June 2004
Wheels to Meals
Hop on your bike and visit these places for lunch or dinner
HOTEL GASTHOF ZUR MÜHLE
Kirchplatz 5, Ismaning
Tel. (089) 96 09 30
Open daily 10 am–12 am
Hotel Gasthof zur Mühle, a family-run business, was established in 1856. The Seidl family takes great pride in that fact, which is reflected in the care and attention paid to guests. To get there by bike, head north along the Isar River out of the English Garden. Stay in the right-hand cycle path and follow the river until you reach the yellow arrow sign pointing to Ismaning. From there it’s only a five-minute pedal to the beer garden. There’s both a full-service restaurant and a self-service beer garden. Hacker-Pschorr is the official beer on tap here. Try a
Russen-Mass, a variation of the popular Radler, made with wheat beer and lemonade. It’s perfectly refreshing and light enough to leave you in good shape for cycling. The beer garden is famous for, among other things, its
Obatzter. Beer garden prices are fairly standard throughout Munich and, as with most establishments of this type, the food is mainly Bavarian and wonderfully satisfying: gigantic
Schweinshaxn, Fleischpflanzerl (ground meat patties, not hamburgers), roast pork, sausages and still-warm giant pretzels in the beer garden (prices range from € 10 to € 20 for 1
Mass and a meal). In the restaurant, you can choose from a more diverse selection of dishes, as well as daily specials (€ 9.50 to € 18 for main courses). The best advice for any visit to a beer garden, though, is to go with what looks good to you at the moment. If you are eating in the restaurant, do try an
Apferlkücherl—a thick, deep-fried slice of apple rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream (€ 5)—definitely worth the ride.
Food **** Service **** Atmosphere ****
RESTAURANT UND BIERGARTEN ZUM AUMEISTER
Sondermeierstr. 1
Tel. (089) 32 52 24
Open daily 10 am; Sun. and holidays from
9:30 am; closed Mon. (October–April)
One of Munich’s best-kept secrets, Zum Aumeister, is tucked away in the northern part of the English Garden and is not too hard to find if you head north away from the city center through the garden by bike. Ample seating for 2,000 in the beer garden (self-service), a children’s playground and restaurant in the main building (originally the hunting lodge of Prince Regent Luitpold, built in 1810) draw the working crowds from the nearby Bayerischer Rundfunk and students from Studentenstadt on week days. On weekends large numbers of visitors file in from the English Garden on bike, rollerblade and by foot. A
classic Bavarian beer-garden setting means classic beer-garden food, such as roast pork, dumplings, sauerkraut, a variety of grilled sausages, spare ribs, roast chicken, roasted potatoes, French fries, cold salad items, long spirals of thinly sliced white radishes and soft, freshly baked pretzels and
Obatzter. If you’re going to make a habit of coming to the Aumeister—and many locals do—you may want to start bringing your own food, as the € 15 to € 20 per person for one liter of beer and a meal soon adds up. There is no better way to spend a summer afternoon or evening among friends or family, or even alone, than taking in the myriad scents and sounds and the flickering sunshine through the leaves of chestnut trees while enjoying the best beer in the world!
Food *** Service *** Atmosphere ***
GASTHOF BRÜCKENWIRT
An der Grünwalder Brücke 1
Tel. (089) 79 30 167
Open daily 10 am–11 pm
Gasthof Brückenwirt is located on the southern edge of Munich between Pullach and Grünwald in the Isar Valley and getting there is a pleasant, medium-length bike excursion along the Isar River. Depending on your style of riding, it will either take you about 40 minutes (based on a departure from the Deutsches Museum) or up to three hours if you’re one to stop and look at the sights along the way. Gasthof Brückenwirt is a full-service (
Wirtsgarten—no self-service) beer garden situated along the river serving classic Bavarian beer-garden fare and game and fish specialties, grilled skewered meats, cold cuts and hearty bread, Löwenbräu beer on tap and coffee and cakes. Service is friendly and relaxed. Riding longer distances really works up an appetite, and selections from the menu like the Fitness Salat—mixed seasonal greens, grilled turkey medallions and a delicious yogurt dressing (€ 8.60)—fill that hole in your stomach without leaving you feeling sandbagged. Worth mentioning is the Brückenwirt’s bike repair station with tools and replacement parts for any emergency repairs you might need to make before riding back. Add it to your list of places to check out this summer when you’ve got a free afternoon.
Food *** Service *** Atmosphere ***
bike repair ****
