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Update: The restaurant has closed. Restaurant Salzkruste is based there.
The restaurant has since closed. The Salzkruste restaurant has been located there for some time now (I will report on this later...).
Recently, I spontaneously decided to have dinner with my companion at "das Lokal" in Schwabing. It had been recommended to her as a fairly good restaurant, so we didn't hesitate and tried it out that same evening. Looking back, I can say that while the restaurant offers excellent service and has exceptionally friendly staff and owners, we unfortunately left feeling barely full and had spent €80.
The restaurant doesn't really have a traditional menu. The daily changing, available dishes are displayed on a huge menu board on the wall, or they're brought to each table – written on a smaller board. They offer various set menus with different appetizers and main courses. It's also possible to combine an appetizer (like fish as an intermediate course and part of the set menu) into a main course and order a larger portion – which is exactly what we both did. You can see more details in the photos of the menu.
We chose one of the small appetizers to share: cucumber salad with halloumi cheese for a hefty €11. As I said, the service was very good, but unfortunately, that didn't change the fact that we finished this "appetizer" with just two forks. Of course, we knew from the start that we couldn't expect typical Bavarian portion sizes (especially since it was part of a set menu but could also be ordered separately), but in the end, we actually didn't leave the restaurant full and made a detour to McDonald's 😉 – which, after an evening that cost €80, couldn't be the point, fancy image or not. But moving on… We both chose the fish (fresh sea bream on bell pepper ragout) as our main course for €25 per person. A meat main course would have cost €29 per person.
Unfortunately, the fish arrived quite a while after our empty appetizer plate had been cleared – even if it had been part of a set menu, this would have been too long. The appetizer came with a small bowl containing four tiny bread rolls stuck together – cute to look at, but they were devoured in one bite. We joked that this bread basket would probably cost extra when, unprompted and quite attentively, a second, new "bread basket" was served. At home, I saw on the bill that it had indeed been charged at €1.50, which is a drop in the ocean, but still a bit cheeky, as it didn't resemble a substantial bread basket at all, and paying for bread – at least in this quantity and price range – is, in my opinion, inappropriate and rather unusual.
Well… the fish was in front of us, and as expected, while it looked quite nice and didn't taste bad at all (though my companion wasn't exactly blown away), we were done after four or five bites – poof, €50 gone in five minutes. Afterwards, we joked that they could have put the bread rolls, the appetizer, and both main courses on one plate, and even then it wouldn't have been worth €25. The fish itself, as mentioned, wasn't bad; it had a good flavor and was tender, and the accompanying bell pepper ragout was also okay – although I'm not a big fan of bell peppers, but I'll take the blame for that. 😉
We both ordered a Hugo to drink. There was nothing wrong with it; at €5.80 per Hugo, the price was reasonable, and it was even served with a straw. As you know from my other posts, that's not always the case. We also ordered a bottle of still water (0.33l for €3.30). We had a small table for two (only in the front area were tables pushed together to form a larger group; otherwise, it was all tables for two) right by the bar, and I constantly had the staff behind me – not really my cup of tea.
The restaurant's ambiance is very cozy: subtle lighting, dark wooden floors, chic wooden tables with small pink flowers on each one, a hand-pressed, multi-day aged coffee-infused olive oil (which tasted very unusual, but too "unconventional") for dipping the bread rolls, partially dark brown painted walls, a bright window front, a large glass picture above the dining tables, and overall a harmonious concept. The atmosphere and service were excellent. The food was also by no means bad. I really enjoyed what we ate; it was just the portion size—regardless of location—that was an absolute joke. As mentioned, we paid 80 euros including tip and went straight to a fast-food restaurant, where my companion ordered a burger and I treated myself to a muffin to finish. As we left, the consistently friendly waiter even shook our hands and said goodbye with "See you soon!"„
I'm generally willing to pay a bit more if everything is perfect – and in that sense, it was – but I still wasn't satisfied and therefore not happy. If you're hungry, have less than €50 to spend, or consider a starter and a main course a satisfying meal – forget it, sorry! Try it if you like a fancy and very friendly atmosphere. The portions will certainly be small. Perhaps you could try a set menu – this would have cost €49 per person for four courses and €58 for five. Unfortunately, I can't really recommend this restaurant.
Card payments are accepted. We are open Tuesday to Saturday from 6:30 pm to midnight. The kitchen is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
I'll be back: Unfortunately, not right now. That was too much money for too little food. While I'm happy to pay for friendly service, this was too much.
Place visited: The restaurant
Address: Georgenstraße 45, 80799 Munich
Website: no longer available
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