For now, it’s business as usual here. But when big football nights roll around – major sporting events like the European Championship or the World Cup – Leopoldstraße becomes the city’s party hub once again. That’s where the tension and euphoria will be released after these decisive matches. Where can you watch the games along the party mile, and where can you still grab a bite to eat late at night? A guide.
Whenever major sporting events take place at Munich’s Allianz Arena, or when Europa League or World Cup matches are played there, Leopoldstrasse undergoes a transformation: Bars prepare for a state of emergency, restaurants install screens inside and out, shops decorate in national colours, while take-aways, kiosks, and even bakeries stock up on beer. If you're a football fan looking for match coverage and atmosphere, you'll find it all over the street. But where's the best spot to watch and cheer?
A good starting point is the places where you can watch sports all year round, i.e. sports bars and football pubs. Between Giselastrasse and Münchner Freiheit you will find a whole cluster of these pubs, including the Keg Bar in Trautenwolfstrasse. In this red-painted pub with posters and dark wooden tables, you can flop down into sofas and watch the game.
In addition to Tegernsee beer, there is craft beer and Guinness, with some beers available by the pitcher or even by the barrel. Meals offered is typical bar food like burgers. The comfortable sofas are very popular, so you should definitely reserve a seat.
If you can't get a place, you can simply cross the street and try the Shamrock Pub. The Irish pub has the typical Dublin pub look: Cellar atmosphere, unplastered brick walls, tiled floors, dark-wood bar stools, rock music and a large selection of whiskeys, ales, stouts and ciders.
Want to watch the games and celebrate triumph or defeat late into the night? Then head to the legendary Schwasi, as Schwabinger 7 in Feilitzschstrasse is nicknamed. The legendarily notorious “Boazn“ – as traditional pubs in Munich are known– near Münchner Freiheit will invite all aspiring national team coaches to analyse the performance of the playing team in detail. The great thing about the Schwasi: Even after the outcome of the game has been decided, you can discuss it here for hours. The pub stays open until four o'clock every day (!) except Sundays.
Anyone who is not only passionate about football, but also about food will be doubly pleased about the upcoming World Cup. Following a long-standing custom, traditional restaurants and snack bars are transformed into seething public viewing stages for such events. At the Arabic restaurant Sesam Falafel Schwabing on the corner of Leopold- and Franz-Joseph-Straße, for example. So while the players burn off calories on the pitch, you can savour them in the form of fresh falafel, mezze and halloumi. There is even a barter deal: The neighbouring shisha bar, Masquerade Schwabing, also provides a screen, so, alternatively, you can order falafel there and follow the football action. The astonishingly high Google rating of 4.9 stars suggests that the combination of falafel and goal celebrations is probably worthwhile.
Those who were really looking forward to go to the stadium can console themselves with a currywurst (curry sausage) at Alles Wurscht and at least get a taste of the typical stadium experience. Just before Münchner Freiheit, turn right into Leopoldstraße and you will find the charming little building with the red “Imbiss“ (snack bar) sign on Nikolaiplatz. In addition to currywurst (which is also available in a vegan version, by the way), other sausages such as Nürnberger, Bratwurst, and Käsekrainer (cheese sausage) will be on offer.
In the Wirtshaus zur Brezn, just before Münchner Freiheit, football matches are often broadcast on large screens both inside and outside. And that's not all: To the delight of night owls, there's a midnight menu that offers delicacies like spare ribs or Kasspatzn (traditional cheese pasta) until midnight. If you want to recover after a night of partying, you can return the next day for a Weisswurst (veal sausage) breakfast. In combination with beer, it works wonders.
Finally, a place to remember if you want to keep the excitement going all night long: the 24h Kiosk, which is located directly at Münchner Freiheit underground station and, as the name suggests, is open 24 hours a day. In the early morning hours, the kiosk turns into a neon-green illuminated oasis where everyone gathers after the last bar has closed. Here, the never-tiring can stock up on snacks and beer, and those who stay up until the wee hours, you can also grab a newspaper and recap on the football match from a few hours ago.
When the German national team won the World Cup in 2014, 200,000 fans flocked to Leopoldstrasse. But even when the Germans aren't playing, Leopoldstrasse is the place to be for celebrating fans, whether Italian, Croatian, English. There is always a possibility of spontaneous victory celebrations. “In such cases, temporary road closures [for cars] will be set up as needed. The decision will be made by the officer in charge on site, who will assess the situation accordingly,“ explains Lukas Schauer, press officer for sport and major sporting events in the City of Munich.
