At breakfast just go to the kitchen to get coffee and a few eggs from the pan. Then sit comfortably on the sofa and start the day in peace, briefly read the newspaper. Actually everything like at home at the weekend. Except that I'm not at home, but at the Mercure Hotel City Center in Munich.
The relaxed atmosphere is part of the concept here and also comes into its own visually. The Relax Restaurant is designed like a living room, with shelves as room dividers, sofas and armchairs with lots of cushions. The attention to detail extends to the tableware, color-coordinated stoneware.
In the open "kitchen" with wall cabinets and stove line is ready in the morning the buffet, which leaves nothing to be desired. Even waffles can be freshly baked. And if you want, you can start with a Weibwurst (Bavarian veal sausage) and pretzels.
A solid basis is not a bad idea if you want to go to the beer garden later on. Such a visit simply belongs in Munich. Within walking distance from the Mercure is the beer garden of the Augustiner cellar. The tip from friends ("You absolutely have to go there!") unfortunately proves to be a flop on this day. The location in the middle of the city and yet away from the noise of the streets, the dimensions with the over 5.000 seats under chestnut trees is sensational, but: The food is mediocre and overpriced, the staff latently snippy to unfriendly.
Mei, that's the way it is in Minga … We don't even notice it that way anymore, an acquaintance tells me the next day when I ask her for better tips. In Bavarian traditional houses the tone is often like this, that belongs to it. Okaaaay. The next time it goes but perhaps again in the garden of one of the other famous breweries in Bavaria.
Coffee tip for Munich: Coffee roastery at the Viktualienmarkt
I am completely and positively surprised by the Viktualienmarkt not far from Marienplatz. Since 1807, more than a hundred stalls have been open daily, except on Sundays and holidays. I had expected that the place would be teeming with tourists. Sure, there are some. But not only, also locals buy here. Fruit, cheese, fish, spices, flowers, between the stalls the Hochreiter beer garden – a little oasis in the middle of the city. And friendly are the sellers also …😉
At the coffee roasting stand, the barista paints a heart on my macchiato and the homemade florentines are also delicious. What a wonderful place to observe the hustle and bustle around me.
Culture(ur)-Tip for Munich: Werksviertel Mitte
One of the most exciting districts in Munich at the moment is the Werksviertel Mitte, just behind the Ostbahnhof train station. Where Pfanni used to produce its dumpling and buffer flours, a new urban quarter is being created. A colorful mix of apartments, cafes, theaters, stores and restaurants.
The Bocksbeutel pop-up wine bar serves Franconian wines for little money in summer, along with small snacks like a Franconian snack. Lounge furniture made of pallets invites to an aperitif in the open air, in the old tracks are mobile tubs with grasses and small trees.
I love the place across the street: Aloha Poke, where you can assemble your own salads in a poke bowl. My favorites: Octopus with cilantro-chile dressing or salmon with avocado and mango salsa. In Mitte Meer, a supermarket with Mediterranean products, I still find salami and olives for home.
Insider tip for Munich: Kiosk at the Reichenbachbrucke
Another insider tip I get from the Mercure hotel director: The kiosk at the Reichenbachbrucke is an institution in Munich. According to own information the operator has 390 kinds of beer in the offer. Even if there are a few less, the selection is still considerable – from Giesinger Alt, which is brewed right next door, to Pumpernickel Porter.
On the bank of the Isar next door we look for a place in the evening sun. Some people bring not only wine and food to the picnic, but also the entire table and chairs. Not 30 meters away, under the bridge, homeless people are sleeping. Rarely have I seen extremes in Germany so close together as here.
The streetcar back to the center stops at the top directly in front of the bridge.
Indulgence Tip: Mercure Vintage in the Relax Restaurant
We end the evening with a dinner at the Mercure Hotel City Center. Under the motto Relax, Food, Drinks& You'll find it quite informal here – and that's the way it's supposed to be. Just relax, also for business people this is certainly very pleasant after a hard day.
The colorful menu promises variety: Cold Cuts – Mediterranean ham and sausage freshly sliced on the Berkel, cheese and hummus or goulash soup, Wirtshausschnitzel, tagliatelle, salmon trout steak, chicken curry, Black Angus burger, tartar … Here everyone finds something.
German wines from various regions are available for selection as a "Mercure Weinlese" wine harvest. Every year, a different winemaker creates a "house wine" for all Mercure hotels. Currently (as of June 2018), it is the Mercure Cuvee M VII, a red wine cuvee from the Klumpp winery in Kraichgau, which the cupbearer (that is the name of the sommelier here) likes to recommend.
When it comes to gin, the Mercure Munich sees itself as a pioneer for all other hotels. The selection is considerable, currently about 40 gins and 20 tonics are on offer. There is an emphasis on the special, Bombay, Gordon's& Co. one looks here in vain. A gin menu as well: "I am the gin menu!", says Blaze, the cupbearer of our evening quite casually.
The hotel team has compiled the kiosk tip and other ideas, such as a small cafe in a side alley of the busy Kaufingerstrasse or a freaky store in the Glockenbackviertel, where the former hotel boss bought his wool, in a small booklet and put it in the room. Nice idea, I think.
In general, the staff is very attentive, the reception at the reception exceedingly friendly. The room upgrade to a maisonette suite in the 7. The first floor is nice, but the view is only of the surrounding roofs. On the gallery, to which a spiral staircase leads up from the living room, is the bed. Like a small nest and very cozy.
But there is a coffee machine (very practical) and a minibar, whose contents are included in the room rate (very tempting).
Interesting (but probably completely insignificant) detail on the side: in the showcases in the lobby, instead of the usual women's cosmetics, there are beard oil and soccer accessories.
Info:
Mercure Hotel Munich City Center, Senefelderstrabe 6, Munich (2 minutes from the main train station), www.mercure-munich-city-center.com
For those arriving by car, parking is available in the public underground garage next door (20 €/day). Hotel guests receive a 2 euro discount per day.
My stay was by invitation of the hotel. In my research I partly cooperate with tourist boards, tour operators and hotels. This has no influence on the nature, content and scope of my articles, my opinion remains as always my own.