My dream of squeezing in a culinary excursion during an international layover came true during our flight home to Los Angeles. Rather than twiddle our thumbs for five hours inside the Munich airport, The Astronomer and I hopped aboard a local train in search of a proper German meal. With the airport located an hour outside of town, we had to hustle to get our grub or risk  missing the second leg of our flight. Meals spiked with an element of danger are the best!

The Astronomer and I found ourselves at Nürnberger Bratwurst Glöckl am Dom based on a Frommer’s recommendation naming it the “the coziest and warmest of all local restaurants.” The place has been around since 1893 and was rebuilt after World War II.

The cottage-like interior was adorned with dark wood furniture and colorful bric-a-brac. A small army of traditionally dressed barmaids worked the room, serving sausages and beers to a steady stream of patrons. The entire scene was straight out of the Oktoberfests of my youth, minus the whole frat brother/meat head vibe.

The Astronomer started his midday meal with a glass of sudsy local beer…

…while I indulged in way too many soft pretzels slathered with sweet and spicy mustard. Wouldn’t it be grand if all restaurants offered a basket of freshly made pretzels tableside? Now, that would be dreamy.

The first course to arrive was the restaurant’s famous pork sausages with sauerkraut (unsere weltbekannten Rostbratwürst`l – 7.95€). Made from coarsely ground lean pork, the sausages were seasoned with marjoram, salt, pepper, ginger, cardamom, and lemon powder. Served fresh off a wood-fired grill, the skinny little weenies were fabulously flavored and seriously snappy.

The Astronomer’s main course was a quarter roasted “farm duck” with red cabbage and a potato dumpling (1/4 Portion Ente mit Blaukraut und Kartoffelknödel – 11.50€). The duck was perfectly cooked with crispy skin and moist meat, while the stewed red cabbage was tender and sweetly spiced. The only disappointing element on the plate was the potato dumpling, which was bland and sat like a rock in our stomachs.

The cold Munich weather put me in the mood for a bowl of soup. I settled on the noodle soup with ox meat served in a terrine (Große Portion Nudel-Ochs in der Löwenkopfterrine – 6,50€). Each bite was warm and inviting, just like the surroundings.

And even though we were already super stuffed, I insisted on ordering dessert because it’s not every day that we find ourselves in Germany. The deep-fried apple doughnuts with cinnamon-sugar and vanilla ice cream (Apfelkücherl in Zimtzucker mit Vanilleeiskrem – 6.50€) were straightforward and well-executed.

My layover excursion was everything that I hoped it would be. I saw some of the city, tasted the local offerings, and chatted with a few locals. My snapshot of Munich was an extremely positive one, and I hope that my travels take me back here in the future. And just in case you were wondering, The Astronomer and I made it back to the airport in plenty of time to go through customs and board our flight.

Hello, America.

—

Nürnberger Bratwurst Glöckl am Dom
Frauenplatz 9
80331 München, Germany
Phone: 089/291945-0