Gärtnerplatz Alm — Restaurant in Munich

No chichi, just excellent food and fun staff. Commendable.

Fondue (pronounced /ˈfɒndjuː/ in British English; in American English usually /fɒnˈduː/; French pronunciation: ​[fɔ̃dy]) is a Swiss dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot (caquelon or fondue pot) over a portable stove (réchaud) heated with a candle or spirit lamp, and eaten by dipping bread into the cheese using long-stemmed forks.

And this is what we came here for. And we were not disappointed. Quite the contrary...

So, a few weeks back, we decided that while Schweinsbraten is nice, it is also rather mono-dimensional. Therefore, we decided to branch out. A few mediocre Mediterranean and Asian restaurants later, we decided to try something completely different. After short deliberation, we opted for Gärtnerplatz Alm. Or, as the natives call it, "Die Alm".

The restaurant is very nicely decorated. The interior features wood, and dead animals. An excellent combination. The tables and seats are made from wood, too, and reasonably comfortable. The bar is well stocked, and thankfully does not feature the froufrou spirits for which the area is infamous. Most importantly, the beer is Arcobräu, and not one of the local abominations.

Our first impression of the staff was, "these guys have a great taste in music." You simply cannot go wrong with Californication. They later switched to some loungy stuff that was not half bad, either. So, good stuff.

The beers arrived well-tempered, and fast. Excellent.

The fondues we went for (Münchner Schwarzbierfondue, and a vegan vegetable fondue) arrived shortly afterwards. And they were delicious. Creamy, tangy, with a hint of just the right spices. Lovely.

The staff were super attentive, and always there when we needed them. They were also extremely friendly. The even helped settle a dispute over a Shave of the Day picture (which does not look like Berlin MItte!).

Now, the prices... The drinks are very reasonably priced, no doubt about it. The fondues are a bit on the expensive side, but given the quality of the food, still within reason.

Overall, this was a great evening. We were more than happy with the service, and the food. And we will be back to try the other fondues....

The place is quite small (around 15 tables for two, some can be combined for bigger groups), reservation is absolutely necessary (the next available slot for us was in ~3 weeks). Inside it's getting quite loud due to the bigger companies chatting, so don't expect any kind of relaxed atmosphere. It was our first time trying fondue. We decided to try Provence one, which seemed a bit more interesting than classic. It goes with a big basket of bread pieces and a small plate of pickled vegetables. Also we ordered potatoes and mushrooms. I think the potatoes were a bit too much already, so probably just one extra for 2ppl should be good enough. The cheese consistency is very interesting, it's like liquid, but getting harder very quickly. It sticks to the bread really well. The cheese taste was a bit too strong, I also was able to taste some alcohol (and my gf had similar impressions later in the evening). But anyway it was an interesting experience and we have finished the plates. Though I do think it's very overpriced, it just isn't worthy of basically 60 euro for the fondue alone. Thus, minus star.

And another minus goes to the service. There is just one waiter who serves everyone, looking into the phone and answering some calls in between. We have ordered the dessert as well, so after finishing the fondue we're sitting for more than 10-15 minutes waiting for anything. Though it took them quite some time to even notice us and remove the plates from the fondue. After 10 more minutes of waiting we decided that we're too full and it's even better for us if they forgot about the dessert. So we asked to pay, the waiter hasn't said a word about the dessert. They really forgot it -_-.

Bathrooms are really used, old and ugly looking, also smelly.

As a bottom line, it's still an interesting experience, but I wouldn't recommend the place and wouldn't go...

So Admittedly I've never had Fondu before but my husband had. He took me here for our date night and I have to say I was very impressed.

Service The device was wonderful. The waiters were very relaxed and friendly and we didn't have to wait long to be served or to receive our food once we'd ordered. The restaurant was mildly busy.

It was a wet summer evening and we had a seat near the big opening galleria windows, so it was perfect to contrast with the warmth inside. The waiter reassured us that if we felt old he would gladly close the window for us.. very polite!

There were a couple from the restaurant who went out to smoke and for less than a minute the cigarette smell and fumes came inwards so we asked them to please move further away. Then the waiter came over and again asked us if we like the window closed he would gladly do so and that he asked the smokers to move away from the restaurant facade. Again this was very polite of him. Top service!

Decor Inside the decoration had an outdoorsy/wooden cabin / Scandinavian feel to its it was very clean and comfortable.

Food So this was my first time so I don't know have a comparison but I can say it was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

We had the traditional fondue, it was very good and was accompanied by some pickled vegetables. The fondue was a combination of cheeses and very delicious.One course was plenty for us!

My husband even commended the Fondu (he has had Fondue many...