Bavaria’s culinary culture is very much alive – both in Munich and in the countryside. Young innkeepers see themselves as guardians of regional cuisine, bringing traditional recipes into the present.

The decline of the traditional inn? Not in Bavaria. Quite the opposite: here, the inherited culture of good food and drink is so vibrant that exciting new addresses continue to emerge. One such place opened in the heart of Munich, just around the corner from Theresienwiese, where Oktoberfest is celebrated every year. Right on time for this year’s Wiesn – as the people of Munich call their festival – a young Bavarian inn opened its doors: Marie-Therese.

A charming corner restaurant, it offers terrace seating beneath old trees, while the historic dining rooms inside have been carefully restored. “Together with our carpenters, we reinterpreted and implemented all the elements of a long-established inn in a modern way – from the wall panelling to the wooden benches that run through the entire dining room,” says Wolfgang Hingerl, who also runs Mural in Munich’s city centre. He is one of four young innkeepers, all well known in the scene and longtime friends.

Marie-Therese is intended to be a classic inn, which is why it is open daily from lunchtime until late in the evening. And the menu? “Favourite dishes of Bavarian and Austrian cuisine, reimagined in a modern way,” is how Hingerl describes it. For the young team, one thing is a matter of honour: “From the Kasspatzn to the potato salad and Obatzda, we make everything ourselves.”

Regional ingredients are a given at Marie-Therese. Among the carefully selected suppliers are some of Bavaria’s finest producers: vegetables come from Billesberger Hof, chicken and lamb from Gutshof Polting, freshwater fish from Fischerei Schliersee. And the juicy sourdough bread served with Obatzda or the flavourful smoked-trout cream cheese comes, of course, from Munich’s cult baker Julius Brantner.

With a hearty Brotzeit board, meat patties with potato and cucumber salad, and a freshly tapped Hacker-Pschorr, one is right in the middle of Bavarian-Alpine culinary culture.

Its history not only goes back a long way; it is also closely linked to the history of beer. The first inns already emerged in the Middle Ages, offering people the opportunity to enjoy locally brewed beer. They were often run by monasteries, where the art of brewing was cultivated. In Bavaria, the devout brothers found ideal conditions: clear water, grain and, of course, hops, which grow in the Hallertau.

The Hallertau, Bavaria’s “beer Tuscany”, remains the largest continuous hop-growing region in the world to this day. In the 16th century, the Purity Law was introduced, stipulating that beer could be brewed only from water, barley and hops. This improved the quality of the beer and contributed to the popularity of inns. They developed into places where people not only drank and ate, but also exchanged news, conducted business and celebrated social occasions.

In Munich, inherited customs are being filled with new life not only by young inns such as Marie-Therese or Xaver’son Rumfordstraße. A number of institutions of the Bavarian way of life are also being freshly polished. The beloved Sedlmayr at Viktualienmarkt is currently undergoing extensive restoration and is scheduled to reopen in 2026. One step further along is the Haxenbauer on Sparkassenstraße, which, after renovation, is now called Haxengrill.

It is a beautiful old Munich inn with classic dark wood panelling, large and small tables, and a grill room with street-side sales. Its core competence remains roast pork knuckle, served with wonderfully fluffy potato dumplings and plenty of dark beer sauce. That the crust is crisp and crunchy goes without saying.

A true sight to behold, certainly of cultural-historical significance, is the Augustiner-Bräu on Neuhauser Straße. An almost monumental tavern, a veritable beer palace, it recalls the Gründerzeit at the end of the 19th century, when Munich became the world capital of beer during an economic boom. From what had previously been a rather small-scale brewing trade, Munich’s major breweries developed – and afforded themselves representative taverns.

The Augustiner-Bräu recalls this era with its grand halls, lavish stucco work and, above all, the Muschelsaal, whose walls are almost entirely covered with shells. Daylight falls through a broad glass-and-iron domed construction.

