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Prinz Top Guide 2006 - available now

Great guide to Munich's nightlife, shopping, fitne

Toytown Germany > Discussion forum > South Germany > Munich > Events in Munich

Editor Bob

Oct 24 2005, 2:20 pm

A week or two ago the 2006 edition of the Prinz Top Guide to Munich was released. This is one of the best and most up-to-date print-edition guides to Munich nightlife, shopping, and fitness. It costs €4.50 and is available from all newsagents.

Although the guide is highly recommended, there are probably a fair number of restaurant reviews that you won't agree with. For example, they rate Haveli as the best Indian restaurant in Munich. I've eaten there myself and would rate it as "ordinary" at best. I know other TT readers agree. The Indian restaurants Tandoori, Rama, Sitar, and Mugal, however, don't even get a mention - which clearly they should, at least in terms of quality of the food.

Sushi Duke isn't even mentioned on the Sushi listings either. I guess tastes differ.

The Inspector

Oct 25 2005, 11:04 am

I guess they have some sponsoring relationship with some of the restaurants they review. Notwithstanding, the Top Guide is highly recommendable, besides others of this kind such as the “Delikatessen”, the “München geht aus” (both from the journalists of Go München) and the “Die besten Szene-Treffs in München”

Editor Bob

Oct 25 2005, 11:28 am

I questioned the Prinz journalists on this issue last year. They assured me that their reviews and recommendations are impartial. But who knows if they're telling the truth and the whole truth. Obviously there is commercial advertising in the guide also - and this is usually recognisably distinct from the editorial - but the ads are not actually marked with a little "advertisement" tag or anything.

My email conversation from last year (in German)...

QUOTE

From: "Editor Bob"
To: "Prinz München"
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 11:47 AM
Subject: Top Guide 2005

Hallo,

ich habe ihre 'Top Guide 2005' gekauft und sind sehr begeistet damit. Diese Führer ist einer der Beste für München.

Kürze Frage dazu: sind alle 'Prinz Siege' objektive und vorurteilsfrei oder zahlen die Restaurants geld dafur?

Wäre schön wenn Sie diese Frage ehrlich antworten können.

Ich freue mich auf Ihre Antwort.
Vielen Dank im voraus.
Viele Gruesse,
Editor Bob.

QUOTE

From: "Stefan Kukuk @ Prinz"
To: "Editor Bob"
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 1:52 PM
Subject: Re: Top Guide 2005

Hallo Bob,

danke für dein Lob!

Wir können dir absolut versichern, daß alle redaktionellen Inhalte unbezahlt sind.

Gruß
Stefan Kukuk
Verlagsleitung München
PRINZ Verlag München
Amalienstraße 67
80799 München

QUOTE

From: "Martin Wolf @ Prinz"
To: "Editor Bob"
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 1:26 PM
Subject: Re: Top Guide 2005

Hallo Herr Bob,

vielen Dank für das Kompliment!

Es ist keine Frage von Geld, ob man im PRINZ-Top Guide erscheint, denn unsere Anzeigen-Abteilung und die Redaktion arbeiten unabhängig voneinander. Wir, die Redaktion, stellen immer, bevor das große Testen beginnt, mehrere Kriterien auf, nach denen wir die Restaurants testen. Die Rubriken-Sieger sind dann diejenigen, die diese Kriterien am besten erfüllen. Unser Vorteil ist sicherlich der, dass wir durchwegs sehr junge Mitarbeiter haben, die mit Sicherheit nicht erkannt werden, wenn sie ein Lokal testen, und desweiteren kann man so sehr gut beurteilen, wie gut und freundlich der Service eines Restaurants wirklich ist.

Ich hoffe Ihre Frage ist damit beantwortet.

mfg Martin Wolf, Chef vom Dienst

The Inspector

Oct 25 2005, 11:36 am

I do not know and i can not prove it, but sometime i have the impression they push some places due to good relationship they have with the owners.

For instance, the Chic is Schwabing. Nothing special, and – at least when I tested it (two times) – under the average food.
But the place obtains good reviews (4 out of 5 in both food and ambience) and – by the way – is owned by the same guys which run the “Moccar�? in Haidhausen (also very good reviews).

And it´s a fact that the two places mentioned above do not generally obtain specially good reviews from other city guides (or they are not mentioned at all).

Anyway, anything serious, it´s part of the game...

Della

Oct 25 2005, 1:51 pm

But then Toytown does exactly the same, there are distincly some reviews on Toytown which are 'expat' only recommendations and the relationship with the owners is clearly due to expat reasons and the fact that Toytowners are maybe working there or running a particular establishment.

brokenm

Oct 25 2005, 1:59 pm

I disagree with the implied intention. TT is an expat group (Munich's English speaking crowd). Therefore the sample of reviewers will not reflect the average person from Munich, but the average English speaker living in or visiting Munich. Therefore it would makes sense that expat or English friendly bars have high ratings.

sarabyrd

Oct 25 2005, 2:19 pm

@ Editor Bob: And you believe a guy named Cuckoo who works with a guy named Wolf?
(I like weird names)

Editor Bob

Oct 25 2005, 4:58 pm

QUOTE (Della @ Oct 25 2005, 2:51 pm)

But then Toytown does exactly the same

Not true.

All commercial postings on TT are labelled as such. Or at least they should be. Sometimes a couple escape. Find one which is commercial but is not correctly labelled, send me the info via pm, and it will be corrected.

Click to see the complete list of paying advertisers.

Examples of "paid placement" postings: The Arc Pub, The Twisted Bavarian, and all the classified services.

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