What to Eat in Munich :: 7 Must Eat Bavarian Dishes

Of course Germany is known for having some of the best beer in the world. But somehow the world missed the memo on German food, even though it’s right on par with the beer. Especially Bavarian food! Here’s what to eat in Munich to make sure you taste all the beauty that Bavarian food has to offer.

Germany is made up of 16 states, each with their own history and — in some cases — culture. Bavaria is the largest state by area and second largest by population. Its capital, Munich, is Germany’s third largest city. Bavarians have their own culture, cuisine, and even their own language. (Bavarian German is a cluster of dialects different enough to be classified as an individual language. It’s spoken in Bavaria and some of Austria, Italy, and Switzerland.)

Like the language, Bavarian cuisine is eaten throughout Bavaria and in parts of Austria and Switzerland. Many Bavarian dishes are what many would consider to be typical German food, with some exceptions. The list of Bavarian food could go on for days, so here’s the best Bavarian foods to try and what to eat in Munich.

What to Eat in Munich :: 7 Must Eat Bavarian Dishes

Weisswurst

White sausage, or weisswurst, is a Bavarian sausage made with veal and pork usually flavored with parsley, lemon, onions, ginger, and cardamom. They are served in a bowl of warm water with a pretzel and sweet mustard (called Weißwurstsenf) and eaten without their skins.

Traditionally the sausages were made in the mornings without preservatives so they were only eaten until lunchtime (otherwise they would go bad). Even today they are tough to find after 1 pm (trust me, I tried!) but make a surprisingly delicious breakfast. And if you do find them closer to midday, they go even better with a beer!

Schnitzel

Schnitzel is one of the must try Bavarian foods you’ve probably heard of, but it still has to be on your list of what to eat in Munich. In Germany, schnitzel refers to the breaded and fried meat cutlets that likely come to mind, but also roasted or grilled cutlets. Typically schnitzel throughout Bavaria is breaded and fried veal or pork served with spätzel, potato and cucumber salad, or fries.

Different regions of Germany have their own variations of schnitzel, switching things up with different sauces (like Frankfurter Schnitzel in Frankfurt or Jägerschnitzel in Berlin). But in Munich’s version, Münchner Schnitzel, the veal is coated with horseradish or mustard before being breaded and fried. No matter how it’s served, schnitzel is a delicious Bavarian classic.

Spätzel

Spätzel is technically a soft egg noodle but tastes like a mix between a noodle and a dumpling. Traditionally it was made by scraping thin strips of dough into boiling salted water. Today there are dozens of variations, especially regionally; Spätzel is eaten all over Bavaria, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, and parts of France and Italy.

Usually Spätzel is served as a side dish with meat topped with gravy or sauces. Or it can be a stand-alone dish, especially when mixed with cheese and fried onion (called Käsespätzle).

Breze

I know this one doesn’t require an explanation since we’ve all had a pretzel before. But it does require a bit of a disclaimer: forget every pretzel you’ve ever eaten. The pretzels in Germany, sometimes called breze or brezel, are completely different. They are soft in the center with a chewy outside, lightly sprinkled with big chunks of salt.

Of course pretzels vary by region in Germany, but Munich claims to have invented the bread-like side dish. They come in all shapes and sizes (some are huge!), topped with salt, caraway seeds, or other flavorings, and are sold literally everywhere. Beer halls and beer gardens have baskets of them on tables, stalls sell them in train stations, and servers walk around with them at Oktoberfest. Not only do they pair perfectly with beer, they do wonders to help survive a day at Oktoberfest!

Knödel

Knödel are boiled dumplings found all over Central Europe, from Austria to the Czech Republic, made with flour, bread, or potatoes. Bavarian Knödel are usually made with potatoes grated or mashed into a dough and mixed with eggs and flour. The large balls are then steamed or boiled and served as a side dish to meat or in soups.

There are dozens of variations on the basic knödel, like Leberknödel (dumpling made with liver and bread) or Topfenknödel (a sweet version made with cheese and cinnamon sugar) but the typical potato dumpling won’t be hard to find.

Knieküchle

The magic of fried dough was not lost on Bavarians and their version is simple but satisfying. The sweet(ish) treat is typically known as Knieküchle but goes by a dozen other names like Auszogne, Krapfen, Küchl, Rottnudel, and Schmalznudel.

Whatever name they go by, they’re easy to recognize: a thin disk of fried dough, usually thinner in the middle than the edges, topped with sugar. They are often compared to a Bavarian donut but nowhere near as sweet. Unlike the other Bavarian foods on this list, this one probably pairs better with coffee than beer!

Schweinebraten

I’ll be completely honest. Schweinebraten is my favorite Bavarian dish and it’s one I dream about when I get to go back to Germany. Schweinebraten is pork seasoned with caraway, coriander, and garlic, roasted until the edges are nice and crispy. It’s served in a dark beer meat sauce with a Knödel or Spätzel.

Like many of the foods on this list, variations of Schweinebraten are served throughout the region but the Bavarian version has the crispy rind, making it one a requirement of what to eat in Munich.

Another variation is Schweinshaxe, roasted pork knuckle, roasted for hours and served bone-in with Knödel.

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Related :: a bit on Beer in Munich, surprising facts about Oktoberfest, and a look inside the Munich Opera House.