4 Months of München – Burgers!
Burgers
We are living in the Au-Haidhausen district of Munich, which I think is home to some of the best food, drink and fun the city has to offer. The selection of things we have sampled is by no means definitive and certainly concentrated around the proximity of our apartment. With that in mind, here is what we have tried and how each of them stack up.
When to go: to cure a hangover
This is indeed a real burger with a large, juicy patty and plenty of fresh ingredients, lifted even higher by their special house-made sauce. The burger, as a whole, probably errs on the side of too rich. However, this can be exactly what you’re after when you are in the hunt for a “real” burger or perhaps something to act as a magic elixir for a hangover. This bad boy will do the job better than any of the rest.
Be prepared to wait a little while, because the house is popular and usually packed to capacity around dinner time – reservations are recommended (for a burger place!). Personally I find the setting to be very cramped and being so close to the kitchen it is often too hot inside, particularly on warmer days. You’re better off getting take-away and then heading down to the river with a beer and your burger spoils.
When to go: when you’re in the city
The burgers here are great all rounders and are very affordable. A sizeable meal deal (burger, chips, drink) can be bought for under 10eur. The beef patties are of great quality; not too fatty, but still with the rustic homemade taste and shape. They sit well between the fresh ingredients, special burger sauce and a strong, sizeable brioche bun (I hate those American style buns that squish down to nothing when confronted with a juicy burger).
A moderate side-serving of thick chips is a great accompaniment, not distracting from the main event. Make sure to get some complementary burger sauce to take those chips to the next level!
I had a huge lunch the night when we first visited Ruff’s, so only Sarah had a burger. She was wanting to return days later, so I assumed the burgers were quite good (they were and indeed we did return many, many times). The location is small, but manages to seat many people without feeling to crowded. We’ve managed to get an outdoor seat both times which provides plenty of entertainment overlooking a busy and troublesome T-intersection.
When to go: pandering for a grill
A manager stepped in on the counter to serve us, but obviously didn’t put the order through correctly which resulted in us waiting a very long time for nothing. Once the third group that came in behind us and left with burgers before us went through, I knew something was wrong. What a pain to explain that we hadn’t got anything and that it had been a long time waiting! They gave us a full selection of sauces as reparations, which were utterly amazing, to go along with our chips. But after all this, how were the burgers? Sizeable, with all the elements there, but something about it wasn’t cohesive. There was a slight burnt taste, coming probably from the bun that was over-grilled. If you hit up another location around town or went on another day, you may get a different and much better result. Everyone wants a burger you can depend on though.
When to go: for something more wholesome
The burger to go for when you don’t want a “big, fat burger” or want to avoid some grease regret. Fresh ingredients and a decent beef pattie give this burger a more wholesome tasting result. I’d say it is similar in style to a Grill’d burger. Chips may be hit-and-miss, I’d say ours had been sitting in the tray too long. Although there are plenty of tables, it will still be a challenge to snare one around dinner time. Always busy, but the service is always great too.
When to go: CHIPS!
The burgers here are passable, but don’t expect the beef patties to have that big, juicy, homemade taste – their form and texture suggests that they probably came out of the freezer. The burger is not bad by a long shot, but it’s also not the grand “centre piece” you’d expect from a burger joint. Maybe I just got the wrong one?
A huge side-serving of delicious chips helps to fill the hole that the burger just quite doesn’t. Service is excellent and very friendly, and it all washes down nicely with a Spaten beer from the tap.
…but the best burger I’ve ever had (possibly in my entire life) was in a little town called Nuremburg, just out of Munich (you may have heard of it)…
When to go: when you want an incredible burger
Desperate for a good feed we walked into this busy little restaurant. Even with its extreme busyness, the staff were friendly and very accommodating. They found us some seats on the bar were we could oversee the ordered chaos of the burger kitchen. I had the BBQ Big Momma and it may well be the best burger I’ve ever tasted. Perfectly seasoned, juicy and very well balanced. Its taste goes well beyond words, and that’s exactly what I’m looking for in a burger! Everything that makes a great burger is present here in spades.
I found the bustling atmosphere really enjoyable too. I’ve heard a lot of people complain about the noise in here, but I had no issues whatsoever with the sound levels of the music/patrons (and my hearing damage makes any loud noise very unbearable!).
That burger though… I’ll be thinking about it for quite some time to come. Amazing!