Coffee & tea

Close to the zoo in Thalkirchen is a fantastic Asian restaurant called Mangostin. What makes this so special is that dishes that are authentically prepared using the best ingredients that are flown in weekly from Bangkok. Gastronome and proprietor Joseph Peter was even the Head of Thailand’s national cooking team! 

This is the perfect place to visit after a stroll through the zoo. It’s also nice to visit for the the Sunday Brunch with a wide variety of sushi, satay’s, seafood, and incredible desserts from 11:00 – 15:00 (€ 52.00).

Throughout the week there are a variety of specials in different sections of the restaurant:

Papa Joe’s Monday – Friday Business Lunch Buffet from 11:30-15:00 (€ 19.50).

Papa Joe’s Saturday Lunch Buffet from 11:30-15:00 (€ 27.50).

Lemon Grass’ Family Sunday Buffet from 17:00 – 20:00 (€ 22.50).

For ease, I recommend to book a table online.

On occasion they also offer cooking courses, which are a fun gift for those who have everything.

If you have extra time to spare at the airport, another option is visiting Mangostin Airport from 10:00 – 23:00 in the upper level of Terminal 2. It certainly beats airline meals!

When I talk to Munich visitors, the one thing I hear again and again is how few of them ever cross the Isar River, barring perhaps a brief visit to the Deutsches Museum. I always find this to be such a shame, as some of my most favorite spots are on the “right” side of the Isar, in particular, the Haidhausen neighborhood and its crown jewel, Wienerplatz. Wienerplatz is a quaint square named for the Austrian capital, as the square is located off the “Innere-Wiener-Strasse” which used to serve as the main artery connecting Munich and Vienna.

Go during the week or on a Saturday, as the square is full of small green huts which play host to some of the city’s oldest and smallest grocers. You must experience them while they’re open in order to get a real feeling for the place. The perimeter of the square is full of quaint boutiques and cafes where you can sit for hours on sunny days and watch the square and food stalls come to life.

The far back corner of Wienerplatz also serves as the entrance to the famous Hofbräukeller Biergarten. If you’re in town during the summer months, head over to the Biergarten for dinner (this local’s favorite) and the return back out to the square for an ice-cream at “Amorino” (in one of the green huts) – while Hofbräu beer is good, a scoop of Amorino ice-cream will be the perfect way to end an evening of summer beer gardening.

After a few days in Munich, you might be getting a little sick and tired of pretzels and beer – hard to imagine, I know! Should you, however, find yourself suddenly craving something a little less Bavarian and perhaps more French, say like a mouthwatering cake au chocolat, an eclair au chocolat, tarte citron, tarte tatin or perhaps a milles feuilles, have I got an address for you (well, two, to be exact)!

Yes, right here in Munich you can be spoiled by one of the best French pastry chefs this side of the German border! Patisserie-Cafe Dukatz, with two charming Munich locations – one in the hip Glockenbach neighbor (Klenzestrasse 69) and the other in upscale Lehel (St. -Anna-Strasse 11) – is an absolute must for those travelers with an insatiable sweat tooth and unwavering passion for seeking out the best French pastries on offer, wherever one travels.

In the summer months, you can sit outside at both locations; take a journal, a newspaper or just watch the hectic passersby while making them insanely jealous at the tiny plate of heaven before you! Alternatively, you can have your pastries packed up to go, along with a fresh homemade baguette and just head to either Gärtnerplatz (around the corner from the Klenzestr. location) or the English Garden (nearly across the street from the St.-Anna-Str. location) for a picnic you won’t forget anytime soon. Bon appétit!

Barista is located in the beautifully designed Fünf Höfe shopping arcade in the heart of Munich’s old town pedestrian zone. Although wildly modern in its architecture and design, the Fünf Höfe does offer up this truly classic gem of a bar at the entrance to the Prannerpassage, right off the Kardinal-Faulhaber-Strasse.

Upon entering Barista, one literally feels as if they have stepped back in time; the seemingly endless cathedral ceiling over the bar area, the warm lighting, the dark wooden bar, the intimately arranged tables and the waiters dressed in finely pressed white serving jackets make this place one of the city’s most cozy spots.

While the food here is truly exceptional, particularly the simple yet ample lunch and dinner menus (which are seasonally updated), Barista, as its name suggests, serves some of the finest coffee in Munich. If you’re on a tight time schedule (or budget, for that matter), take my word for it and at least try a cappuccino – you won’t be sorry!

In the spring and summer months, Barista lines the Kardinal-Faulhaber-Strasse outside the Fünf Höfe with outdoor seating providing both patrons and passersby with some of the best people watching Munich has to offer – this small section of sidewalk quite literally becomes an urban catwalk!

If you’re looking for a charming place to relax over a cup of coffee and a yummy piece of cake, do yourself a favor and check out Götterspeise located in Glockenbach (Isarvorstadt). Although the delightful corner café has only been around for five years, one has the feeling that this tiny piece of heaven has been on this spot forever.

Upon entering Götterspeise, you’re greeted with two enticing little rooms which manage to tear you back and forth, as the delicious assortment of treats and trinkets in each keep your eyes in a constant state of desire. The expression “like a kid in a candy store” takes on a whole new meaning here.

Be sure to try an assortment of their chocolate truffles and a piece or two of their delicious homemade cakes – you’ll be so glad you did! Besides, you’re on holiday!

Above all else, you’ll quickly realize that Götterspeise is an inviting neighborhood confectioner where locals love to meet up for coffee and cake or just sit with the newspaper and let the world go by.