In this guide
💡 The Short Version: A Munich beer garden lets you bring your own food and sells the drinks at the bar, with exceptions: the Hofbräuhaus garden does not allow it, the Augustiner-Keller only in its self-service area, and the Taxisgarten not with a reservation. The gardens named by the most of the 103 publishers counted are the Augustiner-Keller (20 sources), the Chinesischer Turm (15), the Hofbräukeller (13) and the Hirschgarten (11). Gardens open when the weather allows; only the Viktualienmarkt garden prints an all-year season. Or book a tour: the Munich bike tour with a beer-garden breakad is from €40 for 4 hours.
📊 The evidence behind this guide. This pass counts the beer-garden lists of the 80 English and 23 German publishers named in where to eat in Munich. Counts are publishers, not pages, and the two languages are shown apart. The counts show who names what, not which garden is best. How the guides are made
⚠️ Check the weather. No garden promises to be open on a given day. The Nockherberg’s self-service garden closed for the season on 20 September 2026, and the Aumeister shuts on Mondays and Tuesdays at the end of the season. In the cold months the halls are the plan: see Munich’s beer halls.
The own-food rule
Bring your own food and buy the drinks at the bar: that is München Tourismus’s description of a Munich beer garden, and a bell rings at 22:30 to close it.
- Self-service area. Benches, a counter for the Maß, no waiters. Your own food goes here.
- Served area. Tables with cloths, chairs and waiters. You order from the menu.
- What counts as food. A Brotzeit, a cold, simply prepared dish. Hot meals, pizza, a thermos of coffee and a grill are out, according to the hotel and restaurant association DEHOGA Bayern as reported by the Abendzeitung.
- Drinks. Buy them from the garden. The Augustiner-Keller’s house rules forbid your own drinks.
- The exceptions. The Hofbräuhaus garden, the Augustiner-Keller’s served areas and the Taxisgarten with a reservation.
The gardens named by the most sources
The count is the number of publishers that name the garden on a beer-garden list. A garden named by fewer than 6 is left out of this table.
| Garden | Sources | English | German | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustiner-Keller | 20 | 18 | 2 | Arnulfstraße 52 |
| Chinesischer Turm | 15 | 14 | 1 | Englischer Garten 3 |
| Hofbräukeller | 13 | 11 | 2 | Innere Wiener Straße 19 |
| Hirschgarten | 11 | 7 | 4 | Hirschgarten 1 |
| Seehaus | 10 | 6 | 4 | Kleinhesselohe 3, English Garden |
| Hirschau | 9 | 4 | 5 | Gyßlingstraße 15, English Garden |
| Biergarten am Viktualienmarkt | 8 | 7 | 1 | Viktualienmarkt |
| Zum Flaucher | 6 | 3 | 3 | Isar bank at the Flauchersteg |
| Waldwirtschaft Großhesselohe | 6 | 2 | 4 | Georg-Kalb-Straße 3, Pullach |
The English lists lean towards the Augustiner-Keller and the Chinesischer Turm (14 English publishers, 1 German). The German lists lean towards the Hirschau (5 German publishers, 4 English) and the Waldwirtschaft Großhesselohe (4 and 2).
The gardens
Augustiner-Keller
Arnulfstraße 52 · opens when the weather allows · Cited by 20 sources (18 English, 2 German) · augustinerkeller.de
About 5,000 seats under more than 100 chestnut trees, with Edelstoff from a wooden barrel. Own food is allowed only in the self-service area. The Süddeutsche Zeitung and Beer Is My Life name its Steckerlfisch, fish grilled on a stick. The served areas and terraces take menu orders, and tables, an ice-stock lane and a shepherd’s wagon can be reserved. There is a playground, and dogs must be on a lead. The garden calls itself Munich’s oldest, first mentioned on a Munich map of 1812. The restaurant stays open when the garden is shut, with Edelstoff at €4.50 for 0.5 l.
