense servings) of wienerschnitzel; I could barely finish half of my portion. Served with a terrific horseradish and cranberry (?) compote.
As you can see from the photo, I think, the bread–“pretzel brot” (what is the actual name for this salted bread??) and black bread–were both excellent. But it is the onion taste that will linger in my memory.
We had a bottle of water (water seems highly priced in Munich, with this one about 9 euro) and .2 liter glass of Mosel Riesling. Cannot find bill at the moment but you can get an idea of pricing from the two menu pages, posted above.
Highly recommended. Taxi needed (for us) from hotel. If I am reading the German correctly, this is the oldest “weinhaus” in the city.
Fantastic snack in the Victualenmarkt: Scharfe bratwurst mit Semmel…4.20 euro. The wurst was fantastic with just the right amount of very light spicing, but to have its on bread that is not that spongy New York City “frankfurter” roll was a joy…I chose this place when I saw the long line and the sign saying it was fresh grilled…several nearby benches to enjoy a perfect snack or, for those with small appetites, an excellent and filling lunch.
Sorry I neglected to take a photo of the wurst, or even note the name of the place, but you can probably find it easily with these pics as a guide:
Wandering around on the way back to hotel, we came upon this Turkish doner place where they were very friendly, explaining all about the three types of doner…right across fro the Rathaus, but we did not try…too full from the bratwurst:
I have no idea if this place is good or not, but in the area near our hotel, we do not see many Turkish places (we saw many today near the Hauptbanhof; is that a good area to check out for food??). (I am guessing the answer is no, but would like to learn…we passed through that area on way back from Dachau on the S2 train)
Dinner last night was upstairs at SPATENHAUS AN DER OPER-----we loved it; they are fully booked both upstairs and down for tonight but we booked downstairs for tomorrow night, our last night before heading home to the US. Will post photos later.
One dish I have not tried is the “pig knuckle,” Haxenbauer.
Where to try this, or any great crispy roasted pork traditional to Bavaria??? They have three versions of roasted pork at Spatenhaus a den Open…but which one to choose from the “Spatenhaus Classics on this menu??” I would prefer more meat than fat with very crispy skin:
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Damn, that Schnitzel looks like absolute perfection.
Usually, the area around any major train station in larger cities won’t be the snazziest, but the döner you saw there looks pretty great. It’s just a takeout food, so you could always grab one and find a nicer location to have it there.
If anyone plays chess well, Münchner Freiheit in München Schwabing was a wonderful experience, the board is in a park with three foot pieces, people swirl around the board while you’re playing, kibbitzing about the position.
I played there in the evening and the practice back then was that winner keeps playing and loser buys the winner a beer, after three wins my game took a dip for some reason
It was a unique experience playing with locals, no one spoke English but we were able to communicate over the board.
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We had two dinners at Spatenhaus am Der Oper (one downstairs and one upstairs) and one at FRIESINGER HOF…each one was very good and I would urge Ho-ers to put FRIESINGER HOF on their lists; its a bit of a taxi ride (about 18 euro each way) from the center, but well worth the trip–will post photos after I get used to being back home…all in all Munich is a great eating city!!
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We had two dinners at Spatenhaus am Der Oper (one downstairs and one upstairs) and one at FRIESINGER HOF…each one was very good and I would urge Ho-ers to put FRIESINGER HOF on their lists; its a bit of a taxi ride (about 18 euro each way) from the center, but well worth the trip-
Here are some photos of dishes from the two dinners at SPATENHAUS AM DER OPER; just about two walking blocks from the hotel Vier Jahretzeiten, so very central for many tourists.
More formal upstairs of the restaurant was our place for the first dinner here; although there were many tables occupied by people who were obviously tourists (table next to us from Texas, dining there on a “free” dinner evening of their Tauck tour; this must be a very high-end tour operator because they were also lodged at our hotel) the restaurant felt very local and we enjoyed ourselves very much…
After the exterior photo, and photo of the classic dishes, there are but two food photos: One is my partner’s Wiener Shnitzel, which he loved (as usual, potatoes were wonderful, served with a berry sauce which was usually identified as cranberry…is this true or is it a mistranslation; do they eat cranberries in Germany when they have so many other wonderful berry choices in that country???) and the other, the second to last pic: My tafelspitz.
