Often referred to as Italy’s northernmost city, the sixth installment of the BSTN Chronicles ‘City Series’ is all about amore: the love that the city of Munich has for Italy, to be exact. The title ‘Little Italy’ (no Big Pun) might be misleading though: With around 30,000 Italians living in Munich, there is not just one Italian neighborhood, but the country can be felt all over town – and you can taste it too, thanks to the its rich culinary treasures.
Contributing significantly to the city’s cultural and culinary scene, here come five hand-picked and tried-and-tested spots that bring a taste of Italy to the hometown of BSTN via mouth-watering pasta, pizza, gelato, coffee and more:
Osteria Italiana
Location: Schellingstraße 62, 80799 Munich
No list of Italian spots in Munich without Osteria Italiana: Founded in 1890, the city’s oldest Italian restaurant is steeped in rich history and lives up to its legacy: Once a wine business, Osteria Italiana is still decorated with its original cassette ceilings, murals and wood-paneled walls and exudes undeniable nostalgic charm.
Omitting modern design trends and the likes entirely, the ambiance both inside and in the patio is equally cozy and elegant and offers an authentic Italian dining experience: Guests can indulge in classic Italian dishes, from freshly made pasta to meat specialties and delicious dolce like Crema Catalana. When it comes to beverages, the owners stay strictly true to the spot’s original selection from 1890: Osteria Italiana offers nothing but water and the finest wines.
Morso Caffeteria
Locations:
Nordendstraße 17, 80799 München
Theresienstraße 35, 80333 München
Located on Nordendstraße, Morso Cafe is known for their famous Cornetti: The light and flaky Italian version of the croissant is a must-try. They’re available with or without filling – you can choose between vanilla cream, chocolate or pistachio cream, amongst others. Pairing perfectly with their pastries, the Morso also boasts a rich, aromatic coffee and cappuccino.
True to Italian tradition, the breakfast offerings are simple and small, ideal for a quick yet delightful morning start. Aside from tramezzini, focaccia and fresh juices, the cafe also offers Birchermüsli and boiled eggs though for a more ‘German’ (and Swiss) breakfast. Additionally, the BSTN Store is within walking distance, making Morso Cafe a perfect stop before or after some shopping.
Ballabeni Icecream
Locations:
Theresienstraße 4680333 München
Seidlstraße 28, 80335 München
Right across the street from the aforementioned Morso sits Giorgo Ballabeni’s eponymous icecream parlor: Hailing from Padua, a small town in northern Italy, Ballabeni brings a rich heritage of Italian gelato-making to Germany with flavors like lemon-basil, chocolate-ginger and rose-hibiscus, but also more notorious ones like stracciatella with a creamy texture you just have to try yourself.
Thanks to the usage of nothing but high-quality ingredients – fruits have to be fresh, and the nuts of highest quality – Ballabeni has stood out as a testament to Italian craftsmanship right in the heart of Munich for more than 15 years already. Oh, and there’s a rule at Ballabeni’s: Licking icecream is a no-go. That’s why his icecream is strictly served with spoons.
Fellas
Location: Parkstraße 20, 80339 München
Even though this recommendation for lovers of Neapolitan pizza is named after Scorsese’s Goodfellas, the film’s and the Fellas’ common denominator is its love for family and tradition. And despite the latter, the spot still does things a little bit differently, which starts with its tasteful hip hop soundtrack, but doesn’t stop there:
Run by real Neapolitans from the heart of Naples, Fellas fuses tradition with a modern twist. The restaurant’s very own Andrea Paladino told us which one of the mouth-watering fresh pizzas you shouldn’t miss:
“For a vegetarian pizza, you should definitely try the ‘Zia Lucia’, a tribute to our Aunt Lucia’s cooking, with homemade eggplant gratin on pizza. For a pizza with meat, you should try our Carbonara: most people only know it as pasta, but both are made from dough, so we turned it into a pizza with roasted bacon and egg yolk mix on top.”
Fellas owner Andrea Paladino
And if you don’t get a seat in the cozy restaurant, whose interior was adorned by Munich artist collective Broke.Today, don’t worry: The Fellas has four delicious sister restaurants in Munich with a penchant for film references – the Napoli Rush, Shorty, as well as the True Romance and Soul Kitchen.
Feinkost Spina
Location: Maria-Probst-Str. 49, 80939 München
Feinkost Spina, renowned for offering authentic Italian food since 1970, is a wholesale market that is also open to regular customers. Located in Northern Munich, the deli offers over 7000 (!) articles from wine, prosecchi, grappa, pasta, sauces, antipasti, vinegar, and pastries to coffee and more from Italy. And did we mention their selection of fresh salami, ham, cheese, bread, fresh panini and deep-frozen sea food?
The broad range of Italian delicacies, combined with a high quality of products, and knowledgeable staff make Feinkost Spina a perfect place to experience genuine Italian flavors. A not-so-serious warning though: You might leave Spina with way too many (delicious) artichokes in oil even though you only wanted to try a single one – at least this might or might not have happened to the author of this article before.
