What should you eat in Munich?

The three that define Munich

• Weisswurst (Weißwurst). A white sausage of veal and pork back fat, flavoured with parsley, lemon and mace, simmered in hot water and served in the pot with sweet mustard and a pretzel. Where: traditional restaurants, beer halls and butchers around Marienplatz and Viktualienmarkt. Tip: the old rule is to eat it before the noon bells; you do not eat the skin, so either cut it lengthways and peel it, or suck the meat out of the end (zuzeln). Order it with a wheat beer (Weissbier).

• Schweinshaxe. A whole pork knuckle roasted until the skin turns into crackling, served with potato dumplings and a dark beer gravy. Where: the beer halls of the old town, such as the Hofbräuhaus, and most Bavarian restaurants. Tip: one Haxe is a meal for a hungry person or two light eaters; tap the skin, it should crack.

• Brezn and Obatzda. A large lye pretzel with a shiny dark crust, and Obatzda, ripe camembert-style cheese mashed with butter, paprika, onion and sometimes beer. Where: every beer garden and beer hall. Tip: order Obatzda with sliced radishes and a Brezn to share as a Brotzeit (a cold snack meal) with your first Mass.

Nine more Bavarian foods to try in Munich

• Leberkäse. A loaf of finely ground pork and beef baked until browned, sliced thick. Despite the name, the Bavarian version usually contains neither liver nor cheese. Where: butchers and snack counters. Tip: order a Leberkässemmel, a hot slice in a bread roll with mustard; it is the cheapest hot lunch in the city.

• Steckerlfisch. Whole mackerel or whitefish grilled on a stick over charcoal. Where: larger beer gardens in summer. Tip: buy it at the stand and eat it with your hands at the long tables; it pairs well with a Radler on a hot day.

• Radi. A large white radish cut into a thin spiral and salted until it 'weeps'. Where: beer gardens and beer halls. Tip: it is a beer snack; share one between the table.

• Schweinebraten. Roast pork shoulder with crackling, dark gravy and a dumpling, the Sunday dish. Where: traditional restaurants and beer halls. Tip: if a whole Haxe is too much, this is the smaller pork order.

• Käsespätzle. Egg noodles layered with mountain cheese and fried onions. They are more Swabian than Bavarian, and we came to Munich from Ulm, on the Swabian border, but every Munich restaurant serves them. Where: most Bavarian restaurants. Tip: the vegetarian main on most beer-hall menus.

• Kaiserschmarrn. Thick torn pancake, caramelised and dusted with sugar, served with plum compote or apple sauce. Where: restaurants and beer gardens. Tip: it is big enough to share as a dessert, or to eat as a sweet lunch.

• Dampfnudel and Auszogne. A Dampfnudel is a steamed yeast dumpling with vanilla sauce; Auszogne are fried doughnuts stretched thin in the middle. Where: cafés and bakeries; Auszogne also appear at festivals. Tip: look for them in the afternoon with coffee.

• Helles and Weissbier. Munich's pale lager and its wheat beer, served by the litre (a Mass) in beer gardens. Where: the beer gardens and halls of the six Munich breweries. Tip: ask for a 'Halbe' (half litre) if a full Mass is too much; not every place offers it in the garden, but most halls do.

• Oktoberfest food. Roast half chickens (Hendl), giant pretzels and Steckerlfisch in the festival tents from late September into early October. Where: the Theresienwiese. Tip: you need a table in a tent to be served; weekdays at lunchtime are the easiest time to find one.

Viktualienmarkt and beer-garden rules

Viktualienmarkt, a few minutes' walk south of Marienplatz, is Munich's central food market: butchers, cheese, fruit, bread, Weisswurst and Leberkäse counters, and a beer garden in the middle. The market trades Monday to Saturday and is closed on Sundays and public holidays; stalls open from about 8am and set their own closing times, so go before mid-afternoon on a Saturday.

The most useful rule in Munich: in a traditional beer garden you may bring your own food, and you buy your drinks from the garden. Tables with tablecloths are usually for waiter service; bare tables are self-service, and that is where picnics are welcome. Viktualienmarkt's beer garden follows the same rule, so buy cheese, bread and Radi from the stalls and sit down with a beer. The English Garden, which our Munich guide recommends, has several beer gardens under the chestnut trees.

For supermarket shopping and bakeries, see what to buy at a German supermarket.

Tipping and ordering in Munich

Service is included in Germany, and the tip is a small top-up of about 5% to 10%, stated out loud when you pay rather than left on the table: tell the server the total you want to pay. Our Germany tipping guide explains how, and our guide to what is considered rude in Germany covers table manners.

In beer halls you share long tables; ask 'Ist hier frei?' before sitting down at a table with space. Some tables carry a Stammtisch sign, reserved for regulars. Card payment is more widely accepted than it was, but carry some cash for beer gardens and market stalls.

If you only have one day: a Munich food plan

Morning: Weisswurst, a pretzel and sweet mustard before noon near Marienplatz, then the Glockenspiel at 11am.

Lunch: a Leberkässemmel and a wander round Viktualienmarkt (Monday to Saturday), with a beer in the market's beer garden.

Afternoon: the Residenz, then Kaiserschmarrn or a Dampfnudel with coffee.

Evening: a beer garden in the English Garden with Obatzda, Radi and Steckerlfisch, or a beer hall for Schweinshaxe and a Mass of Helles. For the rest of the trip, see how many days in Munich, where to stay in Munich and our Germany food guide; in December, our German Christmas markets guide has the Munich dates.

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