Christmas Eve Dinner in Munich

November 7, 2015 12:05 PM

We (party of two) are going to be in Munich for Christmas Eve. It seems like all the places that are open are hotel restaurants doing very traditional (and expensive) Christmas Eve-special dinners. Where else is there?

Ideally we'd like something modern, non-traditional (no turkey and stuffing please!), and not too expensive: €50-€100 per head.

posted by alby to Travel & Transportation around Munich, Germany (5 answers total)

I can't help you with Munich but I'm not sure a traditional German Christmas is all about turkey. Wiki says carp or roast goose are common, and I've heard from a family member stationed in Germany some years ago about going to buy the Christmas carp (he couldn't bring himself to eat it.) I'd say have a good look at those menus.
posted by glasseyes at 12:20 PM on November 7, 2015

glasseyes is right, turkey is not a traditional Christmas (eve) dinner here in Germany. There are many different traditions for Christmas Eve food. Some families just have Würstchen mit Kartoffelsalat, sausages with potato salad, in anticipation of having plenty of good food on the 25th and the 26th, which are both holidays, when visiting family. The 24th is a half-day at work for most Germans (shops close at 2pm, for example), and the evening is usually spent with family at home exchanging presents, so I'm not sure that much else would be open besides hotel restaurants.
posted by amf at 12:58 PM on November 7, 2015 [3 favorites]

Do you have any friends or acquaintances you could visit? It's such a family holiday in Germany, even more than in the US. While I'm sure you could find something if you looked really, really hard, even fast food places close on Christmas in Germany and most supermarkets will be, too. I'm not sure where you're staying but maybe you could find someone through Airbnb who'd be willing to host you as well as include dinner for a little extra. While I can't give any specific recommendations, perhaps a few Turkish places might be open?
posted by smorgasbord at 1:11 PM on November 7, 2015

Chinese and Indian should be open too.
posted by brujita at 6:24 PM on November 7, 2015

Ethnic cuisine associated with parts of the world where Christianity is not the main religion, may be your best bet, especially in parts of town with migrant populations. But I don't have any specific recommendations. As a rule most things will shut down after lunch time on Christmas Eve.
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:37 AM on November 8, 2015