Augustiner – Alternative to Hofbräuhaus
Hofbräuhaus is certainly well known and popular stop in Munich. It is where tourists seem to flock to for the Bavarian beerhall experience. Munich is a city of beer. Hofbräuhaus is not the only beer hall, there are others. Augustiner Keller is one such place.
I went to Munich on a business trip and my colleagues and I went out for dinner. I wanted to do the beer hall, Munich touristy thing. I in my ignorance suggested Hofbräu. They laughed and turned up their nose a bit and then suggested here. There were certainly tourists here, though plenty of Germans as well. It was cool enough that no one was sitting outside, although my friends said there was an enormous beer garden next to the building. We wandered in to find a table. The wait looks like it could have been long, but we were there fairly early and were lucky, finding a spot in the corner near the windows at a table for four in the Jagdstube. This is German for the Hunting Room, as evidenced by the antlers.
The food was standard Bavarian fare of various sausages and other cuts of meat. The beer was pretty good. Although I didn’t know about the beer hall I did know Augustiner beer. I have seen it in bottles in grocery stores and train station stops even here in Baden. Several the pubs in Freiburg offer it in bottles as well, including the one around the corner from where I live. They are squat bottles that are still a pint (0.5L) so recognizable. As much as I like it, I am not a beer connoisseur so I won’t make up any fancy descriptions. I will say that the beer was fresh and smooth and tasty.
I would totally recommend going to the Augustiner Keller. I have not been to the Hofbräuhaus, but this place was really awesome and at least felt somewhat traditional with the hunting pictures and antlers on the wall. It is still a big well known place with tourists, so don’t expect a corner pub, but worth coming to if nothing else than to skip the place that “everyone” goes. The Keller is at Arnulfstr. 52 and not too far from the main station in Munich.
Augustiner Keller English Website
October 24, 2011 @ 1:03 pm
Hiya!
I just discovered your blog from various other expat sites. My husband and I moved here 5 months ago and are calling Bavaria home. We went to Munich and went to the Augustiner bier hall- that place is such fun. Actually the person that recommended it said this is much better then the H! I am glad we tried it.
October 25, 2011 @ 9:46 pm
Hi, welcome to the site and welcome to Germany. I guess I need to make it to the Hofbrauhaus next time just to see it.
October 13, 2011 @ 4:39 pm
I have not been to these Munich beer halls but I do remember at Oktoberfest that the Hofbrauhaus tent was considered very touristy. I guess the reputation carries to the beer hall? Would be nice to go back to Munich outside of Oktoberfest to see what the city is like without all those crowds.
October 13, 2011 @ 7:07 pm
Yeah, their reputation precedes them. All of the breweries in Munich have tents at Oktoberfest as far as I know. There could have been an Augustiner tent somewhere too. They definitely do the Oktoberfest beer for the season.
October 13, 2011 @ 4:37 pm
Last year I went to the Hofbrauhaus in August and it was packed! It was nice to experience, but if I ever went back to Munchen, I probably wouldn’t visit it again. Augustiner beer is one of my favorites, though.
October 13, 2011 @ 7:06 pm
Yeah, Augustiner beer is pretty good. They have special ones at the hall that are only served there. So if you like their beer already, it is well worth a visit.
October 13, 2011 @ 9:19 am
I’ve been to the Hofbrauhaus and it is very touristy and crowded. Great experience of course but I think I would like something a bit more authentic and toned down like Augustiner. Great to have friends to share this place with you!
October 13, 2011 @ 7:05 pm
I don’t know how much more “authentic” it is. There are plenty of discussions of what authentic means. It was a beer hall in Bavaria that made their own beer. It was tasty. It was also crowded and a bit kitschy.
Yeah it was good to have people with me. Maybe there was a bar somewhere that I didn’t see, but I would have felt weird at a table by myself.
October 13, 2011 @ 3:33 am
You are right, there are quite a few beer halls in Munich and each offers their own atmosphere and reason to visit! Personally, I love the Hofbrauhaus even with all its touristy kitsch. There are quite a few Germans that visit it too.
There are so many beer halls in Munich which means you need to spend multiple days visiting them all! Wunderbar bier!!!
October 13, 2011 @ 7:03 pm
Indeed. I am sure there are beer tours that do go to all the big ones. I would like to make it to Hofbräuhaus at some point. If nothing else but to compare.
October 13, 2011 @ 2:50 am
Looks just like what I would expect out of a German beer hall! Not a beer connoisseur?! Tell me it isn’t so Andy!!
October 13, 2011 @ 7:03 pm
I am a beer drinker. I enjoy it, but I am not a high brow connoisseur. I will not explain that a beer has hints of banana and a woodsy aftertaste, like a beer place in the Atlanta that Ali was telling me about. I think beer is a drink that can be savored just as well in full mouth gulps with salty snacks. This is what I am trying to say.
October 13, 2011 @ 12:18 am
We had a chance to visit the Hofbräuhaus but not the Augustiner. What a fun experience! It made me feel like I was one of the hobbits in the movie Lord of the Rings… sitting in a tavern where people sang and beer steins were clanked!