Visiting a café is one of life’s little pleasures that you can always treat yourself to. Whether alone or with friends, whether outside in the sun or cozy indoors, a stop at a café is always a good idea. Many of Munich’s cafés aren’t just pretty and serve good coffee —they’re also steeped in history. The Tambosi on Odeonsplatz boasts the longest history of all, as it is Munich’s oldest coffeehouse still in operation today.
From Venice to Munich
Giovanni Pietro Sarti was originally from Venice and served as the lottery collector for the Bavarian Electress Henriette Adelaide of Savoy. In 1774, she granted him permission to operate a kiosk at the Hofgarten. The kiosk opened a year later, and Sarti offered other beverages for sale in addition to coffee. The kiosk eventually became a coffeehouse where Sarti served not only drinks but also food—an absolute rarity at the time. He imported a large portion of his offerings from Italy, thereby bringing the Italian way of life to Bavaria.
When Sarti died, the coffeehouse passed through several hands before Luigi Tambosi finally leased it in 1810. After the original building of the Alte Reitschule was demolished, the Tambosi moved into the new Bazar, which Leo von Klenze designed in the Neoclassical style on Odeonsplatz. After Luigi’s death, his son Louis took over the café. However, this marked the end of the Tambosi family’s history at the café. Starting in 1871, the names changed along with the owners, but the general public continued to call the coffeehouse “Tambosi.”
The Tambosi in the Annast House
In 1920, Anna Annast took over the Tambosi together with her husband and completely redesigned it. They added a ballroom and the Intime Theater, and the coffeehouse increasingly became an event venue that was very popular among artists. During World War II, the Bazar was largely destroyed by Allied bombing raids and had to be rebuilt. In 1950, it resumed its cultural activities. In the 1970s, the café was ultimately forced to close because there were plans to house banks in the building.
Fortunately, it never came to that. Since 1997, the Tambosi has been open again under its well-known name and has been serving Italian cuisine, delicious dolci, refreshing spritzers, and, of course, coffee ever since. It’s especially worth a visit on sunny days when you can sit outside. Then you can either watch the hustle and bustle on Odeonsplatz and in front of the Theatinerkirche or enjoy the tranquility of the Hofgarten. On rainy days, however, the chic interior is also very inviting.
