This is the second instalment of the RIH series on Munich’s best beer gardens. Last month we took you to the Royal Hirschgarten. Just as a reminder: The (in)famous “Oktoberfest” is looming like a tipsy blur on the horizon. We tell you where to drink your beer in the peace and quiet that is the original Bavarian beer garden.

Only ten minutes on foot from Munich central station, the Augustinerkeller is perfect for anyone who doesn’t have time to waste on lengthy trips around town. Located in Arnulfstraße, the beer garden has been around since the mid-19th century. The city records of 1842 lists it “as one of Munich’s most beautiful” beer gardens – despite the fact that it was “located just across from the court house”. In 1862 the Augustiner brewery bought the place. The whole ambience is genuinely old: the design hasn’t changed since the last make-over in 1895.

More than 150 years later the neighbourhood is by no means less illustrious. Just around the corner is the headquarters of Bavarian Broadcasting, home of all public TV and radio in the free state of Bavaria. This amps up the VIP-factor of the Augustinerkeller – if you are likely to recognise any German media stars. If not, don’t worry: they are rather forgetabble in the eyes of their audience anyway. More important: up and coming journalists, bright and imaginative writers and film makers, or well-connected media trainees might just be enjoying their afterwork beer at the table next to you. Go network!

The beer garden belongs to a traditional Bavarian restaurant. The decoration is heavy on hunting and folklore themes, but the real treat lies underground: the old beer cellar. Back in times when there was no sophisticated cooling technology the locals brought ice from the nearby canals and stacked it in the huge cellar. The owners planted large chestnut trees above ground for shade and subsequently more cooling. This was, in fact, the origin of the beer garden. it may sound like a cliché, but a cool Augustiner Maximator, a strong “double bock” , really does taste that tiny but significant bit better down here.

With the price for a litre of beer (in bavaria called a “Maß”) peaking at seven euros, the tab isn’t chickenfeed. But why not drink a mug of good beer like a glass of good wine? You wouldn’t try to get drunk with a bottle of 1961 Château Latour, right? Well… provided you have one, of course. And if you do, you probably won’t mind paying seven measly euros for beer…