Nürnberger Bratwurst Glöckl am Dom

The premises at Frauenplatz 9 were first documented in 1390 — which means they predate the Frauenkirche (completed 1488) that now stands directly opposite. The current incarnation of the Nürnberger Bratwurst Glöckl am Dom dates to the late 19th century, when the two landlords who gave the place its distinct character established the restaurant's singular identity: a devotion to the small, intensely flavoured Nürnberger mini-bratwurst, grilled daily over an open beech wood fire, served with sauerkraut and fresh horseradish in the traditional manner with Augustiner beer.

The Nürnberger bratwurst is a specific creature: smaller than the Thüringer, finer in texture, and cooked at a temperature the beech wood fire alone can reliably provide. The restaurant's own butcher prepares them fresh each morning. The grill is the first thing you notice when you enter — the smoke, the sound, the smell of a fire that has been burning in this form for well over a century. It constitutes a particular kind of culinary honesty that no amount of fine dining training can replicate.

The interior is cosy Bavarian, with low timber ceilings, tiled stoves, and the gentle chaos of a restaurant that serves several hundred covers a day across its indoor and outdoor sections. The terrace — overlooking the forecourt of the Frauenkirche — is one of Munich's great outdoor eating positions in fine weather. In winter, the warm interior provides exactly the shelter and comfort the season demands.

The menu extends beyond the bratwurst to include Schweinshaxe, Obatzda, Leberknödelsuppe (liver dumpling soup), and the classic Bavarian Brotzeit board — a full representation of Munich's culinary identity without pretension. Augustiner beer, served cold from the barrel, remains the correct accompaniment. Open daily from 10am to 1am, it is one of the few Munich institutions that functions as equally well for a late breakfast, a proper lunch, and a post-theatre supper.

The Glöckl am Dom is a natural solo destination because it offers something most Munich restaurants cannot: a specific, excellent, inexpensive thing to eat, in a room full of other people doing the same thing, without any social pressure to explain yourself. Order six bratwurst with sauerkraut and horseradish and a half-litre of Augustiner, sit at one of the small tables near the fire or at the bar, and eat. The experience takes forty-five minutes and provides a more thorough understanding of Munich than a dozen hotel restaurant dinners combined.

"The bratwurst are genuinely the best I have ever eaten. The beech wood smoke makes a difference that is not imaginary. Do not order anything else on your first visit." — B.H., Solo traveller

"Terrace in June with the twin towers of the Frauenkirche overhead and a cold Augustiner. This is the Munich afternoon everyone who has not been here is missing." — C.D., Regular guest

"The Leberknödelsuppe at 10am on a cold morning is one of the better things that can happen to you." — S.B., Munich resident