Munich Food & Beer Tours
Munich is the beer capital of the world and the heart of Bavarian eating: pretzels and Weisswurst before noon, pork knuckle and Obatzda in the beer halls, the Viktualienmarkt at the centre of it all, and shady beer gardens under the chestnut trees. This is our Munich food and beer hub. Below are the top-rated food experiences, then our beer-tours page.
Top-rated food experiences in Munich
Beer halls, gardens and cooking
Why Munich for food? Because Bavarian food and beer are inseparable and gloriously done here — the great beer halls and gardens, a market that is a food destination in itself, and a ritual around every dish.
Formats: food tours of the Viktualienmarkt and old town with tastings; beer hall and brewery tours; Bavarian cooking and pretzel-baking classes; beer-garden and Oktoberfest experiences.
What to eat: Brezn (pretzel), Weisswurst with sweet mustard, Obatzda, Schweinshaxe, Leberkäse, Bratwurst, and Kaiserschmarrn, with a Helles or a Weissbier.
The Viktualienmarkt and the halls
The centre of Munich eating is the Viktualienmarkt, a permanent open-air market of sausage, cheese, bread and produce with its own beer garden in the middle. Around it are the temples of Bavarian drinking and eating — the Hofbräuhaus and the other big halls — where the food is built to go with beer: Schweinshaxe (roast pork knuckle), Obatzda (a spiced cheese spread), Leberkäse and sausage. A food tour ties the market to the halls.
The rituals
Bavaria takes its food seriously enough to ritualise it. The Weisswurst, a delicate white veal sausage, is traditionally eaten only before noon, peeled, with sweet mustard and a pretzel and a Weissbier — never after midday, by old custom. The Brezn (pretzel) is everywhere; Obatzda is the beer-garden staple; and Kaiserschmarrn, shredded caramelised pancake, is the sweet finish. Learning the rules is half a food tour’s value.
How to do it, and the beer
Food tours run three to four hours, market to hall, with tastings and a beer. Munich’s real subject, though, is beer — the halls, the gardens and Oktoberfest — which has its own page: see our Munich beer tours. For the wine country south of the beer, the Black Forest and Baden are a train away.
Frequently asked questions
What is the one thing to eat in Munich?
A pretzel with Weisswurst and sweet mustard before noon, and a Schweinshaxe with a Helles in a beer hall or garden. The Viktualienmarkt is the place to graze.
Why is Weisswurst only eaten in the morning?
By tradition the fresh white sausage was made early and eaten before noon, before it spoiled — “the sausage should not hear the midday bells.” Many places still keep the custom.
Is a Munich food tour worth it?
Yes; it explains the rituals and the beer-hall dishes and walks you through the Viktualienmarkt, the best introduction to Bavarian eating.
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.