November 2003
Taste of the Past
Fresh food in a historical environment
In the late 19th and early 20th century Munich was a European center of the literary and artistic avant-garde. The two restaurants reviewed below were popular among writers and artists of the day.
Café Luitpold Palmgarten
Briennerstrasse 11
Tel. (089) 24 28 75-0
Open Mon.–Fri. 9 am–8 pm,
Sat. 8–7 pm
U3/4/5/6 or Bus 53 to Odeonsplatz
Accommodating over 1,200 people, the original Café Luitpold was considered by some to be the most beautiful coffeehouse in the world, easily rivaling Vienna’s Hotel Sacher and Paris’s Café de la Paix. When opened in 1888, its elaborate interior featured Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo elements and included triple-arched halls with frescoes on the walls and ceilings; sculptures, fountains and arcades; billiard rooms, ballrooms and even concert space. It attracted the crème de la crème of Munich society, but also became a meeting place of the creative set, including Frank Wedekind, Ludwig Thoma, Henrik Ibsen and Wassily Kandinsky. Unfortunately, wartime destruction and the many renovations that followed have essentially stripped Café Luitpold of the grandeur it once possessed. Its rather staid dining room now seats only about 120 people and another 40 guests can be accommodated in the Palmgarten galleria, which also houses exclusive boutiques under a dramatic glass dome. In warm weather, spacious sidewalk dining is available as well. Gone are the top hats and tails favored by earlier guests, but today’s clientele, consisting primarily of well-coifed, well-to-do patrons of a certain age and sharply dressed professionals from the big-name law and finance firms that dot the Briennerstrasse, continue to put on an impressive fashion show. The café maintains a distinct sense of formality, most notably in the starched uniforms and professional service the staff provides, but, like the artists who sidled up alongside the rich and powerful a century ago, less distinguished guests are also welcome today. A recent exhibition on the history of the café included a selection of menus, which not only confirmed an early devotion to classical French cooking, but interestingly revealed the occasional desire to experiment with the exotic (Indian Mulligatawny soup, for example, was served in the late 1800s). As might be expected from a place so steeped in tradition, however, the menu at Café Luitpold shies away from any truly daring experimentation today. Salads, meat and potatoes, fish and pasta dishes make up the bulk of the choices, and while the ingredients are fresh and plates well presented, the food seems a bit low in flavor and high in price (most dishes start around € 10; a small snack menu features soups and sandwiches for around € 4). Dessert, however, is where some of the magic still shines through. Under the leadership of Master Confectioner Gerhard Brenner, the café produces sinfully rich truffles, chocolates, cakes and tortes (starting at around € 3.00 a slice) that recall the craftsmanship and style that have been associated with Café Luitpold for 115 years. A single bite of the Prinz-Regenten-Torte may serve as the most tangible reminder of the splendor that once set Café Luitpold apart as one of the great European coffeehouses.
Food ** Service ** Atmosphere **
Alter Simpl
Türkenstr. 57
Tel. (089) 272 30 83
Open Sun.–Thurs. 11 am–3 am,
Fri.– Sat. 11 am–4 am
U3/6 or Bus 53 to Universität
On a bright autumn afternoon sunlight pours into the Alter Simpl, casting a warm glow on the weathered wooden tables and chairs. High ceilings lend a certain airiness to the place, although the unmistakable residue of cigarette smoke and beer hangs over the room. Alone, at a corner table, a man sits with his head buried between the pages of a thick book. Hours later, the same space is filled by a young group whose passionate discussions of politics, literature and pop culture are fueled in equal parts by caffeine, alcohol and conviction. The year is 2003 but the scene could just as easily be a glimpse into the same room a century earlier. Celebrating its centennial birthday this year, the Alter Simpl is a veritable Munich institution. Named in honor of the popular, early 20th-century satirical magazine Simplicissimus, this pub has been a beacon not only to generations of writers, artists and intellectuals like Frank Wedekind and Oskar Maria Graf but also to the common citizen—who may or may not have derived pleasure from rubbing shoulders with icons of the German artistic and literary scene and who frequented the lively Alter Simpl for its decent food and drink. Today the menu features dependable, albeit rather unremarkable, standard pub fare, such as currywurst (€ 5.60), hamburgers (€ 7.40) and spinach semolina dumplings (€ 8.20). While the food may not make it a culinary highlight, the atmosphere and sense of history that permeate the Alter Simpl make it an experience you won’t want to miss.
Food * Service ** Atmosphere ***
