Having managed the Bar du Port in Neuhausen for a decade, owner Marcus Kraft has become intimately acquainted with this neighbourhood. He shows us his favourite spots and tells us where to savour the best pizzas in town and where the most relaxing venue for watching the sunset can be found.
Kraft describes his bar as “a haven for sailors and ladies“. And indeed, it is: with its dark wooden flooring, miniature ships and dried fish heads adorning the shelves, the petite Bar du Port adds a touch of harbour flair to Neuhausen – a district quite distant from the sea. The walls are painted black, wallpapered with record covers ranging from Amy Winehouse to Al Green and here and there hangs a mirror or painting in an antique gold frame. Even in the early afternoon, the atmosphere has a wicked vibe. Kraft doesn't advertise, and he doesn't maintain a website. There's no need, because Bar du Port is an established institution in Neuhausen.
Marcus Kraft knows all about the restaurant industry. He was once the manager of the legendary Café Freiheit. Later, he embarked on his own venture with the Paris Bar in Haidhausen district and ten years ago, he opened Bar du Port in Neuhausen. During this decade, he gained a multifaceted understanding of Neuhausen.
Right beside Kraft's cocktail bar, stands the Italian Ristorante Il Trullo. In the evening, every seat is usually taken, patrons sip their Aperol, chat in small groups about their last trip to Italy or plan the next one. The fact that Munich enjoys being known as “Italy's northernmost city”, becomes unmistakably evident in this setting.
When Kraft's guests get hungry, they can order a wood-fired pizza from next door and enjoy it in his bar. Kraft enthusiastically describes it as “one of the best pizzas in town”. Across the street, a banner on a house proclaims “club.radio“. This is where Kraft's neighbour, Tom Glagow, runs a jazz and blues online radio channel that has made its mark on the international internet radio charts. “Tom is an excellent jazz connoisseur!”, states Kraft. Tom even curated a special session for Bar du Port and the playlist, which Kraft taped to his closed bar door during the pandemic, is still available online.
Kraft doesn't advertise, and he doesn't maintain a website. There's no need, because Bar du Port is an established institution in Neuhausen.
From his bar, the Italian restaurant and the internet radio station, Kraft takes us to the organic fine bakery Neulinger on Volkartstrasse. Here, they use eggs from free-range chickens, milk from organic farms and bake according to traditional recipes. Kraft remembers their bread and pretzels from Haidhausen, where they also have a branch, just like in the Schlachthofviertel and in Sendling. “My daughter and the other kids loved the pretzel sticks even back then”, Kraft mentions. To this day, he likes to buy the flavoursome bread with the crispy crust from this bakery.
Kraft turns left and continues under the subway of the Mittlerer Ring: The Ruffini is an institution in Neuhausen. For more than 40 years, the unpretentious café with wooden chairs and tiles has been run as a self-managed business. It is one of the most famous breakfast spots in Munich. “With delicious homemade cakes”, Kraft enthuses. “The whole city comes here for cake!”
“At Ruffini, passion and quality have always played a central role,“ he says, sounding like a proud uncle recounting his little nephew's tricycle slaloms. The company is run by 26 partners, who take decisions by consensus whenever possible. In the evenings, patrons can choose from a selection of 30 open Italian wines, and the menu boasts a variety of dishes, including many vegetarian options. It is packed on weekends, Kraft notes, so it is advisable to reserve a table.
Kraft is well-acquainted with the streets and the gastronomic landscape of Neuhausen and he discusses the neighbourhood's transformations, even those he has not personally witnessed. Once Neuhausen was a farming village and Nymphenburg was the part with the stately buildings. Today, it's home to 100,000 residents, comprising families, students and singles. Kraft himself senses the changes in his bar's clientèle and adapts to them.
Five years ago, during the gin craze in major German cities, he offered over sixty gin varieties. Lately, sours are the favoured choice. For his Whiskey Sour, he squeezes limes fresh and tops the drink with a frothy crown of egg white and explains that “their juice is less tart than the acidity of lemons”. Concocting good drinks is his passion and they should also be visually appealing. Kraft garnishes the drinks with dried grapefruit and fresh mint. In addition to classics like the Aperol Spritz, he offers year-round favourites such as the Limoncello Spritz and Ginger Spritz, which are best enjoyed on the terrace in front of the bar during the summer.
The blend of young families, international visitors, and middle-class Munich residents gives the Neuhausen/Nymphenburg district a unique aura: a sense of security, cosiness, and warmth.
Marcus Kraft wears a denim ensemble, complete with jeans and a waistcoat that his wife, Kiki Kraft-Somogyi embroidered with white cotton thread using the Japanese sashiko technique. Together, they embark on city trips around the world, exploring destinations like New York, Amsterdam, London, Paris and Istanbul. On these travels, he gathers inspiration for his own establishment. He pieces together his impressions like a mosaic and creates a new overall work of art. “That's how my bar is often described,“ he says.
As we continue our stroll from Ruffini, Kraft frequently meets acquaintances, his neighbours, along the way. He greets them with gestures or pauses for brief chats. “Neuhausen and Nymphenburg cannot be separated from each other,“ says Kraft. The blend of young families, international visitors, and middle-class Munich residents gives the Neuhausen/Nymphenburg district a unique aura: a sense of security, cosiness, and warmth. Architecturally, the quarter offers a diverse spectrum, from villa-like city palaces in late Wilhelminian style to contemporary structures like the metropolitan church Herz Jesu, a glass cuboid with 14-metre-high doors – the largest in the world.
Just a stone's throw away from the church is Grünwaldpark. Here, you'll find the upmarket Romans gourmet restaurant, known for its homemade pasta and romantic ambience. Kraft recommends it as the ideal choice for a dinner for two. Dining in the fine Italian restaurant beneath meter-high stucco ceilings is a truly exceptional and special experience.
The park leads to the Nymphenburg Canal, probably one of Munich's most famous sightseeing spots. At the end of the canal, the view sweeps from the water to the fairytale Schloss Nymphenburg (palace). The stately palace was the summer residence of the electors and kings from the Wittelsbach Dynasty. Gazing out over the canal, Kraft describes this area as “one of the most exquisite residential areas in the entire city“.
The Gerner Brücke (bridge), located between Hubertusbrunnen (well) and Schlossrondell (grand circle), has become one of the area's most popular gathering hubs over the past two years. In summer, Kraft observes that mainly young adults and teenagers gather here, with drinks from the nearby kiosk. When the weather is nice, people meet on the canal bridge at sunset, have a drink and admire the view of the palace. And of course, the palace park also attracts joggers. “A splendid route,“ says Kraft, who often enjoys this idyll himself at weekends. Gondola rides on the canal are offered daily in the spring and autumn seasons. Only ice skating, ice hockey and curling on the canal were cancelled this year.
After the excursion to what is probably the most photographed motif in the neighbourhood, Marcus Kraft returns to his bar. He regularly freshens up the décor, redesigns the rooms or updates the menu. “Keeping up with the times, that's the secret,“ says Kraft as he slumps into the plush leather of his armchair.
