Lenbach Palais - Ottostrasse 6, Munich, Germany
What do you do if you are Michael Käfer, Munich’s gastronomy guru and you have a massive museum-like space with which to play? What you do is hire Sir Terence Conran and create Lenbach, a huge bar and restaurant that enacts the theme of the seven deadly sins.
You may have problems remembering the name of Lenbach sometimes, because there is no sign outside that tells you where you are, only a couple of purple flags with stars on them and a pair of firebrands mounted on the door columns. But it should be easy to remember where it is, because it’s massive and right in the centre of town.
Inside, one of Munich’s most attractive bars and restaurants gets busy serving a somewhat pretentious, but nonetheless very attractive clientele. Split into three sections (expensive, award-winning restaurant, champagne / sushi / oyster bar and main salon), Lenbach has excellent, artistic lighting displays, the city’s longest bar, good cocktails and great food. It tends to get busier later in the evening. In the summer they open the huge windows and scatter chairs along the pavement, and the only thing to ruin the peace of the setting is the Strassenbahn that runs about ten metres away. Upstairs you can find a private little bar and several comfortable nooks in which to hide away. The people I’ve seen here tend to be bankers or lawyers or stockbrokers who work in the area. This place is at least equal with somewhere like London’s Atlantic Bar and Grill. It’s not Munich’s liveliest joint, but it does have a lot of attractions for the senses. It’s a top spot if you are part of the right group of people on the right night.
Review © 2001 Christopher Larmour & Damien Fournier, Groovy Munich
Lenbach Palais
Ottostrasse 6, City Center
Tel. 089 54 91 300
Lenbach is quite possibly the biggest pile of pretentious w@nk i've ever had the displeasure of enduring.
Posted by: "flogger" at 11:05 am on 3.Jan.2004I kind of disagree with the above comment. The venue looks nice and is big. You also get buffet and prosecco. plenty of nice people to look at. ignore the blokes in suits (personally I never wear a suit).
Posted by: jordigo at 11:06 am on 3.Jan.2004I'd agree with Jordi on Lenbachs. Yes there is a certain level of pretentiousness about the place, but it's a good spot and on a good night you can have a great time there. I'm not a suit wearer either. Last time I donned a tin of fruit was for a funeral and the family of the deceased accused me of trying to look like an FBI agent. That was the end of that.
Posted by: keydeck at 11:06 am on 3.Jan.2004I agree with flogger - awful place full of awful people.
Posted by: "Uncle Jamal" at 3:32 pm on 5.Jan.2004so anyway I ate there on the weekend. food was decent, but for the price there is better to be had in MUC. service was good: friendly and prompt. garderobe was unattended, which sort of defeats the purpose... decent enough wine list, although a tad on the pricey side when bought by the glass. felt underdressed in jeans. it is an outrage that a place like this has a toilet lady who wants money. imaginative menu for MUC standards, with a lot of "asian" influences. so overall, I come away with mixed feelings
Posted by: Jordigo at 11:33 pm on 22.Aug.2004What's wrong with going out to a nice looking place and dressing up for the occassion - can't stand inverted snobbery almost as much as i can't stand snobbery. Live at little - or while away your life in an Irish Pub drinking guinness and never witnessing all the facets that life has to offer. BTW - i like guinness too!
Posted by: "mike" at 12:04 pm on 3.Dec.2004here here mike!!
Posted by: "chris" at 3:01 pm on 5.Dec.2004I've been there for the afterwork parties and its quite fun to see all the german guys in suits standing alone with their hands in their pockets waiting for hours for the action, when everyone is drunk enough to converse. Drinks are expensive, 11 euros for vodka redbull, but when the music heats up, the crowd gets going and you are very very likely to pull... a businessman!!! watch out ladies, your time is now!
Posted by: "Anonymous" at 1:43 pm on 23.Feb.2005Winter is over. And so it begins... the Spring after-work party season! This Wednesday (16.Mar.2005) it kicks off at Lenbach. I say "after-work", but actually they're calling it "after-business". Maybe this tells you something about the kind of clientelle they're marketting to.
Posted by: "Early Doors" at 5:47 am on 15.Mar.2005even if - due to the really liberal door policy - the clientele is really mixed: maybe (pseudo) business people are prevalent, but you can also find a lot of students or youngsters which have less to do with business.
Posted by: "The Inspector" at 9:17 am on 15.Mar.2005went to the After Work party last night...I found the clientele very diverse...a lot of grey-suited business people standing round...also a lot of skanky snobby types that look down their noses at others...but there was also quite a lot of 'normal' people...the music was darn good, a mix of old and new stuff, and we bopped away all night. they even played the Time Warp! yirs! it's 6 to get in and you get a voucher for a glass of cheap nasty Sekt. it's something different for a Wednesday night and I'll definitely be going again.
Posted by: Moonboot at 9:09 am on 7.Apr.2005the lenbach is the coolest place 2 be before 12. the restauront is excellent and the bar has some awesome cocktails!!! Go There!! The Lenbach parties are the best! I have been 2 one and its great. Especially around the oktoberfest time. just sUpEr. see u there. PS: Nice people and atmosphere.
Posted by: "max" at 11:52 pm on 7.Apr.2005I'd have to say, it's a nice afterparty venue, as I recently found out after a full day at the Oktoberfest. Munchen yoof in the house replete in lederhosen and those wicked dresses, somehow effortlessly blending into the post-modernist decor.
Posted by: "Festen" at 5:59 pm on 28.Sep.2005Lenbach is one of the best place to be in Munich. Nice Restaurant, lunch time just business people; afternoon nice for a tea;evening also good restaurant, then a nice bar with good ambiance! Studied in Munich from 1997/1998 and was my daily restaurant. Is a must when going to munich!!
Posted by: "Tiago da Costa" at 9:03 pm on 12.Oct.2005I really enjoyed the Lenbach Palais. It's nice once in a while to be spoilt and have food that's obviously over the top. The food whilst complex was excellent and overall I would desribe it's presentation as "camp",and far from ordinary. There is far to much average and ordinary, I don't think I could eat their daily but it was a fun environment and great talking point for a small gathering...
Posted by: "Marc Warde" at 1:58 pm on 9.Mar.2006This is the greatest place on earth if you are looking to have a fabulous dining experience. You will be spending a pretty penny, but it is worth every cent. I went with two girlfriends, dressed up and spared no expense. We had cocktails, an amazing asian appetizer, our entrees, a six tear dessert tower, coffees' with bailys etc. The atmosphere is beautiful and you definitely feel spoiled. Also, they claim that the sushi is fresh (not frozen) which is pretty amazing since we are not near water. I would definintely recommend this but be sure that you will spend money while there.
Posted by: "Angela" at 11:57 am on 31.Aug.2007
