Munich’s oldest beerhall Hofbräuhaus is almost half a millennium old. It is from this very hall that the smooth Wheatbeer was created and some even that this good old beer hall saved its residents from the plague. The Hofbräuhaus layout span several floors. A grand dance hall on top where admission is only for those dressed in folk clothing, a classic gastro pub in the mid levels and a celebratory beer hall at its base. After spending the night before drinking with other travellers, I was convinced that Hofbräuhaus was one of the finest watering holes in Munich. It is very similar to the Augustinerbräu, but how was Hofbräuhaus’s food?
The beers in Munich were really nice and not just plain bitter. But more than half of my praise for the alcoholic beverage lies in its texture rather than taste. It was smooth, with a creamy top, but unfortunately still no clearly defined malty flavours from the wheat! Or maybe I was just looking for something else haha.
The lunch at Hofbräuhaus was my final meal before leaving Munich, so we stuck to the usual Bavarian classics. A serve of Schweinshaxe and a Wurst platter. Both dishes did not take long to come out but I did not feel wow-ed by its visual presence. Neither did they look generous or lusciously meaty/crispy! Instead it was, very dull. First up the Wurst platter.
Taste wise, the Wursts felt very “standard” in a way that if you were to go out on the streets you could easily pick a better one I would think. In fact, I think we had a better one on the street.
The Bavarian classic the Schweinshaxe
The Schweinshaxe is a grilled pork knuckle dish that present itself as a colossal piece of meat that is going to be impossible to finish yet the crispy skin makes any attempt worth the eater’s while. But at Hofbräuhaus, the knuckle was tiny. Looks like it was from a tiny pig! But that was the least of my concern. Instead I was more disappointed by lack of crispy skin to munch on! For comparison, see the one I had in Berlin. That was absolute proper!
For dessert, I just had to try the famous Bavarian Apple Strudel and challenge it to see whether it was a worth opponent to some of the best apple desserts I have had.
As whole the strudel was OK. It was not bad or anything like that but it failed to gather momentum beyond the ordinary. The strudel layers were poorly defined, but I liked how the apple filling were more fragrant than sweet. A pool of sweetened custard spiked with vanilla helped smoothen things out but still it did not bring me to a state of foodgasm.
Hofbräuhaus is the oldest beer hall that maintains its tradition. While food is not its strong point, Hofbräuhaus boasts other bragging right Chilling the night away, enjoying folks music, and the company of foreign travellers all around the world is why Hofbräuhaus remains a popular choice among tourist and locals alike. For the most local experience, avoid the Oktoberfest period which does not start in October but rather mid September onwards. Locals and Europeans tend to desert the area during Oktoberfest because accomodation is too pricey as it is geared towards people fro the States, the UK and Australia.
WenY
