Munich’s food has been assailed as bland and heavy, but it has improved by leaps and bounds over the last few years. While German classics are still definitely worth sampling, the city’s other offerings are equally worth experiencing.

Any concierge or desk clerk worth his or her salt can send you to heavily touristed sources of Bavarian cooking, such as Hundskugel or the Hofbräuhaus; the former, established in 1440, is perfectly acceptable with a wonderful atmosphere, but the latter, frankly, is pretty dire, at least for food.

But the restaurants listed below are a bit off the beaten path, and with the exception of the Le Bousquerey, places in which you can sample the best of Munich without 8.8 percent financing. Though not big secrets, they are cherished by locals.

Königsquelle

Not that it’s privileged information, but this restaurant offers possibly the finest traditional German eating experience in Munich. Because it’s small however (50 places inside in winter, 40 inside and 40 outside in the little garden in summer), you’ll need a reservation to get in. Both service and cuisine are superb.

Their trick is to take the under-accomplished aspects of German cooking, the mixture of sweet and savory, to heights seen in very few other eating establishments.

The menu changes daily and seasonally, with fresh salads in summer, specialties like asparagus in spring, mushrooms in spring, summer and fall, and in winter, perhaps the best deer and game around. One year-round constant is a light and crunchy Wienerschnitzel.

• Main courses range from €12 to €16.
• Königsquelle, Baaderplatz 2, tel. 22 00 71

Franziskaner
(Editor's Choice)

The very central Franziskaner Gaststätte is a popular place with Opera and theater-going Müncheners, for its laid back atmosphere, comfortable, light wood furniture and very friendly service. Bavariana without the kitsch.

The star of the show is the Spanferkel (€17), about as traditional Bavarian as you can get, and when you find a chef who can cook it consistently well, grab him! Franziskaner did, and serves this dish, of suckling pig roasted in malt beer with Kartoffelknödel or Semmelknödel (potato or semolina-bread dumpling). It is out of this world, fine and crunchy outside and tender and succulent inside.

And the second specialty of the house is another float-off-your-plate-light dish, the astoundingly delicious Franziskaner Saure Zipfel, Bratwurst sausages marinated in an onion stock and then fried, and served with Sauerkraut and fresh-ground horseradish; six pieces for €7.

• Franziskaner Gaststätte, Perusastrasse 5, tel. 23 18 12 0

Of the two, the Löwenbräu Keller’s atmosphere is certainly more charming, with two large dining areas and an outdoor beer garden. The main dining room has towering ceilings and a sunken center area, though many of the tables here are Stammtisch – reserved for regular clients. The second dining room is pleasant enough, with vaulted ceilings and relatively fast service.

The specialties of the house are of course Bavarian – the menu is written in Bavarian with German translations in smaller print below – but surprisingly diverse. Do try the Semmelknödel mit Pilzrahmsoße, fluffy dumplings served in a divine mushroom cream sauce.

Those with even heartier appetites will want to do their best Henry VIII with a €9 plate of Schweinshax’n, pork thigh on the bone, magically crisp outside and tender and delicious inside and served with either a diet-blasting portion of potato salad, a plate-heaving serving of Rösti (crunchy deep fried potatoes) or a table-creaking pile of Käsespätzle (cheesy noodles).

At lunchtime, the Augustiner Keller is probably the best place in Munich to get authentic Bavarian food at good prices. Frequented by local workers of both blue and white collar persuasions, this is just plain, good old Bavarian cooking. Family or beerhall-style tables mean you’ll dine with several others, and the service is fast and efficient (the better to get you out of there to make room for the next wave of customers).

Main courses range from €6 to €13 at lunch time.

• Löwenbräu Keller, Nymphenburger Strasse 2 (above U-Bahn Stiglmaierplatz), tel. 526 021
• Augustiner Keller, Landesberger Strasse 31-35, tel. 519 940, from the main railway station’s southern entrance turn right on Bayerstrasse and walk four blocks; it’s on the left side of the street.

Cafe Osteria LaVecchia Masseria

Not a place for shrinking violets, the atmosphere in Cafe Osteria LaVecchia Masseria is a riotous romp, complete with shouting and gesticulating Italians, a maître d’ who kisses the hands of female customers in the manner of Zero Mostel in The Producers, and even looks a bit like Chico Marx.

The food rounds off the experience. Excellent seafood specials nightly for €12 to €14, marvelous homemade ravioli and other pastas from just 14 DM ($7.50), and among the best pizzas in Munich from just €6 to €8 ; we like them all except the seafood pizza, which was disappointing.

When you arrive, there’s fresh-baked anisette-laced bread in a terra cotta roofing tile on the checkercloth tables. And the owner will probably frolic through the dining area at least once a night with a wheelbarrow filled with hay, banging on a pot and generally schmoozing with the clientele.

It’s crowded, bustling, and sometimes smoky, but worth the trip if you can stand it! 

• Cafe Osteria LaVecchia Masseria Mathildenstrasse 3, tel. 550-9090

Le Bousquerey

They don’t speak English. They hardly speak German. Or at least, they do it with a fascinating French twang. But the folks at Le Bousquerey, as French as a national rail strike, certainly whip up the absolutely finest French cuisine in Munich.

It’ll cost you, but it’s worth it.

This tiny restaurant (reservations are essential from Wednesday to Saturday) is about as French country garden as you can get in a city restaurant without going over the top, and their seafood specialties are to die for.

There is an extensive wine list with French and German labels, and, while they do a la carte, the real attraction is the prix fixe five course menu, for €35 per person. 

• Le Bousquerey, Rablstrasse 37, tel. 488 455