Marienplatz in Munich/Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

It’s 4 a.m. and I’m in a Black Cab on my way from St. John’s Wood to Gatwick Airport with ExtremeFoodies co-founder and chairman Jeffrey Merrihue. Watching streetlights fly by, I dream of the onslaught of bratwurst, weisswurst, pretzels, Wiener schnitzel and more that waits at the end of our early-morning journey to Munich.

We land in the Bavarian capital around 9:15 a.m. and jump in a taxi for Marienplatz, the city's main square since 1158. By Bavarian tradition, we must try the weisswurst before the massive clock tower in the plaza strikes noon. We find the Restaurant am Marienplatz, a culinary centerpiece of the plaza, known for inventing the weisswurst in 1857. We quickly find a table and order. The weisswurst plate arrives with two white veal sausage links boiling in a charming German pot of water set on the table. Famished, we each grab a weisswurst, peel the skin off the meat and enjoy.

1. Weißwurst - Restaurant am Marienplatz

Weisswurst at Restaurant am Marienplatz/Courtesy of Foodie Hub

Under an umbrella on the warm, sunny plaza, we eat in silence, smiling from ear to ear. The large white veal sausage links are delicious; the sweet relish mustard its perfect complement. With newfound happiness, we pay the bill and move from stage one in our marathon of German dishes.

Butter Pretzel Sandwich at Woerner’s Confiserie & Café/Courtesy of Foodie Hub

Across the Marienplatz we spot Woerner’s Confiserie & Café, known for its sweets and pretzels. We try the plain pretzel and the promising looking buttered pretzel, but neither impress us. The buttered pretzel, a normal pretzel split down the middle, spread with butter and sandwiched back together, is an improvement over the original. Feeling slightly defeated, we walk to our next destination, the Spatenhaus an de Oper.

2. The Pfifferlinge Knödel - The Spatenhaus an de Oper

The Pfifferlinge - the Spatenhaus an de Oper/Courtesy of Foodie Hub

We find the Spatenhaus an de Oper just a few blocks from the Marienplatz. Two dishes down and we are still hungry as we sit at our outdoor table and order the wiener schnitzel and a large appetizer called pfifferlinge. “I have a feeling I won’t be full until the currywurst (the dish we planned to eat later in the day).” Jeff declares. He would soon eat his words. As the waiter brings our first course, our eyes widen and jaws drop as he places the pfifferlinge on the table.  Jeff and I smile as we devour the two German potato dumpling balls bathed in a delicious cream sauce studded with parsley flakes and tiny mushrooms.

Wiener schnitzel at Spatenhaus an de Oper/Courtesy of Foodie Hub

Jeff and I agree the Wiener schnitzel would have a hard time coming close to the pfifferlinge. Again, we eat our words. The glistening Wiener schnitzel arrives with a side of lightly fried cheesy potatoes. Unlike my usual experience with Wiener schnitzel -- dry and smothered in sauce to compensate – this dish is soft, moist and delectable.

The dishes, more expensive than we hoped, are worth every penny. With a slight skip in our step, we cruise to our next stop, our minds and taste buds lingering on our experience at Spatenhaus an de Oper.

3. Ausgezogene - Dallmayr

Ausgezogene at the Dallmayr Deli/Courtesy of Foodie Hub

En route to our next glutinous affair, we stop at Dallmayr. A famous Munich deli, this giant, indoor market is set in a beautiful old green building bustling with people shopping for sweets, meats and breads, drinks, trinkets, souvenirs and more. Eyeing the pretzels and sweet pastries, our hearts settle on a delicious, funny looking doughnut called an Ausgezogene. This monstrous but light doughnut tastes incredible, avoiding that overpowering taste of sugar. Polishing off our prized Ausgezogene, we leave Dallmayr and continue on our way to at Bratwurstherzl, known for its specialty sausages.

4. Leberkase (Meatloaf) - The Viktualienmarkt

The Viktualienmarkt/Courtesy of Foodie Hub

Again, we detour when we come upon the Fast Feast Mecca of Munich, the Viktualienmarkt. This massive plaza is packed with semi-permanent stalls and shops and multiple biergartens.

5. The Kopenhagener - The Rischart Bakery

The Kopenhagener at the Rischart bakery/Courtesy of Foodie Hub

We sample delicious baked goods while we walk through the market, but the Kopenhagener from the Rischart Bakery stands out. The pastry is light, sweet, crispy and absolutely phenomenal. We come out the other side of the market in a euphoric haze. Rubbing our eyes, we realize we have unconsciously made our way to the door of Bratwurstherzl.

6. The Stadtwurst - The Bratwurstherzl

The Bratwurst at the Bratwurstherzl/Courtesy of Foodie Hub

By now, the temperature is rising, so we opt to dine inside. The traditional Bratwurstherzl is furnished with large wooden tables, a wooden bar and, you guessed it, wooden floor. We order bratwurst, spaetzel and the Nuremburg stadtwurst from a very nice older German man who speaks English well, as does most people in Munich. The waiter brings out six small bratwurst with egg salad. The house specialty, while small, is tasty and cooked by an open beachwood flame.

The stadtwurst at the Bratwurstherzl

The spaetzel is good but not outstanding. But when we try the Nuremburg stadtwurst (or, as I like to call it, the Nuremburglar) we are blown away. Cooked over the same beachwood flame as the bratwurst, the stadtwurst is much thicker with a spicier kick. We polish off the large wurst with sweet brown mustard, as instructed by our waiter, in no more than 45 seconds. The bill paid, we march on to our next destination.

It is now 2:30 p.m. and we are stuffed with three more restaurants to go. We decide to pass through the Viktualienmarkt street market once more before moving onto the Bergwolf a few blocks away. Good thing we do, because we find a small shack serving ice-cold beer in large mugs and monstrous pretzels. The pretzel is fantastically soft on the inside, crisp and salt-flecked on the outside and bigger than Jeff’s head. Delighted, we continue our search-and-destroy mission for Bergwolf’s famous currywurst.

Jeff with our favorite pretzel from the Heute im Ausschank stand

7. Currywurst - The Bergwolf

Currywurst at the Berfwolf

The Bergwolf is hidden on the street corner outside the exit of the Munich metro station. The small, wooden, kind-of-a-dive has a small dining area with a few old picnic tables and chairs. Jeff and I cautiously walk up to the empty wooden counter a few feet from the door.  A smiling young blonde walks over and politely asks how she can help. We ask for two currywurst. Already full, we don’t realize what we are getting ourselves into. What comes back are two mountains: a pile of French fries doused with ketchup and mayo and a mound of small pieces of savory wurst covered in a delicious, red currywurst sauce. We look at the massive portion that lays in front of us and, in vain, attempt to finish our plates. Though we are full beyond capacity, we almost finish -- a testament to the taste of Bergwolf’s currywurst. We vow if we make another trip to Munich, we’ll start with the currywurst. By the time we finish, we have to hail a taxi to the airport for our 6 p.m. return flight. With bellies full and smiles on our faces, we fall asleep in the taxi, dreaming of the Bavarian delights we sampled. Reluctantly, we board the plane and bid farewell to this sausage, beer and pretzel wonderland.