Hofbräuhaus München

nickfl

Florida

3.2/5  rDev -20%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$

It is hard to judge the atmosphere here. It is one of those places you have to visit if you have time, but it is also a bit touristy and Disney-esque. In the early afternoon it is pretty nice, by dusk it is getting crowded and filling with drunks, and by dark it has the highest concentration of assholes in Munich.

The service is minimal, especially if you are with a large group and even more so if you are young and male. I can hardly blame them, however, considering how many groups of offensive young American men were there.

The selection consists of the house beers, pretty standard in Bavaria.

The food is kind of expensive and really not that great compared to the more out of the way beerhalls in Munich.

The quality of the beer is where I really have a problem with this place. It is not bad, but it certainly isn't good... and that it hard to accept in Munich. I find that the Helles lacks the clean and refreshing character of some of the other Munich breweries like Augustiner.

All in all, the Hofbrauhaus is a great tourist experiance, but it is a bit lacking in terms of beer halls/ gardens, if only because there are so many superior and less tourist filled ones in other parts of Munich.

01-04-2008 05:22:44 | More by nickfl

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -16.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

I had to stop at Hofbrauhaus at least once during my first trip to Munich, despite my premonition that it would be full of tourists, crazy cramped, and loud. I'm happy I did stop here, as it's an experience you must have once based on its fame/infamy, but it was a bit noisy and crowded for my tastes (as expected).

I was with a group of about 6, a mixture of UK guys and Americans. We were lucky to find a table immediately after it was vacated by its former occupants, and there we sat for roughly 1/2 hour before being graced by our waiter. I wanted the schwarz weisse, but dammit if an associate didn't up and order a round of 1L Helles. I drank it dutifully (and it wasn't so bad in its proper environment), and was able to get the schwarz weisse roughly 1 and a half hours later. The service STINKS, I think the German waiter we had didn't like tourists (go figure, he sees them every day at work).

The best attribute is the lovely building that houses this beer hall, the ceiling in particular is really lovely with wood beams and artwork. The oompah music every 45 minutes or so got pretty old, but now I have an inkling of what Oktoberfest must be like.

My final recommendation: Stop here for a quick drink and an early meal, then get out and see some other beer halls with less tourists and better service.

07-13-2007 23:35:58 | More by TurdFurgison

YonderWanderer

Colorado

3.38/5  rDev -15.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Ah, the famous Hofbrauhaus. No stop in Munich would be complete without a visit. Like many visitors, upon entering, your gaze wanders throughout the building, taking in the ambiance, and noticing the liter mugs of beer on every table. Service is spotty - sometimes they're right there, more often it takes time. The beer is excellent - standard for Munich - light, dark, and wheat. I mainly drank the dark and found it to be a tasty brew. The food was decent, but as I found with most food in Munich, nothing to really write home about.

Definitely worth a visit if you're in Munich. It's huge, they have good beer, and it's entertaining to watch all the tourists come in, cameras flashing, and pointing and gawking at people drinking beer by the liter.

08-15-2007 19:07:35 | More by YonderWanderer

Caesar1pup

Georgia

3.43/5  rDev -14.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$

No trip to Munchen by anyone worth their weight in salt would be complete without a stop at the Hofbrauhaus, so I went twice. Huge, loud, touristy, over the top, and I loved it!

On our second stop we had dinner and the food was a little disappointing especially when you compare it to the Chinesischer Turm. The beer was good and the atmosphere was better. We sat at a table with an older couple who lived just outside of Munich. Although their English was poor and our German worse, we had a great time hanging out that evening.

This is not a place to come and expect the very best food or the very best beer but it is a place to take it all in with people from all over the world. There’s nothing quite like it. Don’t forget to check out the vomitoriums in the bathroom complete with handles for bracing yourself.

01-16-2007 20:47:03 | More by Caesar1pup

LauraAndrew

New York

3.45/5  rDev -13.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | $$

It's right next to the Hard Rock Cafe. If you're one of those people who go to New York City and visit the Hard Rock, you'll love this place. I, personally, think it was way too touristy and full of loud, obnoxious Americans. I'm only one out of those three, so it wasn't my crowd. We decided to head across the street to Ayinger's instead. We were very happy with that decision.

(Full disclosure: we were in town for Oktoberfest. If we didn't experience the fest, it's possible we wouldn't have found this place so cheezy by comparison. We also probaby would have stayed here longer, seeing it's as close to the Oktoberfest feel as you can get without actually being on the Wiesen.)

