Chinesischer Turm Beer Garden

The Chinesischer Turm beer garden, centred on the wooden Chinese Tower pagoda in Munich's English Garden, is the city's second-largest beer garden with around 7,000 seats and one of its most iconic settings. There is no chef-driven menu here; instead, grill stalls and food counters around the garden serve Bavarian snacks — sausages, pretzels, roast chicken, and simple grilled fare — designed to be eaten at long communal tables under the trees. The self-service section follows classic Munich beer garden etiquette, allowing visitors to bring their own food and buy only beer, a tradition protected by Bavarian law. A brass band plays from the pagoda's upper balcony on weekends, adding to what is one of the liveliest, most sociable outdoor drinking-and-eating settings in the city. The atmosphere is informal and unpretentious — no dress code, no reservations, and no table service in the self-service zone, though a smaller table-service restaurant section is also available. Weekends and warm evenings draw large crowds, so arriving early to claim a table, particularly in the self-service area, is the practical approach.