Hirschgarten
Hirschgarten 1 · restaurant daily 11:00 to 24:00, kitchen to 22:00; garden from the first ray of sun · Cited by 11 sources (7 English, 4 German) · hirschgarten.de
A garden with a self-service area and a served area. Fallow deer live next door. Own food is allowed, and you rinse your own mug at the washbasins. The self-service pays in cash or by debit card, with a cash machine at the main entrance. Augustiner Hell is €4.40 and Edelstoff €4.50 for 0.5 l. The garden calls itself the largest in the world. Take the S-Bahn to Hirschgarten or Laim, or a bus to Romanplatz.
The Hirschgarten beer garden under its old trees. Photo: Rufus46, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Chinesischer Turm
Englischer Garten 3 · dry weather only: Monday to Friday from 11:00, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00; in the cold a kiosk daily from 12:00 · Cited by 15 sources (14 English, 1 German) · chinaturm.de
7,000 seats around the Chinese Tower in the English Garden. Own food is allowed, with the drinks from the bar. Groups of 50 or more reserve. If it rains, it is shut. The tower and the park are in the English Garden.
Seehaus
Kleinhesselohe 3 · garden in good weather from 11:30, no reservations; restaurant Monday to Saturday 12:00 to 24:00, Sunday 12:00 to 22:00, hot kitchen to 21:30 · Cited by 10 sources (6 English, 4 German) · kuffler.de
By the lake in the English Garden. A Maß of Hell, Radler or Dunkel is €11.50, a Weißbier or Russ’n €11.90, and a Halbe of Helles €5.90.
The Seehaus and its beer garden on the Kleinhesseloher See. Photo: Rufus46, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Hofbräukeller
Innere Wiener Straße 19 · self-service garden Monday to Thursday 12:00 to 23:00, Friday to Sunday and holidays 11:00 to 23:00, in good weather; served garden daily 11:00 to 23:00; kitchen and last drinks 22:00 · Cited by 13 sources (11 English, 2 German) · hofbraeukeller.de
Old chestnuts and a playground with a slide. A Maß of Hofbräu Original is €11.80. The self-service garden takes no reservations. In the served garden, lunch can be booked, evenings only up to six people on the terrace, and a party of seven or more needs a credit-card guarantee, with €20 a head charged for a late cancellation.
Löwenbräukeller
Nymphenburger Straße 2 · self-service garden daily 16:00 to 23:00 in good weather · Cited by 10 sources (9 English, 1 German) · loewenbraeukeller.com
A Maß of Helles is €9.90, a Weißbier or Russ’n €10.50. Reservations in the self-service garden go through its chat. The hall is in Munich’s beer halls.
Biergarten am Viktualienmarkt
Viktualienmarkt · Monday to Saturday all year, weather permitting, normally 09:00 to 22:00 · Cited by 8 sources (7 English, 1 German) · viktualienmarkt-muenchen.de
1,100 self-service seats in the middle of the market, opened in 1970 and run by the Hochreiter family. Own food is allowed. Six breweries take turns, one every five to six weeks: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Löwenbräu, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Spaten. It is busiest at lunchtime and on Saturdays. The stalls are in where to eat in Munich.
The served area of the beer garden on the Viktualienmarkt. Photo: Henning Schlottmann, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Hirschau
Gyßlingstraße 15 · dry, sunny weather: Monday to Saturday from 12:00, Sunday and holidays from 11:00 · Cited by 9 sources (4 English, 5 German) · die-hirschau.de
A garden in the north of the English Garden with an adventure playground and live music on Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and holidays in fine weather. Its restaurant, 1804 Hirschau, is a separate place with one Michelin star in the Guide Germany 2026.
