Hofbräuhaus

The Hofbräuhaus is probably the most well-known tourist attraction in Munich.  We were told by every single person at work who'd been to Munich that we have to go there.  Period.  Knowing that it was such a touristy place, we kind of avoided it for the first two weeks, but eventually gave in because we felt obligated.  Well, let me just start by saying this was probably the most memorable, weird, funny, and amusing meal we've had yet in Munich.  It was definitely worth going this one time.

The Hofbräuhaus began as an inn and brewery founded by Wilhelm V, the Duke of Bavaria, in 1589.  The whole entire building is rather large, and the many rooms and halls can fit over 2000 people.  According to my guide book, they serve 10,000 litres (17,600 pints) of beer every day.  We were told by every co-worker that the painted ceiling in one of the halls was actually painted over an old swastika, and that you could see the swastika bleeding through the paint.  Zach and I couldn't see it, but maybe we were just looking at the wrong ceiling.

Interior of the Hofbräuhaus. (Not my photo.)

Saying this place is a tourist attraction is a bit of an understatement.  There are countless numbers of people dressed in traditional Bavarian garb.  Lederhosen and dirndl dresses were prevalent with staff and customers alike, but it didn't stop there.  There were many people also dressed in odd costumes of all sorts.  We even saw the Pope!  To set the ambiance, there was a nice band playing traditional Bavarian music who where rudely interrupted in the middle of the night by another band that marched in through the front door playing very loud music and chanting drinking songs.  This band was dressed like a mixture of hobos, former German military, and Mad Max characters.  We had absolutely no idea whether or not they were affiliated with the Hofbräuhaus, but it was entertaining.

All of the tables were long beer-hall style tables, so you had to sit next to people you don't know.  We ended up sitting next to two women who were from LA on a 24-hour layover in Munich.  They first started talking to us because Zach had a Michigan shirt on and one of the women loves Michigan a lot, as she told us many times.  She referred to us for the rest of the night as Michigan and Boston.  She, along with just about every other tourist, wanted lots of pictures with the people dressed up in the traditional Bavarian clothes.  At one point I had to actually get up out of my seat because people wanted to squeeze in on my bench to take pictures.  Thankfully I was already done eating, so it was amusing rather than disruptive.

Oh yeah, we had food there too.  I almost forgot.  I had the Brewmaster steak of pork with sautéed onions and Bavarian-style potatoes au gratin.  That meal, along with the gigantic soft pretzel and liter of Hofbräu Dunkel (that was the smallest size they sold after 6 pm), was actually pretty good.  Not sure if we'll actually go back there because it was a pretty crazy dinner, but at least the food was good!