04-11-2009 20:32:59 | More by LauraAndrew

PdxBeerNut

Oregon

3.48/5  rDev -13%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

On a recent trip to Europe, my wife and I felt it would be necessary to visit this place. When we arrived, we were blown away at the sheer size of the place. I had read about the Hofbrauhaus in many tourist books and on the internet. I will admit that nothing, no pictures or any amount of reading can prepare you for an experience at the Hofbrauhaus.

The service staff were all adorned in dirndls and leiderhosen. Amazing to watch these women carrying ten 1 liter steins through the crowd. The service was slow, which was expected for how busy it was. On our last day in Munchen, however, we arrived at the Hofbrauhaus when it opened in the morning and sat and watched the 2 other tables in the place get served for about 1/2 an hour before we were even greeted.

We just happened to arrive in Munchen 3 days prior to the opening ceremonies of Oktoberfest. This city was packed and there were huge lines to get into any beerhalls. Arrive early and stay late. This was one of the most memorable stops on our 2 week tour of Europe.

05-08-2008 18:41:01 | More by PdxBeerNut

VaterRoss

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -13%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$$

This place is something else, the Disneyland of Bavarian beer culture. Huge building with many different seating areas. Make sure to arrive somewhat early as it closes and empties out fairly early by American standards. Think of the Hofbräuhaus as more of an experience than a restaurant and you're on the right track. Where we sat there were tons of old wooden table crowded up with tons of people and even more beer. The raucous environment encourages socialization with those nearby. Food was good but expensive. All of this to the backing of a band busting out drinking songs and Schlager songs.

Downsides: expensive prices and average to poor service. Just remember you're not paying for the food/service, you're paying for the experience.

This place is incredible, everyone must go here at least once. The pretty good food, limited beer selection, and high prices make it difficult to recommend going more than once, but that one time you do go, oh boy, get ready to have a blast.

12-31-2011 19:42:19 | More by VaterRoss

andythejerk

Utah

3.5/5  rDev -12.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$$

I would probably be raving about this place, if I hadn't just spent a week touring the best breweries and Biergartens of Bavaria. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic place, and kind of a quintessential tourist stop (it is, after all, the most famous beerhall in the world, right?). My food was okay, the Spätzle and Turkey were a bit drier than I would have hoped, and the service was somewhat slow and sloppy, but I'm sure he was exhausted after a week of serving the kabazillion people in Munich for Oktoberfest. The Dampfnudel I had for dessert was good, but not up to snuff for a real Bavarian Dampfnudel. Lots of energy in the place, an oompah band was playing and there was plenty of spontaneous dancing in the aisles.
I only drank the Hefeweizen and sampled my buddy's Doppelbock, and they were very good by our standards, but not as good as some other local offerings.
Still a good place to go, just not the best (look across the street to Ayinger, or just down the street to the Schneider-Weisse Brauhaus!!!).

09-28-2006 20:03:17 | More by andythejerk

JohnW

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev -12.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | $$

I know this is a "must visit" for most tourists and those curious to see the biggest pub in the world, but I think one visit is enough! We went 11am on a Thursday, just to see what it was like and explore the rooms and halls. Impressive place, worth just going to see. It was not too busy, so easy to find an empty table and seats, and fast service. The beer is not the best available in Munich, nothing special about it at all. The Hell only served in the "Mass" 1 litre glass at €6.60, Weiss beer served in 0.5L glasses, so reasonable prices.

At night time after about 8 the place is heaving with hundreds of - mainly younger folk - and most seem to have had far too much to drink, so VERY noisy - and certainly not the place for a quiet drink and conversation with a few friends. Lots of others trying to get in and queues of "spectators" outside watching the antics of those with too much beer in their bellies. If you want a loud drunken crowd with brass band music and only one sort of beer served in a 1 litre Mass, then this is the place for you....but if you just want a quiet beer in peace with friends, avoid!!!!

JohnW
B'ham UK April 2007

04-15-2007 14:12:43 | More by JohnW

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.53/5  rDev -11.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3 | food: 2.5 | $$$

The famous Staatliches Hofbräuhaus is about 2 blocks I'd say off from the main street Maximilianstraße, 3 from Max-Josef-Platz, and 2 from the Marienplatz so its in a prime location. I sat in the hall where it was pretty packed and raucous.

It was a great atmosphere to watch a show, eat, and most importantly drink. I had a liter of Original and half of the Radler. Both were delicious.

The show was cheesy but somewhat enjoyable, though I didn't get selected to join the act.

The food was mediocre and the lines to get it were confusing and people were pushy and generally rude trying to get their favorite dish.

The serving staff was pronto on any order of beer I made.

Overall it's a good stop in Muenchen but next time I'm going to explore one of the other big brewery restaurants including Ayinger's.

08-04-2009 18:24:43 | More by crossovert