The Platzl is located where Münzstraße, Orlandostraße, Bräuhausstraße and Pfisterstraße meet. Many well-known buildings, stores and restaurants can be found here, but the beautiful architecture alone makes it worth a detour. Tourists come here mainly for the Hofbräuhaus, but the square to the north-east of Marienplatz has much more to offer.
Town houses and the Orlandohaus
The Platzl boasts several architectural gems. The classic Munich town houses are rarely seen in the city, but there are several here. The front building of house number 3 dates back to the Middle Ages, but the majority of the buildings were constructed during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
One of these Renaissance town houses is the Orlando House. It was named after the composer Orlando Di Lasso, whose building previously stood here and whose statue you can admire on Promenadeplatz in front of the Bayerischer Hof. The five-storey corner building is home to both offices and apartments. There is an arcade on the first floor, along which you will find stores, restaurants and bars. The “Orlando” restaurant by celebrity chef Alfons Schuhbeck used to be located here.
Celebrity chef Alfons Schuhbeck and the Platzl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2htCuE9lmWM
For a long time, not only the Hofbräuhaus was part of the Platzl restaurant scene, but also Alfons Schuhbeck’s numerous offerings. In the 1990s, he founded Schuhbecks am Platzl GmbH. Since then, the celebrity chef and the square have been closely linked. The Michelin restaurant “Südtiroler Stuben” was located here until 2017 and the aforementioned “Orlando” until 2022. He also ran several stores and an ice cream parlor here. With the exception of “Schuhbecks Gewürze”, all the stores had to close as a result of insolvency proceedings.
But that was not all. The celebrity chef was sentenced to four years and three months in prison for fraud and delaying insolvency. Actually, he should have already served his sentence, but due to his cancer he is currently spared a further year in prison. A new successor has now been found for the Südtiroler Stuben: Weihenstephan, the oldest brewery in the world, has moved into the premises and will join Ayinger, Augustiner and Hofbräu at Platzl as another pub in summer 2026.
The world-famous Hofbräuhaus
The Hofbräuhaus has been on Platzl since 1607, when it was still just a brewery. In 1828, King Ludwig I finally allowed the brewery to serve beer to the public. The last beer was finally brewed here in 1896 and the Hofbräuhaus became a pure beer hall. During the Second World War, the building was completely destroyed apart from the Schwemme and had to be rebuilt.
On the outside, the Hofbräuhaus impresses with its beautiful bay window, which immediately catches the eye. Inside, the Schwemme, the large beer hall, is particularly well known. Up to 1,000 people can be seated at the long wooden tables. For regular guests, there are special shelves where they can lock up their beer mugs. The Hofbräuhaus is internationally renowned and describes itself as the most famous pub in the world. Up to 35,ooo visitors are served here every day, a large proportion of whom are tourists. The fame of the Hofbräuhaus even goes so far that there is a faithful replica in Las Vegas.
Theater am Platzl
In the past, the name Platzl not only described the location, but was also synonymous with the theater located here. For over 90 years, folk singers performed here and became famous. One of these people was Bally Prell, in front of whose house in Leopoldstraße there is now a fountain in her honor. She performed the song “Die Schönheitskönigin von Schneizlreuth” here for the first time, which was her breakthrough song. From 1995 to 1997, one of the first dinner theaters in Germany was performed here. The building is now home to the Hard Rock Café Munich.