24 Mar Munich Eats Differently: How a Restaurant Group Is Redefining the City’s Dining Scene
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Munich now boasts two three-Michelin-starred restaurants for the first time. Japanese cuisine is booming like nowhere else in Germany. Amidst this upheaval, a restaurant group operates, bringing almost everything under one roof: from Michelin-listed fine dining to izakaya bars and a century-old brasserie. The Gastro Head Office group is no coincidence – it’s a blueprint for Munich’s gastronomic future.
A City on a Stellar Level
Munich reached a culinary milestone in 2025: for the first time, two restaurants simultaneously held three Michelin stars. Jan Hartwig at JAN and Tohru Nakamura at Schreiberei – two chefs who couldn’t be more different, but both work on an absolute world-class level. Nakamura is the first German chef with Japanese roots to hold three stars.
In total, Munich counts 15 star restaurants, including four with two stars (KOMU, Alois Dallmayr Fine Dining, Atelier, Tantris) and nine with one star. In addition, there’s an ecosystem of hundreds of restaurants not listed in the guide but cooking at a level that would earn stars in other cities.
According to the DISH Trend Report from July 2025, 1,697 restaurants are active in Munich, with 1,027 having a Google rating of 4.5 stars or better. This quality density is unique in Germany.
The Itameshi Boom and the Power of Fusion
The strongest gastronomic trend in Munich is called Itameshi – the fusion of Japanese and Italian or Mediterranean cuisine. What sounds like a culinary experiment has solid reasons: both cuisines focus on product quality, seasonality, and reduction. The difference lies in the technique.
Restaurants like Bā Milano in Schwabing combine pizza with Okonomiyaki, Limoncello with Yuzu. The Gastro Head Office group was early to adopt this trend with Ornella at Platzl – Italian-Japanese fusion in a historic Munich building. This isn’t a coincidence but a deliberate positioning.
Seven Concepts, One Signature
What makes the Gastro Head Office group special: no restaurant feels like a branch. Rocca Riviera at Wittelsbacherplatz is Mediterranean fine dining with one of the most coveted terraces in the city – listed in the MICHELIN Guide. The KOI next door focuses on Japanese Robata cuisine and Izakaya bar, also in the guide.
The Grill at Künstlerhaus at Lenbachplatz is a steakhouse with an international reputation. OskarMaria brings brasserie culture to the Literaturhaus. Café Reitschule on Königinstraße has been around since 1927 – almost a hundred years of Munich’s gastronomic history.
And then there’s Moro Mou in Schwabing: modern Greek, light, and contemporary. Together, the seven houses cover a spectrum that would otherwise be spread across an entire gastronomic mile.
Why Groups are the Future
The Munich gastronomy scene is under pressure. Personnel costs are the biggest challenge for 87 percent of businesses, according to the fizzz Trend Report 2025/26. City center rents are rising. Energy costs remain high. Independent restaurants without backing are reaching their limits.
Premium groups like Gastro Head Office GmbH (Managing Director: Ulrich Springer) have structural advantages: centralized purchasing, shared overheads for HR and accounting, internal personnel rotation during illness or peak periods. And they have something that no individual restaurant can offer: career prospects beyond their own horizons.
The combination is key: two MICHELIN Guide houses as a prestige and recruitment magnet. A nearly century-old classic for loyal customers and local roots. And trend concepts like KOI and Ornella, which appeal to new target groups. This is no random collection of restaurants – this is a portfolio.
The City as a Stage
What sets Munich apart from Berlin or Hamburg: the restaurants are often located in historic buildings – the Künstlerhaus on Lenbachplatz, the Literaturhaus on Salvatorplatz, the Arco-Palais on Wittelsbacherplatz. This gives the gastronomy a depth that no new opening on a greenfield site can replicate.
The purchasing power is there. The audience is there. And since 2025, international attention has also been present – two three-star restaurants and a Japanese-Mediterranean fusion trend that is gaining worldwide attention. Munich is no longer just Weisswurst and beer garden culture. Munich is one of Europe’s most exciting gastronomic cities.
Verdict
Q&A after the Show
Click on a question to expand the answer.
How many Michelin stars does Munich have?
What does it mean to be Michelin-listed?
What is Itameshi?
Which restaurants belong to the Gastro Head Office group?
Can you also work in the restaurants?
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s important about DROP?
As of 2025, Munich has 15 star restaurants: Two with three stars (JAN and Tohru in der Schreiberei), four with two stars, and nine with one star. This ranks Munich alongside Hamburg and Berlin among the top gastronomic cities in Germany.
What development does the article describe?
Being Michelin-listed means that a restaurant is featured in the MICHELIN Guide – as a recommendation from the inspectors. This is already an accolade and signifies that the quality, consistency, and craftsmanship have been convincing.
What does the article particularly emphasize?
Itameshi is the fusion of Japanese and Italian or Mediterranean cuisine. The name comes from Japanese and literally means Italian food.
What practical consequence does the article highlight?
Rocca Riviera (Mediterranean, MICHELIN Guide), KOI (Japanese, MICHELIN Guide), The Grill im Künstlerhaus (steakhouse, internationally acclaimed), OskarMaria (brasserie in the Literaturhaus), Café Reitschule (since 1927), Ornella (Italian-Japanese fusion), and Moro Mou (modern Greek). All are located in Munich’s city center.
What should readers take away?
The Gastro Head Office group employs over 170 staff members and regularly seeks reinforcement in the kitchen, service, and management. All open positions can be viewed at gastro-head-office.factorialhr.de.
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