But it is not only in Munich that tradition is cultivated. All across the region, historic dining rooms have survived, and committed innkeepers continue to carry the flag. Some even still operate their own butcher’s shop, as was customary in earlier times. One example is Gasthaus Hirzinger in the small village of Söllhuben near Lake Chiemsee.

For Lorenz Hilger, who runs the house in the 21st generation, this is a matter of honour: “We uphold tradition.” He himself is a trained master butcher; a colleague in nearby Pinswang slaughters for him. “We process the meat according to traditional family recipes in our own in-house butcher’s shop.” It arrives at the table as airy white sausage, house-smoked specialities and, of course, roast pork with a crisp crust.

Classic Bavarian offal dishes are also a speciality of the house – Lüngerl, spleen sausage or crisp-fried calf’s head with remoulade sauce and potato salad. Fish comes from nearby Lakes Simssee and Chiemsee, while the flour for the homemade noodles and excellent Kaiserschmarrn – fluffy inside, beautifully crisp outside – comes from the Wagenstaller natural foods mill. The potatoes, the basis for exemplary potato dumplings, have been supplied by the same farmer for decades. The only thing this tradition-steeped house does not make itself is the bread – because the bakery is right next door.

Those interested in historic dining rooms will also feel at home at the Alpengasthof Wölflhof near Fischbachau. Down to the last detail, the farmhouse, which can be traced back to the 14th century, is listed as a historic monument. In the 17th century, the present façade was created, right down to the intricately carved waterspouts on the wooden guttering.

The three cosy parlours are also several hundred years old, as are the wooden floors and the inviting farmhouse furniture. In the cold season, the tiled stove roars; in the hallway stands an open fireplace where fish was once smoked. The cuisine in this architectural monument is also highly recommended, above all the homemade aspic dishes and the crispy rolled roast pork belly. Game dishes are also among the house specialities. Whatever the hunters have delivered freshly shot is written by the innkeeper on the slate board – from deer to chamois.

Korbinian Kohler, too, has a heart for such traditional places of local hospitality. He had the Herzogliche Gasthaus Altes Bad, part of the Wildbad Kreuth ensemble and set amid untouched nature, extensively restored and now once again welcomes guests there. Inside, freshly limewashed parlours await; elaborate Lüftlmalerei winds around doors and windows.

“It was important to me to create something from the heart of the region in which I live and grew up,” says Korbinian Kohler. He had the spruce benches in the dining room upholstered in fine leather, the heavy oak tabletops freshly refurbished, and the linen cushions hand-printed using an ancient Gmund technique. On the table are trout and char from the Herzogliche Fischzucht, the ducal fish farm, which lies just a few minutes’ walk away at the edge of the forest.

“I like reviving the identity of Tegernsee – architecturally and culinarily,” says Kohler.

The same applies to the tradition-rich Gasthof zur Weissach, whose historic façade was the nucleus of today’s Hotel Bachmair Weissach. Since 1862, hearty Bavarian cuisine has been served in its storied parlours; Ludwig Thoma and Ludwig Ganghofer once sat at table here.

Today, even in the Alte Stube, which feels especially homely with its dark wood panelling, restored wooden floorboards and carved ceiling, culinary emphasis is placed on a contemporary interpretation of traditional recipes. And so the menu may feature a playful Strammer Max with scallop, quail’s egg and Parma ham, or beef tartare from Simmental beef with truffle fries.

And as befits a proper Bavarian inn, roast pork must not be missing. It is a matter of honour that it comes directly from the oven to the table; the meat is from Bavarian country pork. It is served with Bavarian cabbage, two kinds of dumplings and a finely seasoned Tegernsee dark beer sauce.

Here, the circle closes – for what would Bavarian cuisine be without beer? At Gasthof zur Weissach, it naturally comes from the region: from the Herzoglich Bayerisches Brauhaus Tegernsee.

CHARLOTTE MILLER