More gardens
| Garden | Address | Season and what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Zum Flaucher | Isar bank at the Flauchersteg | Daily from 12:00 in beer-garden weather; the Schinderstadl takeaway hatch is open in bad weather |
| Augustiner Gutshof Menterschwaige | Menterschwaigstraße 4 | From 12:00 in good weather; about 1,100 seats under chestnut trees on the Isar high bank, a playground and an ice-cream stall |
| Aumeister | Sondermeierstraße 1 | 12:00 to 23:00, kitchen to 20:45; Hofbräu beers; almost 3,000 seats and a large playground; closed on Mondays and Tuesdays at the end of the season |
| Taxisgarten | Taxisstraße 12 | Monday to Friday from 12:00, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00; no own food with a reservation, and reservations only for 16 or more on weekdays, with 24 hours’ notice |
| Paulaner am Nockherberg | Am Nockherberg | Self-service garden Monday to Friday 16:00 to 23:00, Saturday, Sunday and holidays 12:00 to 23:00, closed for the season from 20 September 2026; the served garden has the full pub menu |
| Waldwirtschaft Großhesselohe | Georg-Kalb-Straße 3, Pullach | Self-service garden all year in good weather, just outside the city boundary; restaurant Wednesday to Sunday 11:30 to 23:00, closed Monday and Tuesday; live jazz daily in summer |
Tours with a beer-garden stop
The bike tours stop at a garden: Munich: Bike Tour with Beer Garden Breakad, run by Fat Tire Tours, is from €40 for 4 hours (4.9 stars from 631 reviews), and Mike’s Bike Tours at 11:30 dailyad is from €39 for 3.5 hours (4.7 stars from 653 reviews). Munich: Beer & Beyondad, run by The Local Experience, is an evening walk through up to three beer halls and gardens, from €35 for 3 hours, with 1.5 litres of beer included. The tours are compared in Munich food tours and Munich walking tours.
At the garden
- Bring cash. The Hirschgarten’s self-service takes cash or a debit card.
- Closing. A bell rings at 22:30 and the lights go out within half an hour.
- Sit down. Strangers share the benches; move up to make space.
- A Maß is one litre, and it is a heavy glass: over two kilos when full, according to München Tourismus.
- Oktoberfest has its own rules and prices: see Oktoberfest 2027.
Plan the rest
The halls that stay open all winter are in Munich’s beer halls, and the market and restaurants in where to eat in Munich. The Chinesischer Turm, the Seehaus and the Hirschau are all in the English Garden. Free things to do in Munich places a garden afternoon in the week, and 3 days in Munich fits one into the days. Where to stay in Munich compares the areas. For other cities, see Vienna’s Heurigen, the wine taverns, and where to eat in Berlin, which has Berlin’s beer gardens. The Chinese Tower and the Seehaus are stops 6 and 7 of the English Garden walk, and the Viktualienmarkt garden is stop 6 of the Munich old town walk.
Common questions
Can you bring your own food to a Munich beer garden?
At most, yes: bring your own food and buy the drinks at the bar. The Hofbräuhaus garden does not allow your own food, the Augustiner-Keller allows it only in its self-service area, and the Taxisgarten does not allow it with a reservation. The Chinesischer Turm, the Hirschgarten and the Viktualienmarkt garden allow it.
What is the difference between the self-service and the served area?
The self-service area has benches and a counter where you collect your Maß, and it is where your own food goes. The served area, with tablecloths and chairs, is for ordering from the menu. Brotzeit means a cold, simply prepared snack, so hot meals, pizza and a grill are out.
Which beer gardens do the most lists in Munich name?
The Augustiner-Keller, named by 20 of the 103 publishers counted (18 English, 2 German), then the Chinesischer Turm with 15, the Hofbräukeller with 13, the Hirschgarten with 11 and the Seehaus with 10.
Are Munich's beer gardens open in winter?
They open when the weather allows, and none promises a date. The Chinesischer Turm opens only when it is dry enough to sit outside, with a kiosk from 12:00 when it is cold. The Viktualienmarkt garden is open from Monday to Saturday all year, weather permitting. The beer halls are open every day.
How much is a Maß in a Munich beer garden?
€9.90 in the Löwenbräukeller garden, €11.50 at the Seehaus and €11.80 at the Hofbräukeller on the operators' own price lists. At the Hirschgarten a half-litre of Augustiner Hell is €4.40. At Oktoberfest 2026 a Maß cost €14.80 to €15.90.
What time do Munich beer gardens close?
A bell rings at 22:30 and the lights go out within half an hour, according to München Tourismus. Operators print closing times of 22:00 for the Viktualienmarkt garden, normally, and 23:00 for the Hofbräukeller and the Löwenbräukeller.
