What would be better after a busy day walking around Munich, than having a (couple of) cold one(s), right? And of course we were in Munich, so we had to check out at least one beer garden. Folks I knew recommended Hofbrauhaus, but I did a bit of reading and the place just screamed "tourist". Augustiner Keller on the other hand; well, I'm sure that many tourists visit; in fact we got to chatting with two fellows from the UK who were visiting while their wives were off on a "girls trip". Also, Augustiner Keller seemed quite close to where we were staying….at least it seemed that way.
So, we headed out taking a left down Landwehrstrasse, walking past the Church of Saint Paul and taking another right, then a left, eventually finding a pedestrian overpass to the large street below.
Then heading up a nice pedestrian path named the Kurt Haertel Passage, then crossing over all the train tracks on Hackerbrücke (Hacker Bridge), where I noticed couples climbing up the railing. I later learned that this is a favorite place to view the sunset for young couples.
We made it to the other side and walked East for a rather long block where I saw this rather discreet sign.
Which belies how huge Augustiner Keller is; established in 1812, first legally serving beer outdoors since 1842, the place seats 5,000 people under 100 Chestnut trees, has three restaurants, a fairly expensive regular restaurant, a table service outdoor area, and a self-service area, where I understand folks can even bring their own food. It was a happening place on this beautiful Sunday at the end of May.
We decided on the self-service side of things.
And while the pretzels and pork knuckle looked mighty tempting……
We decided on encased meats in tubular form. Beer was dispensed from wooden barrels and you can get half liter pours….but c'mon, you're in a beer garden in Munich. You need to get beer in a stein (rightfully called a "mass" in German) the size of your head.
The Missus, who just really wanted some sauerkraut, got the Nuremberg Rostbratwurstel which came with Sauerkraut (8,8€).
Six very porky sausages, with slight lemony-herbaceous tones, with a nice "snap" to them. The Missus loved the flavor of the sauerkraut; though the texture was on the soft-mushy side.
I saw a sausage I enjoyed earlier on the trip and got the Käsekrainer (8,4€), basically a sausages stuffed with cheese, which came with fries.
The beer was wonderful, quite refreshing, I had two. The fries were fairly crisp but standard issue, the sausage was not quite as good as what I had in Austria….but I still enjoy that vein of milky cheese in the middle.
We really enjoyed our meal…in a beer garden; in Munich, on a beautiful day, under chestnut trees, surrounded by mellow folks enjoying the day, and drinking a beer the size of my head.
I mean really…….
Augustiner-Keller
Arnulfstrasse 52
80335 Münich, Germany
Life was good!
Thanks for stopping by!