During September and October in Munich, beer is on everyone’s lips—metaphorically and literally. It’s the most-talked-about and most-consumed form of nourishment. Yes, for Bavarians beer is not only a beverage, it’s nourishment. With that in mind, some might view the elevated price of an Oktoberfest Mass (1 liter) with a bit more understanding: It will be about € 7.50 this year, and less in some smaller tents.
Although the Wies’n is no place for haute cuisine, you will find some real delicacies hidden among the grub for the masses: juicy pieces of oxen grilled on a spit (Ochsenbraterei), crisp and fresh—not previously frozen—chicken (almost everywhere) and mackerels skewered and roasted on wooden sticks over a fifteen-meter-long charcoal pit (Fischer-Vroni).
It is true that you can ask for a “topping off” of your mug if it is more than 15mm under the liter line, but only in theory: If you return it to the marginally-friendly waitress, you may have to wait another half-hour, and if you go to the tapster, he may shoot new beer in your mug with such force that you’ll have less in your mug than before. Just accept that it’s your fate to increase the wealth of the tent tycoons and enjoy the party.
Only six local breweries—all of which pump their water out of the ground of Munich—are allowed to sell their beer in the huge tents. Native Münchner agree that Augustiner is the best of the lot. The only beer that still comes in wooden barrels, it boasts less carbonation, which makes it milder and more pleasant to the taste. A local, non-globalized family enterprise, Augustiner does not advertise at all. Contrary to the other breweries, they do not need to fulfill the expectations of shareholders and international investors. Perhaps that’s the hidden reason for its delicious taste.
To cleanse your palate after buckets full of beer and giant portions of meat, here’s a sampling of spots that feed the Munich’s new craving for chocolate. Take just one bite from the selection of 25 homemade truffles at Dallmayr (Dienerstrasse 14 –15), and your taste buds won’t ever accept second-rate supermarket imitations again. With a price of € 5-6 per 100 grams, though, you only need to watch your wallet to avoid having to watch your figure!
The Confiserie Amai (Japanese for “sweet”) escaped from the loud and smoky Schrannenhalle and its hype to settle into Frauenstrasse 12 and prove that a chocolate fix can also take the form of a gallery-worthy piece of eatable art. Here, chefs pour chocolate into unique pyramid forms. Such fanciful flavors as whiskey, chili, pistachio, strawberry-lime and plum highlight the dazzling, cocoa-based menu. One pyramid costs 90 cents and, for € 12, a truffle can be adorned with gold leaf. Company logos can also be applied. These delicacies, as well as the shop’s torts and cakes, are produced fresh, daily, in a bakery in Markt Schwaben.
Apparently the release of the happiness hormone triggered by chocolate sweetens corresponding business ideas as well. At Jahnstrasse 30, Sarah Bröker happily oversees her sugary oasis in the middle of the Glockenbachviertel. Bröker’s chocolaterie and coffee shop, Götterspeise, recalls the German word for “ambrosia.” or “Jello,” (which is also called Wackelpeter.) Got it? In any case, not a trace of the jiggly gelatin-based product is featured here. Instead, you’ll find the finest handcrafted chocolates, all of which boast a high cocoa content and organic ingredients. Zotter, Dolfin, Green and Black’s Organic and Leonidas are but some of the quality brands on offer at Götterspeise. Once you’ve tried a chocolate drink by Domori, Milka and Hershey’ will be lost on you. Whether you decide to gaze, longingly, at the store’s display case full of Australian Homemades truffles or drool at the window in front of the shop, one thing is for sure: This seduction scenario triggers the happiness hormone before these exquisite eats ever hit your lips.
