Hofbräuhaus Munich: 1-Liter Beers & Schweinshaxe
Waking up in Munich, I noticed that even early in the morning, there were plenty of people jogging and cyclists pedaling hard on their way to work. Unlike the bicycle-filled streets I saw in China, the streets here give off a strong sense of health and vitality. Maybe this is why people say they want to live in Munich.
I started my morning feeling healthy too, but testing and explaining things with my limited English left me half-dead. Even though it's summer, I exhausted myself so much that my clothes were drenched in sweat despite the blasting air conditioning. On top of that, I couldn't even rest after returning to the hotel because I had to write a report right away. The schedule that started around 8 AM didn't finish until nearly 9 PM. My eyes were losing focus and I just wanted to collapse and sleep, but my senior manager who came on the business trip with me said,
"You worked so hard today, let's grab a quick beer for dinner."
Those words made my eyes snap wide open.
Clutching our starving stomachs, we walked for about 15 minutes and arrived at Hofbräuhaus (Hofbräuhaus am Platzl in German), famous as a must-visit beer hall in Munich. Since Germany is famous for its beer, I had already excitedly looked up places to grab a drink before this trip, and this was a spot that people highly praised.
According to a Russian friend who previously worked in Munich, this is a place that both Hitler and Stalin loved. He added that if dictators liked it, it must be a genuinely good place.
The band getting ready to perform. Everyone in the back sings along with them.
As soon as you walk in, you are overwhelmed by the incredible size and the incredibly loud noise. Plus, as its history dating back to 1589 suggests, it feels more like a cultural heritage site than a neighborhood pub.
On top of that, there's a live band playing right next to you. When they play a song everyone knows, the massive crowd sings along like they're chanting a fight song, and you can't help but get sucked in even before ordering anything. It's the first time I've felt this kind of atmosphere since I was at a club in Thailand and "Gangnam Style" came on, making everyone jump and sing along like crazy.
But even a place this great had one major problem: the people. There were people everywhere, inside and out!! There were just way too many people. Because of that, there was nowhere to sit and eat. I mean, does it even make sense that a place this huge doesn't have a single open seat!? This town was starting to seem a bit crazy to me.
It was well past 9 PM but still bright out, which I didn't understand, and there were no seats in this massive place, which I also didn't understand—it was just full of things I couldn't wrap my head around. Having already drained all my energy during the day, my legs were giving out and I found myself zoning out more and more. Just as I was thinking, "Are we not going to get to drink beer?", a seat miraculously opened up right in front of us. The little burst of energy I got from watching the performance had completely vanished from the exhaustion of waiting. I needed to hurry up and order my energy drink: beer.
Munich has a long history, an exciting atmosphere, and a beer hall loved by dictators, but there is also a dish just as precious. It's "Schweinshaxe," a German-style roasted pork knuckle dish. Hofbräuhaus probably has other famous menu items (which is natural for a 500-year-old establishment, as old as the Joseon Dynasty), but I could read "we absolutely have to eat this" in my manager's eyes, so I ordered it full of anticipation.
It was pricey, but my manager was treating me with his magic corporate card, so I ordered with peace of mind.
It's finally here!!!! It took about 30 minutes to find a seat, 15 minutes to order, and another 30 minutes for the food to come out. It was a seriously tough dinner to get. But the taste made me instantly forget all that waiting.
First of all, my impression of the beer was that it was so good I thought, "I can't even call the beer sold in Korea 'beer' anymore." It felt like eating dry kimchi made from cabbage your whole life and then coming to Korea to taste authentic Jongga-jib (traditional family recipe) kimchi. It felt like I had finally met the real deal. That exact feeling. The aroma lingered in my mouth after drinking, and it felt incredibly refreshing going down.
As for the Schweinshaxe, the pork skin on the outside is fried so it crunches like a cracker at first, but when you bite into the meat inside, the juices ooze out, making it a very unique pork dish. If I had to describe it, it tastes like Korean jokbal but with the added fun of a crispy crunch. The portion was also massive, so we tried to do one Haxe per person, but I gave up after eating only half.
Eating it with beer makes the drinks go down so smoothly. I chugged a 1-liter Hofbräu Original in the blink of an eye, which helped my body finally relax and put me in a great mood. Add in my manager's stories from his time stationed in India, and the night felt far too short.
If you come to Munich, I highly recommend trying the beer and Haxe, even if you skip everything else.