Stefan Gabanyi's bar on Beethovenplatz is Munich's longest-running argument for cocktails as a serious art form. Open since 2001, it predates the city's modern cocktail boom and trained many of the bartenders who now run their own places. The room is dark, the bar is long, and the drink menu is a document that takes spirits seriously — rare whiskies, vintage rums, an agave section that would make a Mexico City mezcaleria respectful. Gabanyi himself is a published spirits authority, and that scholarship infuses every drink built here. Not the trendiest bar in Munich, but the one the trendiest bars learned from.
Location
Glockenbachviertel, Munich
Map
Insider Intel
A rum cocktail — the collection is extraordinary and Gabanyi's knowledge of the spirit is encyclopaedic. A whisky served neat from the rare shelf to understand the depth of the back bar. A classic Daiquiri to see two decades of technique distilled into three ingredients. Ask Stefan what he is excited about currently.
Evening from 9pm. The room is at its best late, when the serious drinkers arrive and the back bar gets its full attention. Weeknights for conversation with the bartenders; weekends for atmosphere.
Beethovenplatz 2, Glockenbachviertel. Sendlinger Tor U-Bahn. Cocktails EUR 14-18, rare pours higher. No reservations. The back bar is one of Munich's deepest — ask about anything unusual and prepare for an education. Cards accepted.