Bamberg food and drink: choose your brewery stops
Bamberg splits its food and drink between two worlds. In the old town, Schlenkerla pours beechwood-smoked Rauchbier from oak barrels on Dominikanerstraße, and Ambräusianum brews its own 5.0% Helles a few doors along the same street. Across the river, the Wunderburg holds the working breweries: Mahrs Bräu with cloudy Kellerbier from the cask, and Keesmann Bräu with a clean Franconian Helles at Wunderburg 5.
Some stops need planning. Greifenklau closes Sunday and Monday, so aim for Tuesday through Saturday, and Spezial's hilltop Keller takes Monday off. Mahrs Bräu's Wirtshaus shuts mid-afternoon on Sundays and cannot take reservations for parties under 20. Fässla runs a cash-only beer garden in Wunderburg alongside its old-town Gasthof.
Meals fit neatly into a walking day. Kachelofen serves hot food without a break from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Fässla's Gasthof takes about an hour and a half. Order the Pils at any table and it comes from Kaiserdom, the city's largest brewery. Book ahead at the sit-down spots.
| Place | Time to allow | Cost | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schlenkerla Bamberg | – | Paid entry | Dominikanerstraße, old town |
| Brauerei Spezial Bamberg | 1-3 hours | – | Obere Königstraße and Spezial-Keller |
| Mahrs Bräu Bamberg | 2 hours | Paid entry | Wunderburg |
| Kachelofen Bamberg | – | Paid entry | Obere Sandstraße 1, old town |
| Ambräusianum Bamberg | – | – | Dominikanerstraße, old town |
| Fässla Bamberg | an hour and a half | Paid entry | old town and Wunderburg |
| Keesmann Bräu Bamberg | about an hour | – | Wunderburg 5, Wunderburg |
| Greifenklau Bamberg | half a day | Paid entry | Laurenziplatz |
| Bürgerbräu Bamberg | – | – | – |
Bamberg attraction guides
Schlenkerla Bamberg: What to Expect at the Smoke Beer Tavern
Bamberg's brewery tavern pours its beechwood-smoked Rauchbier straight from oak barrels, and the Märzen is the glass to start with. Order pork shoulder alongside it; lighter dishes get lost under the smoke.
Paid entry · Book ahead · Best for smoked beer and pork shoulder
Brauerei Spezial Bamberg: Rauchbier, Brewpub and Beer Keller
Spezial runs a paneled Franconian inn in town and a hilltop beer cellar with its own kitchen and a view toward the Kaiserdom. Smoke-shy drinkers can order the Ungespundetes. The Keller takes its weekly rest day on Monday, which catches people out.
1-3 hours · Book ahead · Best for smoke beer fans, Keller views
Mahrs Bräu Bamberg: Brewery, Wirtshaus and Biergarten Guide
A working family brewery in the Wunderburg, away from the old town, where the unfiltered Kellerbier is poured cloudy and soft from the cask. The catch: the Wirtshaus shuts mid-afternoon on Sundays, and tables can't be reserved for parties under 20.
2 hours · Paid entry · Book ahead · Best for Franconian beer and Kellerbier fans
Kachelofen Bamberg: Franconian Restaurant in the Old Town
A long-running Franconian Gasthaus on Obere Sandstraße serving hearty regional plates, local beer and Franconian wine in a cozy dining room of around 50 seats. Hot food runs without a break from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., so it slots into a walking day.
Paid entry · Book ahead · Best for sit-down Franconian meals
Ambräusianum Bamberg: A Brewpub and Gasthaus in the Old Town
A young old-town brewpub on Dominikanerstraße brewing its own 5.0% Helles to drink with Franconian Gasthaus cooking. Come for a sit-down lunch or dinner with the house beer; the outdoor tables on the Katzenberg slope are seasonal and not always out.
Book ahead · Best for house Helles with a sit-down meal
Fässla Bamberg: The Brewery, the Gasthof and the Keller
One 1649 brewery with two addresses: a wood-paneled old-town Gasthof with Franconian plates and a covered courtyard, and a cash-only beer garden in Wunderburg. Pick the Gasthof for a sit-down meal, the Keller for a long outdoor afternoon.
an hour and a half · Paid entry · Book ahead · Best for Franconian beer and food
Keesmann Bräu Bamberg: The Wunderburg Brewery and Its Beer
Keesmann Bräu brews a clean, balanced Franconian Helles at its neighborhood tavern on Wunderburg 5, across the river from the old town. Order that house lager, not a smoked beer, and pair the stop with nearby Mahrs Bräu and Spezial.
about an hour · Best for beer-minded walkers of the Wunderburg
Greifenklau Bamberg: Brewery, Gasthaus and Beer Garden Guide
A family-run hilltop brewery on Laurenziplatz that pours its own Lager, Helles and Kellerbier with a Franconian kitchen and a chestnut-shaded garden. It closes Sunday and Monday, so plan on Tuesday through Saturday.
half a day · Paid entry · Book ahead · Best for Franconian meal and house beer
Bürgerbräu Bamberg: The Beer Brand Brewed by Kaiserdom
Bürgerbräu is a label, not its own brewpub: the Pils and Weissbier on Bamberg menus come from Kaiserdom, the city's largest brewery. Order the Pils with Franconian food, and know you're getting Kaiserdom's beer.
Best for easy local beer with meals
One day of Bamberg beer and food
Start at Schlenkerla on Dominikanerstraße for the smoked Märzen and pork shoulder, the city's signature pairing. Walk to Obere Königstraße for Spezial's paneled inn, or order the Ungespundetes if smoke is not your glass. Cross the river to the Wunderburg for Mahrs Bräu's cask Kellerbier, and keep Keesmann Bräu nearby for a clean Helles.
Where to reserve a table
Reservations are recommended at Schlenkerla, Spezial, Ambräusianum, Fässla, Greifenklau and Kachelofen, all of which fill up for sit-down meals. Mahrs Bräu also recommends booking, though it will not take tables for parties under 20. Plan around the closures: Greifenklau rests Sunday and Monday, Spezial's Keller on Monday.