I had believed that tafelspitz was a boiled beef served in a consommé; I had long remembered a variation of this from decades ago in an Austrian restaurant named DANUBE in NYC which was a David Bouley favorite of mine for special dinners. The tafelzpitz here was but the sliced, boiled beef and I found it a bit dry. I realize that I should have inquired, or read about this dish before ordering. Nevertheless, as I mentioned, the room was lovely, service excellent, and we attempted to book for the following night only to be told there was no space. So we booked, downstairs, for our last night in the city.
Upstairs (second floor to folks from US); we walked up, surely there is also an option for elevator:
Other than that, we liked the dinner so much that we booked again, downstairs, for our last night in Munich.
We had two dinners at Spatenhaus am Der Oper (one downstairs and one upstairs) and one at FRIESINGER HOF…each one was very good and I would urge Ho-ers to put FRIESINGER HOF on their lists; its a bit of a taxi ride (about 18 euro each way) from the center, but well worth the trip-
Here are some photos of dishes from the two dinners at SPATENHAUS AM DER OPER; just about two walking blocks from the hotel Vier Jahretzeiten, so very central for many tourists.
More formal upstairs of the restaurant was our place for the first dinner here; although there were many tables occupied by people who were obviously tourists (table next to us from Texas, dining there on a “free” dinner evening of their Tauck tour; this must be a very high-end tour operator because they were also lodged at our hotel) the restaurant felt very local and we enjoyed ourselves very much…
After the exterior photo, and photo of the classic dishes, there are but two food photos: One is my partner’s Wiener Shnitzel, which he loved (as usual, potatoes were wonderful, served with a berry sauce which was usually identified as cranberry…is this true or is it a mistranslation; do they eat cranberries in Germany when they have so many other wonderful berry choices in that country???) and the other, the second to last pic: My tafelspitz.
I had believed that tafelspitz was a boiled beef served in a consommé; I had long remembered a variation of this from decades ago in an Austrian restaurant named DANUBE in NYC which was a David Bouley favorite of mine for special dinners. The tafelzpitz here was but the sliced, boiled beef and I found it a bit dry. I realize that I should have inquired, or read about this dish before ordering. Nevertheless, as I mentioned, the room was lovely, service excellent, and we attempted to book for the following night only to be told there was no space. So we booked, downstairs, for our last night in the city.
Upstairs (second floor to folks from US); we walked up, surely there is also an option for elevator:
IMG_2734100%75%50%IMG_2738100%75%50%
IMG_2739100%75%50%
IMG_2740100%75%50%
Other than that, we liked the dinner so much that we booked again, downstairs, for our last night in Munich.
Sorry if this posted twice…I waited a couple of hours and got message that I could not edit (in this case, add more text and photos) but apparently both posts got through…
Highlight of our Munich meals was at FRIESINGER HOF, as I mentioned, in the beautiful district of Bogenhausen. (If I had the good fortune to be able to live for an extended period in Munich, this is an area that might call to me!!).
Curious if any other posters have dined here and what your impression is of the restaurant, and this area of the city.
The restaurant dates from the late 1800s, and I got the impression that most of the diners were people living in Munich. I heard no English in the dining room other than at our own table (my German got a big lift during our five days here and I was happy about that…I would certainly urge future visitors to at least brush up on the niceties, although most people (save for taxi drivers, mom of whom were of Turkish or Middle Eastern–mainly Iranian–descent) spoke excellent English. So excellent that I have renewed respect for the German education system; very bad that most US-born Americans that I know speak English as their sole language.
Here are a few photos of the dining room, with vast collection of grappa and liqueurs, beautifully displayed; I failed to snap a shot of the handsome exterior, located in a residential area rife with greenery and close to the river.
Highly recommended but know that taxi fare should be factored in and public transport is not direct to center city (according to waiter at our hotel who lives in the district)…more photos to come.
We had two dinners at Spatenhaus am Der Oper (one downstairs and one upstairs) and one at FRIESINGER HOF…each one was very good and I would urge Ho-ers to put FRIESINGER HOF on their lists; its a bit of a taxi ride (about 18 euro each way) from the center, but well worth the trip-
Here are some photos of dishes from the two dinners at SPATENHAUS AM DER OPER; just about two walking blocks from the hotel Vier Jahretzeiten, so very central for many tourists.
