Best-of list · City Guide
The best bars in Munich right now — from Giesinger Brau's neighbourhood taproom to the cocktail bars of Glockenbach. Our editors have the definitive guide.
The short answer
10 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
Munich's bar scene is more layered than the lederhosen-and-litre-steins image suggests. The best bars in Munich include world-class craft beer taprooms, excellent cocktail lounges in Schwabing and Glockenbach, and a clutch of neighbourhood Kneipes that have been doing honest drinking since the 1950s. We covered 21 venues across three days. Here are the 10 that matter.
Jaded Monkey runs a speakeasy near Karlsplatz led by New York bartender Bill Fehn, pouring signatures like the Monkey's Gimlet and a milk-clarified rum punch.
Full listing & hours →Bar Garcon plays vinyl all night near the Viktualienmarkt, a small marble-topped bar that builds cocktails from European spirits only.
Full listing & hours →Lola Bar hides behind velvet curtains in the Glockenbach quarter, a red-velvet room with a long cocktail list, a popcorn machine and weekend DJs.
Full listing & hours →Schall und Rauch packs the university crowd into Schellingstrasse in Maxvorstadt, a student bar serving Indian plates and strong, low-priced cocktails.
Full listing & hours →Schwarzreiter Tagesbar runs the casual side of the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski on Maximilianstrasse, serving young Bavarian plates and cocktails from morning to late.
Full listing & hours →Beyond the 10
How we picked
Munich rewards the visitor who resists spending every evening in the same three beer halls. The craft beer scene here is excellent, the Glockenbach cocktail bars are as good as anything in Germany, and the hidden gems in Schwabing and Maxvorstadt show a city with more range than its reputation suggests. Give Munich three evenings and allocate one of them entirely to Glockenbach.
Tom specialises in beer and whisky with a particular focus on German brewing culture. He has been visiting Munich for eight years and maintains strong opinions about which beerhall is worth your time.
Last reviewed 2026-04-16 · The editors recheck hours and closures against current local coverage.