The Top Augustiner Beer Taverns in Munich
Augustiner Stammhaus
The brewery's historic flagship location housed in a stunning Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) building right on the pedestrian shopping street. It features magnificent, sprawling dining halls like the Muschelsaal (Shell Hall). Vibe: Historic, grand, and busy. Highlights: Freshly tapped Helles, pork knuckle (Schweinshaxe), and traditional white sausages (Weißwurst).
Augustiner Klosterwirt
Located exactly where the original Augustinian monks first brewed the beer, right across from the iconic Frauenkirche towers.Vibe: Cozy, rustic, and spread across two levels with friendly, efficient staff.Highlights: Excellent local sausages, crispy pork knuckle, and Augustiner Helles tapped directly from wooden casks.
Augustiner am Platzl
Positioned right in the historic Platzl square, directly across from the Hofbräuhaus. It occupies a historic building that once served as the brewery's dray horse stables.Vibe: Intimate, highly energetic, and vastly preferred by locals over its neighbor across the street.Highlights: Famous for its rotisserie chicken, Käsespätzle, and a smooth pour of Augustiner Edelstoff.
Augustiner am Dom
Another great Old Town hub located right next to the cathedral, featuring three floors of seating and a small, pleasant outdoor terrace.
Augustiner-Keller
One of Munich's ultimate beer destinations, located just a short walk north of the main train station. It boasts a massive indoor cellar hall and the city’s second-largest beer garden, shaded by 100-year-old chestnut trees. Vibe: Quintessential Bavarian bliss; incredibly lively on warm days. Highlights: Serves premium Augustiner Edelstoff beer exclusively from heavy wooden barrels. Features a self-service beer garden area where you can bring your own food, alongside a full-service restaurant.
Augustiner Bräustuben
Located a bit further west in the Schwanthalerhöhe/Westend neighborhood, right next to the actual brewery site. This is arguably the most local and budget-friendly major beer hall in Munich.Vibe: Boisterous, unpretentious, and packed with neighborhood locals. Highlights: The main hall is converted from old brick horse stables. It offers incredibly cheap half-liters of beer and massive portions of classic tavern fare like the Braumeisterpfanne (brewer's skillet).
Augustiner Brewery
Augustiner is Munich's oldest brewery (founded in 1328).
Augustiner-Bräu is Munich’s oldest existing brewery, officially founded by Augustinian monks in 1328. It stands out today as the only major Munich brewery that remains completely independent of international corporate ownership, largely because 51% of the company is owned by a charitable foundation.
Key Historical Milestones
1328: Monastic Origins
Augustinian monks began brewing beer inside their monastery near the Munich Cathedral. They supplied the ruling Wittelsbach family until the Duke founded the rival Hofbräuhaus in 1589.
1803: Secularization
During Napoleon’s secularization campaign, the Bavarian state seized the monastery and privatized the brewery.
1829: The Wagner Era
Anton and Therese Wagner purchased the enterprise, turning it into a privately owned commercial business. The founder's son, Josef Wagner, later added his initials ("J.W.") to the company logo, where they remain today.
1885: Moving to Landsberger Straße
To accommodate industrial growth, the brewery moved to its current location on Landsberger Straße. The original site on Neuhauser Straße was converted into the famous Augustiner Stammhaus restaurant.
1940s: Wartime Destruction
World War II bombing runs destroyed roughly 60% of the brewery complex. It was later rebuilt exactly according to its historic brick model.
1996: The Edith-Haberland-Wagner Foundation
Edith Haberland Wagner, the last direct heir of the family, left her majority shares to a charitable foundation. This keeps the brewery fiercely independent and funnels over half of its profits back into cultural and social projects.
Unorthodox Traditions
Augustiner is highly unusual in the modern beer market for its preservation of historic brewing methods:
Zero Advertising: The company famously spends no money on marketing or commercials, relying entirely on word-of-mouth and brand loyalty.
Wooden Barrels: At the Munich Oktoberfest, Augustiner is the prominent major brewery that still dispenses its beer strictly from traditional wooden casks (called Hirschen).
Historical Malting: The brewery continues to use its historic 19th-century floor-malting facility to produce the specific pale malt needed for its classic beers.
No Beer Mixes: Unlike its competitors, the company refuses to produce trendy pre-mixed beer drinks, radlers, or low-alcohol lifestyle beers.
There are many Augustiner beer taverns and beer gardens in the city, all very popular with the locals. My favorite is the Augustiner Klosterwirt, next to the iconic Frauenkirche towers.
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