Celebrate North American Thanksgiving in Munich

North American Thanksgiving in Munich! Serve your own Thanksgiving dinner or be served. We have compiled a few tips to help you celebrate!

Just because you are living in Munich, Germany, doesn’t mean you have to miss out on Thanksgiving.  In North America, Thanksgiving is celebrated in both Canada and in the USA. However, on different dates: Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, while the US celebrates on the fourth Thursday of November.

But, both countries celebrate the holiday with family and friends gathering around tables, eating delicious food and giving “thanks”. If you would like to read more about the origins of the North American Thanksgiving Holidays and the differences between the holidays in the US and Canada, please click here.

Thanksgiving in Munich

There are a few restaurants in Munich that offer a “Thanksgiving” menu on specific dates or you can host your own dinner.

Restaurants in Munich that offer Thanksgiving Menus

Please pay attention to the dates as they may or may not be on the actual Thanksgiving date.  So far, we have only found restaurants that cater to the US holiday observance. Therefore, hosting your own Thanksgiving dinner to observe the Canadian date would be the way to go! More Tips on Hosting your own Thanksgiving below.

Tip: Be sure to call ahead and make your reservation, especially for large groups.  Spots may fill up quickly.

MUNICH MARRIOTT HOTEL
Berliner Str. 93
T. +49 (0)89 36002 747

November 23rd, 2017 7:00 PM-10:30 PM
€ 58,00 per person
Including non-alcoholic beverages, beer, red and white wine as well as coffee and tea. Children under the age of
6 are free of charge, children between 7 and 12 years old pay half price.

HILTON MUNICH PARK HOTEL
Am Tucherpark 7
T. +49 (0)89 38450

November 23rd, 2017 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
In the Tivoli Restaurant directly on the Eisbach. Thanksgiving buffet with entertainment. The buffet price of € 39 per guest includes the Thanksgiving buffet and a welcome cocktail. For €49 per person, you receive the Thanksgiving buffet, a welcome cocktail, complete wine accompaniment, beer, soft drinks, water, coffee, and tea. To book a table, contact the event team directly.  Call +49 (0) 89 3845 2429 or by e-mail: festive.munich@hilton.com

HARD ROCK CAFE
Platzl 1
T. +49 (0)89 2429490

November 23rd, 2017 12:00 PM-Midnight
Thanksgiving as in the USA, at Hard Rock; authentic and a little bit rock’n’roll! American turkey menu (reservation required!) Welcome drink “Spiked” apple cider, main course: roast turkey with cornbread filling with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and cranberry sauce, dessert: pumpkin cheesecake served with chocolate or caramel sauce with whipped cream € 26 -95 pp

HIRSCHGARTEN
Hirschgarten 1
T. +49 (0)89 17999119

November 23rd, 2017 beginning @6:00 PM
Menu choices: Turkey liver parfait with pickled pumpkin, marinated turkey breast with potato dressing and bacon strips, corn salad with bacon and croutons, Teriyaki wraps with chicken or vegetarian, Thanksgiving glass with beetroot, cottage cheese, avocado, salmon and nuts *** Pumpkin cream soup with seed oil *** Whole turkey with bread and fruit filling, with natural sauce, cranberries. Carrot and ginger vegetables and sweet potato puree , BBQ chicken: marinated chicken leg with corn on the cob, Panzerotti with ricotta and spinach filling with pumpkin pesto and Parmesan cheese *** Homemade cheesecake with cherries, apple pie with crumble, vanilla ice cream blueberry and chocolate muffins, per person €23,80 – children up to 10 years €12,50

ALTER WIRT
Dachauer Strasse 274
T. +49 (0)89140 72 76

November 23rd and 24th 2017 beginning @7:00 PM 
“Thanksgiving Dinner Party ” with Linda Jo Rizzo live at Alter Wirt! €45 per person. Information and reservations by calling 0172-8502162 or by email: mail@ljmusic-events.de

KENNEDYS & KILLIANS
Sendlinger-Tor-Platz 11 & Frauenplatz 11
T. +49 (0)89 59988460 T. +49 (0)89 24219899

November 23rd beginning @6:00 PM 
All guests can expect an exquisite three-course turkey dinner, as well as the Paul Daly band from 10 pm. Plus special Thanksgiving drinks. @Kilians, the Munich String Band will start playing “Their second annual Thanksgiving Concert!” from 9 PM onward.  Contact Kenneys & Kilians respectively for more details and reservations.

Hosting your Thanksgiving Dinner

We can honestly say, over the past couple of years, it has become much easier to host your own Thanksgiving dinner at home in Munich.  For example, sweet potatoes and fresh cranberries are now regularly found in most of the large chain supermarkets.  We recommend shopping at Bio Basic, the HIT, Viktualianmarkt or Galeria Kaufhof (there is an “American” aisle in the basement grocer of Galeria Kaufhof) to find most ingredients. Amazon.de works in many cases too!

Most important advice – Plan in Advance!!  For example, the Turkey, in most cases needs to be pre-ordered. And make sure you have a large enough oven to fit the size of bird you plan on cooking. We know from experience, that standard ovens in Europe do not work for big turkeys.  Also, one of us didn’t have a pie baking dish when we first moved here, so we needed to order it online and that took a couple of days for delivery. With that being said, don’t wait until last minute to get everything you need. Start planning now! 🙂

Shopping for Ingredients

Tips for finding the most frequently sought out ingredients for Thanksgiving’s Traditional Dishes.

Turkey

Called Truthahn in German, will most likely need to be pre-ordered in advance.  Most local neighborhood butchers should be able to do it for you. If you want the gizzards and neck, let the butcher know that too!

Here are a couple of guaranteed places to get your holiday bird:

Höhenrainer and Stephani`s Geflügelparadies -both located in Viktualienmarkt.

You can also order Turkey online at Ullrichs Putenhof.

Cranberry Sauce

You can purchase canned cranberries online at Amazon.de here. However, take note of the delivery time.  Better yet, make your own tastier and healthier version.  Here is a fantastic recipe from our fellow Expat Friend and Food Blogger the Texanerin:

Cranberry Orange Sauce

Pumpkin and Pecan Pie

Need a pie dish? Pumpkin pie filling? Brown sugar? You can find those items at our fave -the American Heritage shop. Visit the store or order online.  Also, you can check out Amazon.de or Galeria Kaufhof.

For fantastic pecans, we usually go to the nut/spice stand in the Viktualianmarkt behind the olive booth.

We hope you have found these tips helpful and let us know if you have any “Thanksgiving Tips” that you would like to share with the community.

Related Post:  Shop at Our Top International Grocers in Munich – Part 3