More formal upstairs of the restaurant was our place for the first dinner here; although there were many tables occupied by people who were obviously tourists (table next to us from Texas, dining there on a “free” dinner evening of their Tauck tour; this must be a very high-end tour operator because they were also lodged at our hotel) the restaurant felt very local and we enjoyed ourselves very much…
After the exterior photo, and photo of the classic dishes, there are but two food photos: One is my partner’s Wiener Shnitzel, which he loved (as usual, potatoes were wonderful, served with a berry sauce which was usually identified as cranberry…is this true or is it a mistranslation; do they eat cranberries in Germany when they have so many other wonderful berry choices in that country???) and the other, the second to last pic: My tafelspitz.
I had believed that tafelspitz was a boiled beef served in a consommé; I had long remembered a variation of this from decades ago in an Austrian restaurant named DANUBE in NYC which was a David Bouley favorite of mine for special dinners. The tafelzpitz here was but the sliced, boiled beef and I found it a bit dry. I realize that I should have inquired, or read about this dish before ordering. Nevertheless, as I mentioned, the room was lovely, service excellent, and we attempted to book for the following night only to be told there was no space. So we booked, downstairs, for our last night in the city.
Upstairs (second floor to folks from US); we walked up, surely there is also an option for elevator:
Other than that, we liked the dinner so much that we booked again, downstairs, for our last night in Munich.
We had two dinners at Spatenhaus am Der Oper (one downstairs and one upstairs) and one at FRIESINGER HOF…each one was very good and I would urge Ho-ers to put FRIESINGER HOF on their lists; its a bit of a taxi ride (about 18 euro each way) from the center, but well worth the trip-
Here are some photos of dishes from the two dinners at SPATENHAUS AM DER OPER; just about two walking blocks from the hotel Vier Jahretzeiten, so very central for many tourists.
More formal upstairs of the restaurant was our place for the first dinner here; although there were many tables occupied by people who were obviously tourists (table next to us from Texas, dining there on a “free” dinner evening of their Tauck tour; this must be a very high-end tour operator because they were also lodged at our hotel) the restaurant felt very local and we enjoyed ourselves very much…
After the exterior photo, and photo of the classic dishes, there are but two food photos: One is my partner’s Wiener Shnitzel, which he loved (as usual, potatoes were wonderful, served with a berry sauce which was usually identified as cranberry…is this true or is it a mistranslation; do they eat cranberries in Germany when they have so many other wonderful berry choices in that country???) and the other, the second to last pic: My tafelspitz.
I had believed that tafelspitz was a boiled beef served in a consommé; I had long remembered a variation of this from decades ago in an Austrian restaurant named DANUBE in NYC which was a David Bouley favorite of mine for special dinners. The tafelzpitz here was but the sliced, boiled beef and I found it a bit dry. I realize that I should have inquired, or read about this dish before ordering. Nevertheless, as I mentioned, the room was lovely, service excellent, and we attempted to book for the following night only to be told there was no space. So we booked, downstairs, for our last night in the city.
Upstairs (second floor to folks from US); we walked up, surely there is also an option for elevator:
IMG_2734100%75%50%IMG_2738100%75%50%
IMG_2739100%75%50%
IMG_2740100%75%50%
Other than that, we liked the dinner so much that we booked again, downstairs, for our last night in Munich.
I am having a terrible time here, just wrote about our favorite dinner, at FREISINGER HOF, only to find that long text and photos seem to have posted in between the duplicate posts for SPATENHAUS…at least I hope they posted…somewhere here…
Maybe I need a break…just arrived home and perhaps jet lag had impaired my faculties!!
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You liked your meals so much you posted each multiple times 
Those are lingonberries aka Preiselbeeren, which are tastier than cranberries — to me, at least.
Bummer about the Tafelspitz, which can be dry. That’s where the horseradish sauce comes in.
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hey have your Tafelspitz in Vienna on your next trip - its wonderful at Plachutta! They give you the choice of the particular cut of the animal plus consomme and several accompaniments.
and enjoy their hall of famous guests on the way to the loo.
From Henry Kissinger and Wim Wenders
to Bocuse, Maradonna and Alice Cooper
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Thank you, Natascha, for your many informative posts here! I KNEW they were not cranberries, which I do not like very much–too bitter/sour without adding sugar. These berries were wonderful and there were so many jams and conserves made from all kinds of berries available at our hotel breakfast, and surely in local shops… I was overwhelmed by the wonderful food opportunities in Munich and I went knowing almost nothing, having been to the city so long ago and having done almost no reading on local food options. Five days is not nearly long enough for a food-focused trip!!! Thank you again for all your helpful comments here!
