Munich as lovely as it is, has never been known as the 24/7-no-end party town compared to cities like Berlin or Hamburg. Not to say you can’t have fun in its many bars, clubs and restaurants, but curfew times are certainly being managed stricter than in other parts of Germany. Hey, can’t beat a good night sleep, right? I must be getting old!?

source: Schranne.de

The more surprising it was to read that the new Schrannenhalle (located next to Viktualienmarkt), which had its grand opening practically only a few hours ago will allow visitors to shop for food, eat and buy all kinds of things in one of the 50 stores, shops & restaurants around the clock. Yep, 24/7, all brochures had it black on white. Sweet Marketing. Party-pooper Sueddeutsche Zeitung (a major German newspaper), however, revealed that it’s not quite so: shops will have to close at 8pm, while restaurants “may opt-in” for longer opening times. So nothing out of the ordinary.

The Schrannenhalle made history as being the only steel-glas construction of the 19th century (1853) and is now rebuild. With a little delay, its inaugural opening today left me with no choice but to see for myself and pay it a visit. So I met N. for a quick lunch break.

First impression: too many people. Second impression: too many people. Ok, I should have known with all the marketing hype going on. So nothing really was quick, neither getting from place A to spot B nor ordering your food, let alone getting out again. Service, however, was very friendly and fast (how did they manage to cut their way through the masses?). The food we’ve tried (tandoori tikka at tandoori, crepe at Aufstrichmacherei, mascarpone creme with strawberries at Vapiano…) was good – good only that is. A bit on the pricy end and not an absolute taste bud pleaser, but of course we haven’t tried everything. Usually, when I order a coke to quench my thirst I’d expect either IT or Pepsi, today I learned that there is another possibility: Sinalco – tinted water, flat and tasteless.

Generally, this place compares to a cross between a specialty food section in a premium mall – without the mall -, and a fair. Apparently it is up to the owners of a booth to decide on the design and presentation. Hence one will find a mix of different styles, a nicely designed pottery and ceramic shop next to an unenthusiastically thrown together shed selling funky, touristy thingies (like Bavarian beersteins etc.). Blame me for being overly skeptic on the whole thing, but I was expecting a little more – a typical case of marketing let down.

It certainly hasn’t fully tapped into its potential and I’ll revisit in say about a month or so, let’s see how things shake out. I would not be surprised if some of the not so well fitting stalls would disappear quickly and made room for more attractive ones.

With the Oktober Fest lurking around the corner, I’m sure they’ll have a good start.
Oliver