Snacks

Who likes wine will love the Mezzodi. The small wine bar has a lovely terrace for warm days on the beautiful small Genoveva-Schauer-square in the heart of the Haidhausen quarter. With a large variety of wines and tapas-like snacks the friendly service offers you everything necessary for a delicious stay in a nice atmosphere.

OPEN DOORS: The Mezzodi Enoteca is one big room, which opens the terrace door as soon as temperatures allow it. Until October, it shows its real beauty: The terrace is surrounded by Mediterranean plants and candles on the tables provide a beautiful light in the evening.

URBAN SPACE: Tram lines 15/25 cross the small square, just 2 meters away from the outer tables, but they move silently almost in walk pace and do not disturb at all. In fact, trams and cyclists passing the Mezzodi terrace support the urban atmosphere there and are more than entertaining! When the guests don’t talk, they seem to be passionate people spotters, while nipping with delight from their wine glasses.

Many tourists stay in hotels surrounding the Hauptbahnhof, which seems a bit like every other train station. It’s more transient and diverse than many other areas of the city, but this is one spot not to overlook. There’s a large generations old Turkish population in Munich due to the Gastarbeiter (guest worker) days after WWII and this is one of the ways the city is gaining from the diversity. 

What I love about the Verdi Süpermarket is the really wonderful and affordable produce, a great Turkish bakery – complete with sticky sweet baklava, and a small imbiss with authentic döners.

There’s something special about visiting grocery stores while traveling and this little gem gives the added bonus of carrying authentic Turkish foods. It’s as if you enter the store and suddenly you’re in Turkey; complete with hospitality, friendliness, halal foods, and sun kissed produce. They also carry bulk items, like chicken burgers, if you have a lot of people to feed. 

My favorite items are the teas, 100% pomegranate juice, the array of peppers, cheeses, and those not always easy to find spices, like sumac. Every time I visit, I find something new to sample and cook with. 

Afiyet olsun! (Enjoy your meal!)

Hot dog lovers will be delighted to hear that they don’t have to drive all the way to IKEA for a decent sausage roll. Saying that is a bit mean as the quality of Finespitz’s hot dogs is far beyond those at IKEA.

Not only is there a choice of 8 delicious dogs – classic, New York City and even a guacamole dog to name but a few – also all ingredients are either homemade, such as the ketchup, or produced by carefully selected suppliers: the artisan bread rolls come from a local bakery and the bacon is fried by a friendly Japanese chef. Each hot dog is available as a veggie version and I like their choice of non-standard soft drink brands as well as the idea of chocolate cake in a preserving jar. The place looks like a mix between an old fashioned corner shop and a New York diner and is fairly small, there are, however, a few stools if you want to sit.

The fact Finespitz’s is located at the edge of Glockenbachquarter near Viktualienmarkt – there is a second shop in Rosenheimerstrasse – make it ideal for a quick break on a shopping tour during the day or a late night snack while being out clubbing. On weekends they are officially open until 03:00 which can become 06:00 if it is a busy night. Another lovely detail is the fact that Finespitz’s is entirely family run and you can definitely tell they love what they do.

For those who prefer to travel above ground, on bus, tram, or by foot, there are options below that they are missing out on, like this intergalactic looking space.

The Stachus Einkaufszentrum at Karlsplatz is more than just a place to catch the subways. This space just under went drastic renovations to make the it brighter and more modern, so it’s quickly becoming a destination in its own right.

Not only does this passageway provide an easy way to cross the street while avoiding traffic, but it also contains a variety of shops, grocery stores, a movie theater, and several quick and inexpensive food options.

The variety of food covers nearly all grounds: from design your own frozen yogurt at frogis, gourmet pretzels at Brezelina, to salads at dean + david, Belgian French fries at Pommes Freunde, and Asian dishes at both Kaimug and My Indigo.

If you’d prefer a picnic you can always stop by one of the grocery stores – Tengelmann, Kaufhof, or Karstadt – to purchase inexpensive items or bottles of beer for your own ‘Bierprobe‘ (beer sampling). Drinking on the streets or in the parks is legal, provided you do so responsibly, however drinking in the subway is ‘verboten‘ (forbidden).

To see a full listing of shops and foods click here to download a pdf.

If you’re a lover of true Neapolitan thin crust pizza, give Pizzesco a go when in Munich next. They have done a very good job of convincing me that there is real authentic Neapolitan pizza to be had in Munich that will not only rock your taste buds, it won’t break the bank!

When walking by the restaurant, you won’t be utterly convinced of the place (I wasn’t), but do yourself a favor and have a look at their pizzas on display, dip your head in the door and you’ll be sold, I promise. The staff is super friendly, welcoming and they’ll even prepare you a mixed plate if you’re looking to try a variety of their different pizzas. You can either take a slice to go (on the hand, as Germans say) or you can dine in while enjoying the eclectic atmosphere and the people watching on Rosenheimerstrasse.

Pizzesco uses the best ingredients, many of which are organic – you’ll taste the difference, I’m sure of it. If you’re looking for gluten-free pizzas, you can find that here too, but only in the evenings and you’ll need to call ahead to place your order. Buon Appetito!