Hidden Gem Bars in Munich

A hidden courtyard bar accessible only through an art studio building on a Maxvorstadt side street. The courtyard hosts a bar from May to October and an indoor continuation through the winter. The regulars are artists, architects, and people who live nearby and treat it as a second living room.

Munich's most committed speakeasy. Entry is by recommendation or a reservation that takes three weeks to secure. The cocktail menu changes monthly and the bartender has won regional competitions without publicising the fact. The room holds 20 people.

A backyard bar in Schwabing that operates behind a building with no exterior signage. The narrow entrance passage opens onto a courtyard that seats 25 in summer. Known to the neighbourhood for 11 years and entirely unknown outside it.

A basement bar beneath a residential building in the Altstadt, accessed via a staircase that requires ducking at the top. The room dates from the 17th century. The bar arrived in 2014. The combination works improbably well. Opens Friday and Saturday only.

An art gallery in the Glockenbach that converts to a bar on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and stays as a bar through the weekend. The current exhibition is always visible behind the bottles. The wine selection is curated by an art dealer with a secondary career as a sommelier.

A neighbourhood bar in Au that has never needed to be anything other than exactly what it is. The regulars arrived first and the discovery crowd is just beginning. The beer is good, the Schnapps selection is serious, and the closing time is whenever the last local finishes their last drink.

Named for the single lantern hanging above the entrance in an otherwise unmarked Lehel street. The bar inside is small, warm, and runs a good selection of German and Austrian wine. The snack menu is excellent. The Thursday evening readings from local authors have a small but very committed following.

A Haidhausen late-night bar that does not open until the other bars are starting to close. The regular crowd begins arriving around midnight. The late kitchen serves honest bar food until 2am. The music is quiet enough to permit conversation, which separates it from every other late-night option in the neighbourhood.

Night owl bar in northern Schwabing with a loyal crowd who found it by accident and return by choice. The cocktail list is short and very well executed. The bartender trained at a well-regarded Berlin bar before moving south. The back booth seats four and is the best seat in the city after midnight.

The name means tiny jewel and the bar earns it. Twelve seats, seven cocktails, two bartenders. Reservations are the only way in after 7pm. The menu prints weekly. The attention to detail in every drink is the kind that cannot be manufactured at scale.

A moonlit courtyard bar in Haidhausen that operates year-round, which takes commitment given Munich's winters. The heated outdoor space runs through January. The wine list is honest and affordable. The crowd treats it as their local and does not advertise it elsewhere.

The Lost Key bar occupies a basement in the Altstadt old city with a menu built around German spirits and cocktails that reference Munich's history. Entry requires knowing the building entrance. The experience once inside rewards the navigation.